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Heritage classified

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Origin and history

The Mauvières Tower is the last vestige of a medieval castle located at the end of a rocky spur on the town of Loches, in Indre-et-Loire, two kilometers south of the main castle. This strategic site, integrated with the city's defensive system, locked the entrance of a valley to the south, playing the role of advanced post.

Mauvières' fief, attached to the estate of Loches, has been attested since the 11th century. It then belonged to Lisois d'Amboise, Senechal d'Anjou and close to Foulques Nerra, lord of the nearby castle. The current tower, the only surviving structure, dates from the 14th century. Its five floors, now without interior fittings, keep traces of floors and chimneys. The walls, in large limestone apparatus, frame a block of irregular bellows.

Acquired by the town of Loches in 1920, the tower was classified as a historic monument in 1926. From the original castle, there are only a few walls and galleries dug in the hillside, one of which, according to local tradition, linked the site to the castle of Loches. These remains testify to the strategic importance of the site in the medieval defensive network of the region.

The architecture of the tower, although partially ruined (disappearance of the roof and upper floors), illustrates the military construction techniques of the Middle Ages. Its current state allows us to study the heating and internal partitioning systems, typical of the dungeons of the era. The tower is now communal property and is subject to heritage protection.

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