Éminence Rouge

a roof is replaced

2012-01-23T09:46:00.002Z

old slates off

old battens exposed - roof light removed

slate battens off

old poplar beams removed and replaced and repaired

rafters replaced in tanalised softwood (spruce)

new tanalised battens

battens completed

'new' slate roof completed

ridge in the Touraine manner with crests

***

Roger Excoffon - typographer

2012-01-19T13:15:00.000Z

p.s. oops! it is Le Mistral n.m. - no 'e'...

as for Marseille (s?)

Imitating his own handwriting, Roger Excoffon created a fully cursive (linking) apparent hand-script, originally for typesetting, now for digital reproduction. The capitals do not fully link in the computerised version, as was the case with the original, although the lower-case version obviously does. Originally this objective was achieved with various 'ligatures' - fiddly little graphic linkages for particular conjunctions of letters.

'Mistral' is as French as 'Helvetica' is Swiss!

The Sun King's honeymoon hotel.

2012-01-18T13:20:00.000Z

The marriage of the young Louis XIV at St Jean de Luz

Following his marriage on 9 June 1660 at St Jean de Luz, in the Pyrenees on the border with Spain, the then 22-year old bridegroom, Louis XIV - Le Roi Soleil, brought his new bride Infanta Marie-Therèse d'Autriche, daughter of Philip IV of Spain, past the château and town of Richelieu, on his slow progress back to Paris. The second duc de Richelieu, Armand Jean de Vignerot du Plessis, grand-nephew of the cardinal duc, would have been his host for this visit.

The picture of the marriage itself is by Laumosnier and is kept in the Musée de Tessé in Le Mans.

During Louis' first visit to the château in 1650 (ten years earlier) with his mother Anne d'Autriche, the 12-year old dauphin Louis had been fascinated by his conversations with the then 65-year-old King's architect, Jacques Lemercier, who was to die five years later aged 69. This first royal visit was only a few years after the cardinal duc's death in 1642, and that of Louis' own father King Louis XIII in 1643, when he was only five years old. His fascination with the château and parc de Richelieu was a spur for the expansion of his own dead father's hunting lodge in Versailles, to create the sumptuous and grandiose vision we know today. Louis XIII had died quite young and had had his two sons rather late, so the little boy Louis XIV naturally wanted to continue his predecessor's project on a grander scale. And how!

***

Progress at the Grand Colbert/New Tourist Office

2012-01-17T13:14:00.002Z

Contract value for the restoration of this 'half' hôtel particulier from arch to street corner only
240,000€
no backland or back façade, but to the full satisfaction of Bâtiments de France
***

Facades restored and 'edited'

before (2010)

New doorway on the side façade

First floor window openings

Side (N) façade with new first floor windows installed

Main façade to the market square restored and 'edited'!

some shops close ...others open

2012-01-16T18:51:00.000Z

Europe's smallest soap manufacturer HQ

The new estate agent well under way

The old seventeenth century shop buildings on the route de Loudun that hug the church site have found two new tenants. Both have refurbished rather elegant traditional 19th century French retail fronts. Frenchmen and women, generally not very tall today, were obviously even more petit in those now distant days... Mind you Head, if you need to buy the wonderful hand-made soap.

bonnes fêtes de vos amis à Schaafheim!

2011-12-27T17:24:00.000Z

***

Prosit Neujahr 2012!

***

festive photo by Wolfgang Roth

le duc de Buckingham et sa famille vous offrent joyeux fêtes 2011

2011-12-20T11:11:00.000Z

Merry christmas and a successful new year 2012

from George Villiers, first duke of Buckingham* ,

scourge of Louis XIII,

paramour of Queen Anne d'Autriche (Dumas père),

hopeful liberator of La Rochelle,

general coxcomb
+
military booby

(and his charming family).

***
after Gerrit von Honthorst

*"the prettiest man in all England"

*

'av 'n Nappy Xmas...

2011-12-11T16:20:00.001Z

joyeux noël 2011

***

****

*****

******

*******

\ -------------- /

\ /

\ ______ /

Hippolyte (Paul) Delaroche - Napoleon I crossing the Alps 1849-50

St Vincent de Paul

2011-12-05T09:04:00.001Z

Éminentissime Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal duc de Richelieu, appointed his clerical chum, Vincent de Paul, to look after the christian souls of the new inhabitants of his Ideal Town, particularly while the community established itself. As cardinal, one might well think that he might take on this task himself but he no doubt thought that his Responsibilities of State would not allow him time for such provincial pastoral responsibilities.

