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Europe




Saumur:

The French Connection

Saumur is an excellent place for an English-speaking visitor to connect with the history of the Loire Valley and the French people that live there today and are a part of that blended history.

By Mary Ashcraft


Deep in central France among lush green fields and acres of vineyards stretching as far as the eye can see, is the ancient French town of Saumur. The origin of its name stems from the Latin, sal murus, meaning the small fort in the swamps. The pre-history of the area goes back into the mists of time when clans of people built huge structures out of mammoth stones as temples to worship their gods, bury their dead, and to follow the paths of the stars across the heavens. Time passed, and in the 10th century, the Count of Blois built a monastery and fortification amongst these stones and a large village began to grow around them.

In the 12th century, a fundamental alliance between France and England began when the powerful French Eleanor of Aquitaine and the powerful English Henry Plantangenet were married. Henry was the adopted son of King Stephen of England, known in France as Etienne de Blois. Not too long after the marriage, Henry became King Henry II of England and Eleanor his queen. Turmoil, was the usual turn of events in that time, and their rule was not exempt, being fraught with battles, border disputes, and court intrigues. The course of history for Saumur continues with a colorful and troubled history through the years. However, after surviving heavy bombing during WW II, the picturesque town of Saumur began to find peace beside the gently flowing waters of its river, the royal Loire.


The Chateau of Saumur

In the Loire Valley, every town of a certain size has a storybook chateau in its back yard, and Saumur is no exception. In 1246, Louis of Anjou altered the Chateau from a fortress into a livable palace for pleasure, parties, and hunting. The graceful, Chateau with its shining white walls and turrets of local tufa stone projects a watchful stability over the town from its perch on the highest hill in the area. Inside the chateau are two interesting museums. One is the Musee des Arts Decoratifs specializing in porcelain from the 19th century, and Flemish tapestries. The other museum is the Musee de Cheval recounting the history of the horse from antiquity to the present.



The National Riding School

Horses play an important part in the Saumur community because it is the home of the prestigious Ecole National d'Equitation, or National Riding School. The riding academy was set up in 1593 as a way to reorganize the French cavalry, and the Cadre Noir was the teaching body of the school that took on the role of training the instructors. The Cadre Noir is still the important part of the school and besides instructing, gives performances for the public.

From the Place du Chardonnet, the Cadre Noir in its grand ceremonial dress of black and gold uniforms with tri-corn hats, and horses with white ribbons plaited in their manes, put on the gala, theatrical Carousel event in the month of July. The dressage skills of both horse and rider will amaze you with a variety of choreographed gaits to music, and leaps into the air. Many of these "airs above the ground" are movements of military origin, which began in the Middle Ages and are performed without stirrups.

Watching these beautiful animals go through their graceful paces, is an event to look forward to. It is truly elegance in motion. The school has 15 outdoor arenas, six Olympic size indoor arenas, and 50 kilometers of sand tracks. The school states that, "Impulsion, grace and lightness are the hallmarks of French Equitation." The school welcomes visitors throughout the year, and, of course, there is a gift store.




Trogolodytes

If you happen to be strolling by an open field and see a chimney incongruously sticking up out of the ground, you should guess that you are walking on top of a Troglodyte dwelling. Saumur has a very large number of cave dwellers, as does the entire Loire Valley region. When there were not caves, man dug into the sides of mountains for shelter. The natural Tufa stone of the area is fairly easy to cut and makes digging into the sides of hillsides not too difficult. Mankind has been living in caves or under ground since the beginning of time and there seems to be some positive reasons for doing so.

The Tufa rock of the Loire remains relatively dry, the average temperature in a cave remains a fairly steady 12 degrees centigrade, or about 54 degrees Fahrenheit, winter and summer, caves are sheltered from windstorms, and at no risk from fire. Some of these cave houses are simple rude shelters, while others have front glass windows installed, verandas, and central heating. There are also complete Troglodyte villages.



Two farms consisting of 40 rooms in the Troglodyte village of Rochemenier are open to the public. The entire village has 250 rooms, with the oldest part dating from the 13th century. It would seem to have everything an above ground village would have, houses, barns, village hall, stable, chapel, wine cellar, etc. Oddly enough, even though the personal rooms are very spare and small, they appear to be comfortable. Then immediately outside the front door of each room, is the large sunny communal courtyard. This affords not only light, but a necessary feeling of space as well.

