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Anjou...
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| © J-P. Klein /
CDT Anjou |
...its traditions, history and colors
The province of Anjou, in the northwest of France is officially known as the region Maine-et-Loire, named after the rivers Loire and Maine.
Whereas to the north, the trio the Loir, the Sarthe and the Mayenne join forces to create the river Maine, the Loire splits the region into 2, crossing Anjou from east to west over 50 miles.
The abundance of water makes this region the most irrigated region of France. As a result, the soil is very fertile and Anjou is known as the land of plenty. The Loire has had an economic role in the region, with its 250 miles of navigable waters facilitating the transportation of goods and materials, contributing to trade.
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Today, as the last untamed river in Europe, the Loire has officially been proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The winters are mild in Anjou and the summers are warm (douceur angevine), and its landscape is rich and diversified, so are its traditions, history and colors.
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©
Sedecs/Terroirs-of-France/ M. Durman
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Specifically 3 colors stand out in the region in 3 different areas:
Black Anjou
is the area around and to the north west of Angers (its capital), named after the color of its black slate
rooftops. Known throughout the world the Angers slate is a fine-grained metamorphic rock with perfect cleavage that allows it to split into thin
sheets. Most of the historic monuments and châteaux of the region have rooftops covered with this
slate.
Red Anjou
is named after the clay. In villages at the 2 extremities of the region craftsmen work the clay using
earth, water, air and fire to make terracotta. Tiles produced here have once been used to cover the floors of the castles of the
region. Today, they go further and are exported worldwide.
White Anjou is to the east and in the Saumur area, and is named after a white, easily manipulated type of a limestone, the TUFA.
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Tufaceous limestone is formed from deposits over millions of
years. As opposed to the schist used in black Anjou, TUFA was used for the construction of
châteaux, abbeys and villages throughout most of the Loire valley.
The extraction of the Tufa stone has created underground galleries. The poorest workers lived in the caves that were created. In the middle-ages a quarter of the population lived in these caves known as "troglodytes".
Today, thousands of kilometers of these galleries have been put into different uses. |
Tufa
- Extraction
©
Sedecs/Terroirs-of-France/ M. Durman |
Some parts have been used by mushroom growers (see the discovery column), some other parts by wine producers, restaurants,
hotels, art galleries, museums, etc.
Anjou was the cradle of two medieval dynasties originating in France. The first ruled over parts of France and over Jerusalem and England; the second ruled over parts of France and parts of Europe.
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Prehistoric, Greek, Egyptian, Roman, medieval and oriental - archaeology reveals all in Anjou. The famous Loire valley has a great number of amazing castles, stately homes and buildings; a permanent backdrop of towers and ramparts that make even the smallest village interesting.
To name a few of the interesting sites, the
château of Angers and its gardens. It houses the famous
Medieval Tapestry of the Apocalypse.
The classic walls of the Château de
Brissac, the tallest castle in France, soaring from the center of a splendid park full of age-old
trees. |
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Château
of Angers ©
J-P. Klein / CDT Anjou |
The
Château de Montsoreau being the only Château built on the water's
edge, is situated midway between Saumur and Chinon. It overlooks the confluence of the Vienne and the Loire rivers.
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The
Abbey of Fontevraud, founded in 1101 by Robert d'Arbrissel and ruled over for centuries by the most powerful of abbesses,
was, before the Revolution, the richest and most important monastery in France. It also served as a prison from 1804 to 1965.
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of Fontevraud ©
J-P. Klein / CDT Anjou |
In the year 2001 Fontevraud celebrated it's
900th Anniversary.
In Anjou, attractions are not confined to sites and monuments. The vineyards of Anjou/Saumur run alongside the river from east to west and stretch out along its southern banks around two other
rivers, the Layon and the Aubance. Covering 20,000 hectares, it is the largest vineyard in the Loire
Valley.
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