Travel Guide Loches

Welcome to Sud-Touraine! Not far from Chenonceau, Beauval or La Roche-Posay, Loches dominates the Indre valley. This historic town of character boasts a unique heritage, strongly influenced by the Middle Ages, starting with its castle and its characters (Ludovico Sforza, Foulques Nerra, Joan of Arc, Henry II Plantagenet, Richard the Lionheart...). Surrounded by ramparts, this fortress is one of the best preserved in Europe. It houses a thousand-year-old keep of astonishing dimensions. The collegiate church of Saint-Ours is a Romanesque splendor, featuring two exceptional elements: the polychrome portal and the dubes (hollowed octagonal pyramids). It houses the tomb of Agnès Sorel and perhaps even of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, patron of the arts and imprisoned in Loches. Analyses of the bones found during restoration work are continuing. The royal dwellings bear witness to the passage of several kings of France (Charles VII, Louis XI, François I): an architecture and a history that have profoundly influenced the present-day town. Enjoy the cobbled streets and old stone houses. The town comes alive in summer, especially during the weekly markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays. In 2000, the royal city was awarded the Ville et Pays d'art et d'histoire label. It is within this framework that the town's heritage department offers a rich program of events for all publics.