Loches
St. Antoine Tower, and the Château de Loches in the background
Loches
Administration
Country	France
Region	Centre
Department	Indre-et-Loire
Arrondissement	Loches
Canton	Loches
Mayor	Jean-Jacques Descamps (2001–2008)
Statistics
Elevation	64–147 m (210–482 ft)
Land area1	27.06 km2 (10.45 sq mi)
Population2	6,478  (2009)
- Density	239 /km2 (620 /sq mi)
INSEE/Postal code	37132/ 37600
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
2 Population without double counting: residents of multiple communes (e.g., students and military personnel) only counted once.

Coordinates: 47°07′45″N 0°59′46″E / 47.1292°N 0.9961°E / 47.1292; 0.9961

Loches is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.

It is situated 29 miles (47 km) southeast of Tours by railway, on the left bank of the Indre River.

History[link]

Loches (the Roman Leucae) grew up around a monastery founded about 500 by St. Ours and belonged to the Counts of Anjou from 886 until 1205. In the latter year it was seized from King John of England by Philip Augustus, and from the middle of the 13th century until after the time of Charles IX of France the castle was a residence of the kings of France, apart for a brief interlude in 1424 when it was heritably granted to Archibald Douglas, Duke of Touraine. Antoine Guenand, Lord of La Celle-Guenand was appointed Captain-Governor of Loches in 1441.

Population[link]

Sights[link]

St. Antoine Tower

The town, one of the most picturesque in central France, lies at the foot of the rocky eminence on which stands the Château de Loches, the castle of the Anjou family, surrounded by an outer wall 13 ft./4 m. thick, and consisting of the old collegiate church of St. Ours, the royal lodge and the donjon.

The church of St. Ours dates from the tenth century to the twelfth century; among its distinguishing features are the huge stone pyramids surmounting the nave and the beautiful carving of the west door. It contains the tomb of Agnès Sorel.

The royal lodge, built by Charles VII of France and once used as the subprefecture, contains the oratory of Anne of Brittany. It was here on 11 May 1429 that Joan of Arc arrived, fresh from her historic victory at Orleans, to meet the king.

The donjon includes, besides the ruined keep (12th century), the Martelet, celebrated as the prison of Lodovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, who died there in 1508, and the Tour Ronde, built by Louis XI of France and containing the famous iron cages in which state prisoners, including according to a story now discredited, the inventor Cardinal Balue, were confined.

Loches has an town hall and several houses of the Renaissance period.

On the right bank of the Indre, opposite the town, is the village of Beaulieu-lès-Loches, once the seat of a barony.

Economy[link]

Liquor, distilling and tanning are carried on together with trade in farm produce, wine, wood and livestock.

Personalities[link]

Loches was the birthplace of:

• Fulk III, Count of Anjou
• Alfred de Vigny (1797-1863), poet, playwright, and novelist
• Jacques Villeret (1951-2005), actor
• Pierre Nicolas Gerdy (May 1, 1797 – March 18, 1856), French physician, surgeon, anatomist, pathologist and physiologist.

International relations[link]

Loches is twinned with:

• Wermelskirchen, Germany

It has a cultural association with:

• St Andrews, Scotland

See also[link]

• Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department

References[link]

• INSEE commune file

External links[link]

• Tourism office website
• Tour virtuel interactif de Loches/VR Tour of Loches
•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Loches

