|
Angers is the city that gives its name to the Anjou region, famous for its
rosé wines, and to Angevin vaulting, one of the earliest forms of gothic
architecture. Long before the Loire valley was a playground for the French
Nobility, Angers was a fortress controlling traffic on the river.
 |
 |
With its high towers and its deep moat, Angers was one of the strongest
castles of its time. Now the moat is a park with formal gardens, and the
castle just a reminder of days gone by. |
 |
 |
 During
a siege the castle had to be self-sufficient. The vineyard still grows
Anjou grapes that are harvested every year. |
The Apocalypse Tapestry
 A
special room has been built against the castle walls to shelter Anger's great
treasure: the Tapestry of the Apocalypse. Dating from around 1383, the tapestry
was woven in Paris and designed to hang around the galleries of the cathedral on
great occasions. The room is kept dark to protect the colors, as well as being
temperature and humidity controlled. This is one more occasion that I really
appreciated the image stabilization feature of my camera. The following pictures
were taken hand-held at 1/2 second exposure. Flash was obviously not permitted.
|
