. Castles and chateaux of old Touraine and the Loire country. uddy, and the woodedbanks not only refine the crudities of a flatshore-line, a screen or barrier to theflowering charms of the examples of Renais-sance architecture which, in Touraine, at least,are as thick as leaves in Vallambrosa. Starting at Grien, the valley of the Loire be-gins to offer those monumental chateaux whichhave made its fame as the land of the old fortress-chateau of Gien to theChateau de Clisson, or the Logis de la DuchesseAnne at Nantes, is one long succession of floridmasterpieces, not to be
. Castles and chateaux of old Touraine and the Loire country. uddy, and the woodedbanks not only refine the crudities of a flatshore-line, a screen or barrier to theflowering charms of the examples of Renais-sance architecture which, in Touraine, at least,are as thick as leaves in Vallambrosa. Starting at Grien, the valley of the Loire be-gins to offer those monumental chateaux whichhave made its fame as the land of the old fortress-chateau of Gien to theChateau de Clisson, or the Logis de la DuchesseAnne at Nantes, is one long succession of floridmasterpieces, not to be equalled elsewhere. A General Survey The true chateau region of Touraine — bywhich most people usually comprehend theLoire chateaux — commences only at the edifices, to a great extent, take onthese superfine residential attributes whichwere the glory of the Renaissance period ofFrench architecture. Both above and below Touraine, at Mont- THE LOIRE CHATEAipC ? FIRST CLASS •^ ® SECOND »> ?• THIRD 9>== ROUTES— LOIRS. richard, at Loches, and Beaugency, are still tobe found scattering examples of feudal for-tresses and donjons which are as representa-tive of their class as are the best Norman struc-tures of the same era,the great fortresses ofArques, Falaise, Domfront, and Les Andelysbeing usually accounted as the types whichgave the stimulus to similar edifices this same versatile region also, beginning 10 Old Touraine and the Loire Country perhaps with the Orleannais, are a vast mimberof religious monuments equally instance, the church of St. Benoit-sur-Loire is one of the most important Boman-esque churches in all France, and the cathedralof St. Gatien, with its bejewelled fagade,at Tours, the twin-spired St. Maurice at An-gers, and even the pompous, and not very goodGothic, edifice at Orleans (especially note-worthy because its crypt is an ancient workanterior to the Capetian dynasty) are all won-derfully inter
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherbosto, bookyear1906
