The name of the city comes from the ancient Gallic tribe called the Turones.
In Roman times it was known as Turonensis. Tours
was a medieval center of learning and the site of the victory of Charles Martel
over a Moslem invasion that likely saved France
from Islamic rule. Tours was a
center of a silk weaving industry starting in the 15th Century. It
was the temporary seat of the French government after the Prussian capture of Paris
in 1870. Tours is the birthplace of
the famous French writer, Balzac.
The mostly gothic style Saint-Gatien Cathedral was begun in
1170 to replace a church that was destroyed in a battle between Henry II of England
and Louis VII of France.
Among the parts of the cathedral are the chancel with a fine collection of 12
Century stained -glass windows, the flamboyant façade being among the region's
most prestigious, displaying its opulent decoration, the 14th-16th Century
nave, the grave of Charles VIII’s and Anne of Brittany's children, and a
beautiful work coming from the school of the sculptor Michel Colombe. One can
also stroll some of the medieval streets and visit the Saint-Pierre-le-Puellier garden
where there are some Gallo-Roman ruins.
Angers
The first sign of human presence on the site of Angers
is a stone tool dated back to 400,000 B.C. The earliest known inhabitants were
the Andecavi, a Galic tribe that was overrun by the Romans, who called the town
Juliomagus.Angers
was once the capital of the historic province
of Anjou. It became part of the Angevin empire of the
Plantagenet Kings of England. During this time, the Hospital
of Saint-Jean was built in Angers
by King Henry II of England.
The edifice still stands to this day, now housing an important museum. In 1204,
Angers was conquered by King
Philippe II. The Huguenots took it in 1585, and the Vendean royalists
were repulsed nearby in 1793. Till the Revolution, Angers
was the seat of a celebrated university founded in the 14th century.
The most famous attraction in Angers
is the massive, stone edifice of Chateau d’Angers. It has a perimeter of almost
a kilometer and seventeen towers. The Chateau is the home of a 14th
Century tapestry depicting the Book of Revelations called the Tapestry of the
Apocalypse. A stroll about the towers and in the garden is recommended as well.
The Cathedrale St-Maurice is a 12th
century edifice with impressive twin spires. It sits atop a wide staircase
often referred to by the same name as the Cathedral. It towers over all else
around and contains some beautiful stained glass windows.