Le Mans

58klms. from the chateau.

Le Mans is located 208klms. from Paris and about 102 klms. North of Tours. Known as the Cité Plantagenet, it is here in Le Mans that in 1129 Geoffrey Plantagenet married Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England and gave birth to Henry II the King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king of England.

To many of course, Le Mans means nothing apart from a 24 hour racing spectacle once a year (if you are not interested in cars and car racing, it is best to avoid visiting Le Mans in the middle of June) however Le Mans also has a fantastic old town and is well worth a visit.

Exploring Le Mans

Unlike the medieval quarters of most towns and cities in France, that of Le Mans is completely separate to the modern day town. It lies high above the town and is almost spookily quiet after the noise of the thriving city below. The magnificent St Julien Cathedral can be seen from below and can be reached by walking up the steps from the car park in the Place des Jacobins.

The old town has lovely narrow streets, stone houses, many with intricate details, colombage (timbered buildings) and the lovely slate rooves common to this area of France. There are numerous half-timbered medieval houses in Le Mans dating from the 14th to 16th centuries: the best known is the 'Maison du Pilier rouge', from the 16th century and on Grand Rue, with its easily recognisable red-painted wooden structure.

Interestingly you can tell which houses are the oldest by the design. The houses that have upper floors that protrude forwards of the lower stories are the oldest (typically 15th century), with the extended upper floors serving to increase floor space upstairs, and to protect the entrance from rain. The presence of many timbered slats in the houses along with intricate stonework denotes a bourgeoise house, i.e. the home of one of the wealthier inhabitants of the medieval city.

The best place to see this is the group of houses along Rue de la Rene-Berengere, where the Maison du Drapier and Maison de la Reine-Berengere stand either side of the slightly more recent Maison de l'Ave-Maria.

Saint Julien cathedral

The highlight is the St Julien cathedral which was built between the 11th and 15th centuries. It is a mixture of styles because of the long time taken to build it and is one of the largest cathedrals in France.

At the main entrance of the Le Mans cathedral you can see a stone menhir which was raised by the prehistoric people who lived here in 4000-5000 BC. The menhir which became a pagan symbol for fertility was saved from destruction by Saint-Julien who came to Le Mans in the 4th century.

 

Saint Julian Cathedral

 

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