[img_assist|nid=41546|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=500|height=240] Monument Off the coast of Marseille lies the château d’If, better known for the legends attached to this picturesque site than for its military importance. The little island entered history with the arrival in 1515 of the first rhinoceros brought to Europe. The animal […]
0 Read MoreThe Abbey of Thoronet
Monument
The Thoronet abbey, a Cisterian monastery founded in 1146 by the Tourtour monks in a wild setting in the Var region, gathers its monastery buildings around a cloister which is protected by sturdy arcatures from the Romanesque period. Apart from the "palm tree" vault in the chapter house, the barrel vault predominates; its majestic volumes round out everywhere, from the church to the storeroom without forgetting the dormitory, which rose from the ruins brought about by the 18th century "improvements". The state purchased the abbey progressively from 1854 onwards and it recovered its original appearance thanks to important renovation works.
0 Read MoreThe Abbaye de Montmajour in Arles
Monument
Above the plain to the northeast of Arles, the Saint-Peter abbey was founded on the "Mount Majour" (the big mountain) in 948. Until 1790, Benedictine monks lived there according to the rules of Saint Benedict of Nurcie.
0 Read More[img_assist|nid=41545|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=400|height=300]
The Monument
0 Read More[img_assist|nid=41544|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=400|height=300] The Monument The château of Oiron, in the South of Chinon and Saumur, should be as famous as the most beautiful châteaus of the Val de Loire. This construction, constantly transformed by the successive generations of the Gouffier family (from the Poitou region), is a […]
0 Read MoreThe Gallo-Roman site of Sanxay
Monument
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[img_assist|nid=41543|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=424|height=283]
The Monument
0 Read More[img_assist|nid=41508|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=424|height=283]
The Monument
0 Read More[img_assist|nid=41507|title=|desc=|link=none|align=middle|width=424|height=283] The Monument The castle of Coucy’s ruins are situated on a promontory which dominates the Oise and the Ailette valleys, between the region of Soissons and the region of Laon. It was constructed at the beginning of the 13th century by Enguerrand of Coucy, […]
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The essence of the monument
Do not be put off by the apparent austerity of this shale and limestone fortress, interspersed with 17 towers, which the young Saint Louis had built on the edge of his kingdom in 13th Century…
Cross the drawbridge and inside the castle walls you will find the pleasant residence of the Dukes of Anjou, composed of buildings constructed at the end of the gothic era and gardens. Other marvels await you, amongst which the highly exceptional Apocalypse tapestry, the largest medieval tapestry known to exist (it is 104 metres long), and the famous mille-fleurs and Passion tapestries…
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