If you would like to get an idea of what its like to be a Troglodyte for a couple of hours, then reserve a table at one of the underground restaurants. One such restaurant is Les Cave de Marson and is entered by walking down a curved incline of about 20 feet to its front door and into the cave. Suddenly, you are in a space that could only be described as looking like a cathedral with very high ceiling and many large connecting rooms. There are hundreds of candles lighting the place, and there is the aroma of fresh bread baking in the wood fire stone oven. The bread being baked in the oven uses an old recipe from "Gargantua," a book by the famous French author Francois Rabelais. Of course, the bread has been refined somewhat for today's diner before being included on the menu. Prepare yourself for a five-course dinner accompanied by red wine.



Saumur's Vintners

No way should one visit Saumur or France without experiencing a wine tasting. In the heart of the world's oldest vineyards, are the Bouvet Ladubay vintners, and they consider wine to be a living art. They say the wine gets its character from several very important elements. The diversity of microclimates, picking the grapes under the strict supervision of oenologists appointed by Bouvet Ladubay, hiring workers they call the true "gardners of chenin", and from the Tufa stones in the eight kilometers of underground caves where the wine is stored, are all necessary ingredients. Bouvet Ladubay has artfully crafted various posts and pillars in the wine cellar with the aged look of crumbling Doric columns, pieces of statuary, and weathered lintels.

While discovering the wine, there is the notion that one is discovering an ancient Roman ruin as well. This is probably a small tribute to some of the first grapevines brought from Rome to the Valley. Some say that Buovet Ladubay discovered the secret for their award winning wine that had only previously been known to the old monks of the Abbey of St. Florent. There is a movie shown about the wine, a tour of the eight kilometers of cellar, and a tasting everyday. Visitors are welcomed and will not be disappointed.



The Game of Boule de Fort

For pure fun and communicating on a different level with the local people, learn how to play Boule de Fort. This is a traditional game of Saumur dating to 1830, and looking something like the Scottish game of curling but without the ice. In the Societe Cercle Saint Joseph on 20 Rue des Ducs d'Anjou, is where the locals gather to play. If there is no tournament in progress ask for a lesson and play a game. The French people in Saumur are very open and welcoming. They, and you will enjoy your struggle with the fine points of this traditional game. After a glass of wine and conversation, one's game improves. Unlike some negative information written in a well-known guide book, the French people have been helpful, and friendly. They even welcome the visitor's halting French, so don't hesitate to give it a shot.



The Abbey at Fontevraud

An easy drive from Saumur is to the exquisite Abbey at Fontevraud. A hermit named Robert d'Arbrissel who was a follower of St Benedict founded this vast abbey around 1101. Fontevraud is the largest abbey in France and the monastic complex is an interesting mixture of Romanesque and Renaissance architecture from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. The abbey was unique in that it was run by both monks and nuns, and most unique because an abbess governed it. Most of the nuns were of royal blood so it became a popular retreat for royalty. One of the most famous royals was Eleanor of Aquataine who spent much time there. The four daughters of Louis XV were sent there to be educated as were many daughters of the nobility. In the spacious Eglise Abbatiale are the impressive polychrome effigies of the royal Plantagenets: Henry II, Eleanor of Aquataine, Richard the Lionhearted, and his wife, Isabelle d'Angouleme. Even though their bones were supposedly scattered to the winds during the French Revolution, it still touches the imagination to see their life-size images lying side by side in this vast stone chamber.

Visitors wander freely over the grounds of monastic buildings, orangery, medieval gardens, stable, and the fascinating abbey kitchen built in the Byzantine style of architecture.The tall pointed central tower and eight pointed chimneys are roofed in "fish scale" stones, looking very much like the helmet of a Samurai warrior.



The Chateau and Donjon de Loches


Side by side in Indre-et-Loire are the Chateau and Dungeon of Loches. These two magnificent Medieval French buildings are situated on a rocky spur overlooking the valley below. This royal dwelling place that was enjoyed by several of the kings of France is built over a castle that existed in the 5th century. It was in the Great Hall in June 1429, after her victory at Orleans, that Joan of Arc came for an audience with the Dauphin Charles to persuade him to march to Riems to be crowned. Charles VII established his royal court at Loches. His court became notorious for the wild parties and decadent feasts that were staged primarily to impress the great and especially the strikingly beautiful king's mistress, Agnes Sorel. It seems that Agnes loved to be scandalous, and dreamed up the shocking idea of wearing silk underwear. She would wear revealing bodices with laces that the Catholic Church called the "gates of hell", and on occasion she would saunter around court bare breasted. Her tomb is in the Great Hall.

