Loches: Royal City and Heritage

Loches brings together defensive architecture, religious art and artists’ history. To help you plan your trip, the town offers a range of cultural themes: from the fortified Royal City to churches and collections, as well as an exhibition on the history of Loches. You can tailor your stay to whether you are particularly interested in buildings, art or the history of the town.

The Royal City and its medieval keep

The fortified Cité royale de Loches was built on a long rocky promontory. Its imposing medieval keep dominates the site. The position on the rock and the prominent keep give the Cité a distinctive architectural character: the terrain and the fortifications go hand in hand here. If you are interested in medieval defensive architecture, these two features offer a concrete starting point for understanding the site.

A guided tour of the keep lasting about an hour is available with the HistoPad© and augmented reality elements. The approximate duration is useful for planning your time: you can treat this guided section as a separate activity rather than assuming a set visit duration for the other sights. The digital format supplements the tour; the architectural form of the keep and fortified Cité remains a distinct part of the experience.

Churches, portals and works of art

The Collégiale Saint-Ours dates from the 11th and 12th centuries. Its most striking feature is its polychrome portal, decorated with figures and fantastic animals from the Romanesque bestiary. The colourful design and the creatures depicted offer various details to look out for as you explore. The church also has two hollow octagonal pyramids known as “dubes”, considered a feature unique in France. These unusual forms add an architectural feature to the view of the church that is distinct from the figures on the portal.

The Église Saint-Antoine is located in a former Ursuline convent and houses numerous 17th-century paintings, including a work by Jean Boucher. Its furnishings also include an organ from the early 19th century. The paintings and organ thus represent different periods. The Galerie Saint-Antoine offers another point of reference: it displays Jean Poyer’s 15th-century triptych, as well as the two works “Caravage de Philippe de Béthune”. If you compare Loches’ art themes, works from different centuries come together here, without necessarily belonging to the same collection.

The Musée Lansyer and the history of the town

The Musée Lansyer is housed in the former family home of landscape painter Emmanuel Lansyer (1835–1893). Lansyer bequeathed more than 8,000 objects to the town of Loches. The collection thus links the artist’s name with an extensive legacy. Sensory stations, easy-to-understand explanatory texts and tours tailored to individual visitors present his work and life in different ways. You can focus both on the artist as a person and on his work.

La Chancellerie offers a different perspective: a permanent exhibition in four rooms explores the history of Loches. The building features an exceptional Renaissance façade dating from 1551, inspired by Michelangelo’s works. The exhibition and façade have different focuses—one on the town’s history, the other on Renaissance architecture and its artistic influences.

La Chancellerie also has an amphitheatre-style garden that serves as a place for walks and can occasionally host concerts and performances. If you are planning to travel to Loches for an event, check the specific dates. This allows you to distinguish between the building and collection themes described as permanent and possible events that should not be assumed to take place on a fixed date.

Discover more destinations: Loché-Sur-Indrois, La Châtre, Chisseaux, Fondettes, La Ville-Aux-Dames, Restigné, Larçay, Beaumont-Village.

For the broader travel overview: Indre-Et-Loire.