v t e Communes of the Indre-et-Loire department Abilly Ambillou Amboise Anché Antogny-le-Tillac Artannes-sur-Indre Assay Athée-sur-Cher Autrèche Auzouer-en-Touraine Avoine Avon-les-Roches Avrillé-les-Ponceaux Azay-le-Rideau Azay-sur-Cher Azay-sur-Indre Ballan-Miré Barrou Beaulieu-lès-Loches Beaumont-en-Véron Beaumont-la-Ronce Beaumont-Village Benais Berthenay Betz-le-Château Bléré Bossay-sur-Claise Bossée Le Boulay Bourgueil Bournan Boussay Braslou Braye-sous-Faye Braye-sur-Maulne Brèches Bréhémont Bridoré Brizay Bueil-en-Touraine Candes-Saint-Martin Cangey La Celle-Guenand La Celle-Saint-Avant Céré-la-Ronde Cerelles Chambon Chambourg-sur-Indre Chambray-lès-Tours Champigny-sur-Veude Chançay Chanceaux-près-Loches Chanceaux-sur-Choisille Channay-sur-Lathan La Chapelle-aux-Naux La Chapelle-Blanche-Saint-Martin La Chapelle-sur-Loire Charentilly Chargé Charnizay Château-la-Vallière Château-Renault Chaumussay Chaveignes Chédigny Cheillé Chemillé-sur-Dême Chemillé-sur-Indrois Chenonceaux Chezelles Chinon Chisseaux Chouzé-sur-Loire Cigogné Cinais Cinq-Mars-la-Pile Ciran Civray-de-Touraine Civray-sur-Esves Cléré-les-Pins Continvoir Cormery Couesmes Courçay Courcelles-de-Touraine Courcoué Couziers Cravant-les-Côteaux Crissay-sur-Manse La Croix-en-Touraine Crotelles Crouzilles Cussay Dame-Marie-les-Bois Descartes Dierre Dolus-le-Sec Draché Druye Épeigné-les-Bois Épeigné-sur-Dême Les Essards Esves-le-Moutier Esvres Faye-la-Vineuse La Ferrière Ferrière-Larçon Ferrière-sur-Beaulieu Fondettes Francueil Genillé Gizeux Le Grand-Pressigny La Guerche Les Hermites Hommes Huismes L'Île-Bouchard Ingrandes-de-Touraine Jaulnay Joué-lès-Tours Langeais Larçay Lémeré Lerné Le Liège Lignières-de-Touraine Ligré Ligueil Limeray Loches Loché-sur-Indrois Louans Louestault Le Louroux Lublé Lussault-sur-Loire Luynes Luzé Luzillé Maillé Manthelan Marçay Marcé-sur-Esves Marcilly-sur-Maulne Marcilly-sur-Vienne Marigny-Marmande Marray Mazières-de-Touraine La Membrolle-sur-Choisille Mettray Monnaie Montbazon Monthodon Montlouis-sur-Loire Montrésor Montreuil-en-Touraine Monts Morand Mosnes Mouzay Nazelles-Négron Neuil Neuillé-le-Lierre Neuillé-Pont-Pierre Neuilly-le-Brignon Neuville-sur-Brenne Neuvy-le-Roi Noizay Notre-Dame-d'Oé Nouans-les-Fontaines Nouâtre Nouzilly Noyant-de-Touraine Orbigny Panzoult Parçay-Meslay Parçay-sur-Vienne Paulmy Pernay Perrusson Le Petit-Pressigny Pocé-sur-Cisse Pont-de-Ruan Ports Pouzay Preuilly-sur-Claise Pussigny Razines Reignac-sur-Indre Restigné Reugny La Riche Richelieu Rigny-Ussé Rillé Rilly-sur-Vienne Rivarennes Rivière La Roche-Clermault Rochecorbon Rouziers-de-Touraine Saché Saint-Antoine-du-Rocher Saint-Aubin-le-Dépeint Saint-Avertin Saint-Bauld Saint-Benoît-la-Forêt Saint-Branchs Saint-Christophe-sur-le-Nais Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire Sainte-Catherine-de-Fierbois Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine Saint-Épain Saint-Étienne-de-Chigny Saint-Flovier Saint-Genouph Saint-Germain-sur-Vienne Saint-Hippolyte Saint-Jean-Saint-Germain Saint-Laurent-de-Lin Saint-Laurent-en-Gâtines Saint-Martin-le-Beau Saint-Michel-sur-Loire Saint-Nicolas-de-Bourgueil Saint-Nicolas-des-Motets Saint-Ouen-les-Vignes Saint-Paterne-Racan Saint-Patrice Saint-Pierre-des-Corps Saint-Quentin-sur-Indrois Saint-Règle Saint-Roch Saint-Senoch Saunay Savigné-sur-Lathan Savigny-en-Véron Savonnières Sazilly Semblançay Sennevières Sepmes Seuilly Sonzay Sorigny Souvigné Souvigny-de-Touraine Sublaines Tauxigny Tavant Theneuil Thilouze Thizay Tournon-Saint-Pierre Tours La Tour-Saint-Gelin Trogues Truyes Vallères Varennes Veigné Véretz Verneuil-le-Château Verneuil-sur-Indre Vernou-sur-Brenne Villaines-les-Rochers Villandry La Ville-aux-Dames Villebourg Villedômain Villedômer Villeloin-Coulangé Villeperdue Villiers-au-Bouin Vou Vouvray Yzeures-sur-Creuse

Meinir Elin Gwilym (born 31 March 1983) is a Welsh-language pop and folk singer. Raised in Llangristiolus, Anglesey, she released her first EP, "Smôcs, Coffi a Fodca Rhad" (translates into English as "Smokes, Coffee and Cheap Vodka") in 2002. Her website claims that she is amongst the best-selling Welsh language musicians in history.^[1]

Gwilym worked as a radio presenter on the afternoon request show for Radio Cymru, the BBC’s Welsh-language service, alongside Dylan Wyn.^[2] She now works on S4C's nightly magazine show 'Wedi 7', and presents weekend shows on Heart Cymru in Anglesey and Gwynedd.

Childhood[link]

Meinir Gwilym was born in Wales in 1983, and educated at Ysgol Henblas in Llangristiolus, and later, Ysgol Gyfun in Llangefni.^[3] Gwilym comes from a musical family, with a grandfather who played the piano, her other grandfather who wrote lyrics, and a mother and sister who are fond of singing. She competed in the Urdd Eisteddfod as a child, and began writing songs around the age of fourteen.^[4]

Meinir completed a degree in Welsh Literature and Philosophy in July 2004 at Bangor University. She had begun her degree at Cardiff University, but the last twelve months were completed at Bangor.^[3]

Career[link]

Gwilym released her first EP, "Smôcs, Coffi a Fodca Rhad" in 2002. In the same year, she signed on to the Welsh record label Gwynfryn Cymunedol, and won 'Composer of the Year' and 'Best Female Artist' at the BBC Radio Cymru Rock and Pop awards. She released her first album, "Dim Ond Clwydda" (translates into English as "Only Lies") in November 2003, and following the success of this release, she came under the sponsorship of Yamaha in 2004.^[5]

Television and Radio[link]

Gwilym worked as a radio presenter on the afternoon request show for Radio Cymru, the BBC’s Welsh-language service, alongside Dylan Wyn.^[2] for a period of three years until the show was axed. She currently presents weekend shows on Heart Cymru in Anglesey and Gwynedd.

She has also made many television appearances, particularly on the Welsh-language channel S4C. In 2005, Blwyddyn Meinir Gwilym (Welsh: “Meinir Gwilym’s Year”), a one-hour documentary that followed Meinir’s steps for an entire year was broadcast. Most recently, she has been hosting a music programme on S4C, Noson Chis a Meinir (Welsh: “Chis and Meinir’s Night”) alongside Huw Chiswell. Since January 2009 she has worked on S4C's nightly magazine show 'Wedi 7'.

Discography[link]

• Smôcs, Coffi a Fodca Rhad (2002)
• Dim Ond Clwydda (2003)
• Sgandal Fain (2005)
• Tombola (2008)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official Site