26 September 2014

Loches : La Maison du Centaure

The Centaur House is a 500-year-old building on a pedestrian street near the Hôtel de Ville in Loches, near the city of Tours. "Wandering down through the curving old streets" of the town, as the Cadogan says, "is a real pleasure. The feel is mainly 15th and 16th century." I agree and I'm looking forward to going back to spend more time exploring the neighborhood.



One of the most striking buildings on the rue du Château is definitely the Maison du Centaure. Apparently, it is privately owned and it is not in good repair. The figure holding the bow that you can see in the  photos above is Hercules*, represented by a likeness of François Ier, who was the king of France when the house was built. He has just shot an arrow that you can see sticking through the centaur's torso.

* This site says of the house:

On y voit notamment à l'angle, une colonne engagée à chapiteau finement ciselé, des niches ayant abrité des statues, une belle porte d'entrée donnant sur une courette, surmontée du portrait des propriétaires et surtout un bas-relief ayant donné son nom à la maison: celui-ci qui ornait auparavant le manteau d'une cheminée, a été placé en façade suite au rajout d'un étage au XIX° siècle. Il représente une scène mythologique: Hercule et son épouse Déjanire s'apprêtent à traverser le fleuve Evenos; surgit le centaure Nessus, qui propose à Déjanire de traverser sur son dos. Elle accepte mais, arrivé sur l'autre rive, Nessus essaie d'abuser d'elle et Hercule lui décoche une flèche empoisonnée. La scène est représentée au moment précis où la flèche vient de traverser le torse du centaure, tandis qu'Hercule - sous les traits de François ler - s'apprête à lui en décocher une deuxième.

4 comments:

  1. Loches sounds like it might be an interesting place to
    live if one day you and Walt decide to give up life among
    the vines.

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    Replies
    1. Sheila, bonjour, you are right that Loches is a candidate when it comes to the idea of moving into a town, which is something we think about. Age plays a role. Maintaining a big yard and garden gets harder and harder as time passes. I'll miss Saint-Aignan and La Renaudière, but that's the way the world works. I also think about Blois, Bourges, or Auxerre as towns I might like to live in. Angers is another big town I'm interested in.

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  2. I like towns with lots of history - it gives them a bit more soul. Loches has got plenty of that. And you need a great market.

    ReplyDelete
  3. P., that's why I think more and more about Blois. Much history, and markets every day in different parts of the town.

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What's on your mind? Qu'avez-vous à me dire ?