Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The castle of Angers, also called the castle of the Dukes of Anjou, is a fortress built in the 13th century by Louis IX on a schistose promontory overlooking Maine. Its strategic location, occupied as early as Neolithic (cairn about 4500 B.C.) then by a Gallic oppidum and Gallo-Roman enclosure, made it a key defensive site. The current construction, launched around 1230, forms an 800-metre enclosure punctuated with 17 round towers, designed as a royal outpost against Pierre Mauclerc's threats.

Transformed into a seigneurial residence in the 15th century by the Dukes of Anjou, the castle saw René d'Anjou born in 1409 under the impulse of Yolande d'Aragon. This period marked the addition of the royal house, the Gothic chapel (1405-1413) dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, and the gallery of King René (1435-1453), bearing witness to the splendor of the Angelian court. The chapel then houses the relic of the True Cross, symbol of the dynasty. The architectural changes reflect this duality: preserved military enclosure, while the inner courtyard is enriched with residential buildings.

The sixteenth century was marked by the wars of Religion: in 1585 Henry III ordered the partial destruction of the towers, reduced to their base. The castle then became a prison, a military arsenal (19th century), then suffered damage during the 1944 bombings. Since 1954, it has hosted the curtain of the Apocalypse, a 14th century textile masterpiece commissioned by Louis I of Anjou. Ranked a historic monument in 1875, the site is now managed by the National Monuments Centre and attracts more than 190,000 annual visitors, including after its 2009 post-fire restoration.

Archaeological excavations (1992-2003) revealed neolithic, Gallic and Roman remains, including a funeral cairn and the ramparts of the Andecava Oppidum. These discoveries, which have been part of the tour since 2009, highlight the site's continued occupation over more than 6,000 years. The gallery of the Apocalypse, built in 1954 by Bernard Vitry, is part of the footprint of the old Ducal buildings, while the medieval ditches, transformed into gardens, offer a unique landscape.

The architecture of the castle illustrates the defensive and residential evolutions: the door of the Champs (XIIIth century), equipped with sophisticated defence systems (double harrow, assumer), contrasts with the asymmetrical chestnut (1456) decorated with the weapons of René d'Anjou. The chapel, with its angeline vaults and armorial keys, embodies international Gothicism, while the large Comtal Hall (X-15th centuries) shows the successive adaptations, from Romanesque bays to Gothic windows. These elements make the Château d'Angers an exceptional testimony to the military and princely history of western France.

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