The Dungeon was built around a 5th century monastery and was a major stronghold throughout many conflicts. It served as a military fortress up until the 15th century, when it was converted into a prison by Louis XI. The gruesome torture chamber was a busy place for those not willing to confess political secrets. On the other hand, Many famous and influential personages were sent to Loches and were fairly well treated. During the Italian wars, the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza was captured and imprisoned there from 1504-1508. He was a lover of the arts and a patron of Leonardo da Vinci. His cell that is open for visitors to see, is quite large, has a fireplace, a latrine room, and widows for light. His court jester kept him company, he was allowed to exercise in the courtyard, and women were brought to him on request. Not satisfied with these perks, he painted stars and other designs on the arched ceiling of his cell in order to brighten things up a bit.



The City of Angers

Another quick connection from Saumur is to the bustling city of Angers. It is the capitol of the historic province of Anjou, and is thought to be one of the most beautiful in France. The massive Chateau of granite and schist, built by Louis the IV overlooks the banks of the River Maine. The great chateau with its bulky towers stood guard at the gateway to the western Loire Valley. By contrast, the deep moat that was once flooded by the waters of the Maine as protection from enemies is now benignly covered with grass and flowers. Inside the chateau is the treasure of Angers. It is the spectacular Apocalypse Tapestry woven for the Duc d'Anjou by Nicholas Bataille in the 14th century. The tapestry woven with shining red, gold and blue threads, is made up of 70 panels, 16 feet high and 120 feet long. Originally, the tapestry was much longer, but during the Revolution, incredibly, it was torn apart and pieces were used for scraps and doormats.

The cathedral of Angers, Saint Maurice, has architectural styles of both the Romanesque and Gothic. The cathedral with its twin towers was built by two bishops, Normand de Doue and Guillaume de Beaumont between the 12th-13th centuries. There are decorative paintings from the 13th century and a stained glass window depicting the life Saint Julien. This particular window is considered to be a masterpiece of painting on glass. All the stained glass is original, and has paler tone than most stained glass one sees in church windows. For the most dramatic view of the building, the place to begin a tour of the Cathedral of Saint Maurice is to start at the river Maine and climb the tiers of stairs leading up to the cathedral. A stone's throw away from Saint Maurice is the half- timbered building, Maison d'Adam. There are many half- timbered buildings in Angers, but take time to look at all the carvings on this one. Some of the bawdy scenes were carved to amuse or perhaps to shock the viewer.



Dolmen de Bagneux:

In Saumur it is possible to explore the area's pre-history. A few minutes away in Bagneux you may step back in time and walk around inside the largest Megalithic structure in Europe, It is the Dolmen de Bagneux which is made up of 15 stone slabs weighing an estimated 500 tons. Some say that it is the most majestic of the megalithic monuments. It probably dates back 5,000 years to the late Neolithic or early Bronze Age periods of pre-history and is probably one of the most majestic French dolmens and the largest of the 4,500 dolmens spread out on about 60 French departments. The overall length of this dolmen is over 75 feet and its chamber is over 60 feet long. It is uncertain what the Dolmen may have been used for. Guesses are that it was used for ceremonial purposes, or that the clan may have used it for burying the dead. It is certain that not too long ago, people owning the property thought it made a perfect garage for their car.

Chambres d'Hotes Accommodations

Then, back to Saumur for some green fields again, beautiful gardens, and time to reflect on the glories one has seen. A good place to do this might be the Chambres d'Hotes La Closeraie, located at 99 Route du Poitrineau in the lovely suburban neighborhood of St. Hilaire, St. Florent; 49400 Saumur. A Chambre d'Hotes is equivalent to a B&B where continental breakfast is served. Helene and Francois Pradre-Niquet are your hosts at La Closeraie and they encourage you to relax in their flower gardens, sweeping lawn, and rooms decorated in the French. Country-style. They may be contacted at: f.h.pradere@wanadoo.fr.

A Final Thought

In these troubled times of disagreements between friendly nations, Saumur and its environs are a place where the clear connection between the English-speaking and French-speaking worlds is a fact of history. From the union of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II to the present, the historic connection that exists between the two cultures is there to be rediscovered.

Photo Credits:

Ecole National d'Equitation; Bouvet Ladubay Vintners; Rod Lopez-Fabrega; Mary Ashcraft; Henri & Ghislane Fourreau



© 2004 ROMAR TRAVEL GUIDES