Chinon - La Rue du Grand Carroi - a photo on Flickriver

Chinon - La Rue du Grand Carroi

            The Postcard

An early photograph taken in the medieval quarter of Chinon.  Note the two large-wheeled wooden carts in the street, and the lady on the left leaning halfway into a lower window - her rear has been immortalised by the publishers of the postcard who were Lévy & Neurdein of Paris.

This is the Rue du Grand Carroi, which is named after the house with the turret on the corner. 

Further up the hill can be seen the massive clocktower of the château, and beyond it the ramparts.

Chinon

Chinon is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department of central France.  It is situated on the Vienne River just before it joins the Loire, and is in the heart of the Loire Valley.  Carved into the banks of the Vienne, and open to the public, are the wine cellars, or caves, for Chinon's well-known Cabernet Franc-based red wines.

The Château

The mount of Chinon was first fortified as a stronghold by Theobald the First, Count of Blois, in the year 954.  

In the 12th. century Chinon and the surrounding area were independent of the Kingdom of France, and the town was lived in by Henry the Second, King of England.

He was responsible for the construction of almost all of the massive château, built over 400 m long and 75 m wide, with the 14th. century clocktower which is 35 m high.  The castle is divided along its length into 3 enclosures, each separated by a deep, dry moat.

The easternmost is known as Fort St. Georges, the central called the Château de Milieu, and the westernmost called the Fort du Coudray.  In the early 13th. Century, a cylindrical keep or dungeon called the Tour du Coudray was added to the Fort du Coudray.

In this keep, Templar Knights were imprisoned during the brutal suppression of the Templar Order that occurred in 1307.  Some of the prisoners carved symbols into the walls of their cells such as hearts, stars, grids and other geometrical patterns.  It is not known if they were random symbols, or represented a code of some type.

Taken on: November 25, 2009

Tags:

old

early

France

postcard

nostalgic

nostalgia

Chinon

clocktower

ramparts

Carroi

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turret

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Indre-et-Loire

Vienne

wine

cellars

caves

Cabernet

stronghold

Theobald

Blois

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Henry

England

king

chateau

moat

fort

St. Georges

Milieu

Coudray

tour

Templar

knights

1307

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Sets appears in: • Chinon • Clock Towers more » • France « less

Camera: HP Scanjet djf4100 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	HP Scanjet djf4100
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Paint Shop Pro Photo 12.01
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