Typical b***** Parisian! His new town was a 5-day coach-ride away from the Palais Cardinal (next to the Louvre), so it was a 'big ask'.

De Paul too spent most of his time in the self-obsessed Metropolis, but did visit his parishioners in Touraine several times, many times more than cardinal who never saw the completed project.

Blogger Peter has made a post covering Vincent's life in Paris and it is worth a click HERE.

***

Abbé H.Proust - Tapissier

2011-12-04T12:56:00.001Z

Chinon brocante market, every third Sunday of the month, October 2011. Louis XIII style walnut upholstered foot-stool, generally 'knackered'! Asked 60€; accepted 40€ on second approach - meillieur prix?

Should we use an expert upholsterer? ...... NO!

Fabric from Peter Jones, Sloane Square; 1 metre of 40/60 cotton/polyester blend damask £22.00 inc VAT, colour-way 'Cardinal'!

2 metres of fancy swagging. Supplier as above

Large 15mm dia. upholstery pins from Moran's builder's merchants, Kennington (no S!); 6 packets of 10 @ £2.50 inc VAT.

Removed old covering (and many, many rusty tacks). Re-glued the broken centre foot rail tenon both ends. Added a white cotton under-cover to remaining spring & horsehair upholstery and stained & ripped cambric covering. Should really have used a better quality linen cambric.

Machine-sewed cover, having cut it to size.

Inspiration from Google Images: Louis XIII Furniture...

The Abbé liked having a go at upholstery; a quite high reward/effort ratio.

***

more 3 musketeers...

2011-11-25T13:29:00.001Z

Four restoration projects advance...

2011-11-22T09:28:00.001Z

Here are update photos of four projects underway in November 2011.

Project A

The Cinéma Majèstic redevelopment progresses and it has now re-opened for pubic use. Unfortunately, the Abbé Henri Proust was busy with pastoral visits on the nights that had the new film of the adventures of Belgian boy-detective, TINTIN, in the new 3-D version. The cinema has had to be updated to allow the latest in projection technology to filter down to this little town of la france profonde.

Look HERE for a link to former posts on the project A, Cinéma Majestic.

Project B

The town's tourist office is to be relocated to a building adjacent to the church, on the place du marché. The building is one of the original hotêls particulars that until recently was known by the name of the shop formerly located on its ground floor, Le Grand Colbert. The façade has been reconstructed and refenestrated in the authentic original layout. The roof repaired and newly slated. Half of the mansion is in the ownership of a lady in Chicago, they say, but now that part too needs a scrub-up, and needs a new ground floor tenant as well.

Look HERE to see other posts on project B, Le Grand Colbert.

Project C

The town's hotel, le Puits Doré, is extending its property. Although the scaffold is still in place while the faced works continue, the newly restored roof can now bee seen complete with matching lucarnes - roof lights. As this building is fully 'listed', all the materials must be authentic, in this case expensive roofing slates.

Click HERE to see other posts on the Puits Doré, project C.

Project D

Another dilapidated hôtel particular on the Grande Rue is now under restoration, this time on the western side, above the former tourist office. The dreadful old roof is under repair - as architects say; 'always protect from water coming down and water coming up!'

that's all for now, folks!

***

The trailer for the 'awful' - new - 'Three Musketeers'...

2011-11-07T14:22:00.001Z

Milady de Winter 'kisses the ring'

actually, it looks quite good fun in this trailer...
***

Disputatious Aquitaine ... or ... 'Where's Coeur-de-Lion when you need him?'

2011-11-01T13:45:00.001Z

***

...remember that this is a French advertisement for cassoulet 'La Belle Chaurienne'! from Castelnaudary

Roofscape of the cardinal's mausoleum in Paris

2011-10-31T11:33:00.000Z

The roofscape of the chapel of the Sorbonne in Paris,
resting place of the cardinal duc, Proviseur - rector - of the institution.
photo: Gala Ringger - with thanks and appreciation
Design by Jacques Lermercier - premier architecte du roy.

Richelieu's tomb within

Portait of Jacques Lemercier by Philip de Champaigne,
Louis XIII's court painter

EUROpean solidarity ....€

2011-10-31T09:56:00.000Z

An allegorical statue of Europa - the white bull

click on 'maps' on the right to find the statue's location

Mousquetaires extend the security protection of the King and Queen to the Metro...

2011-10-26T14:01:00.000+01:00

One for all, all for one...

Metro Station "Alexandre Dumas"

Paris floods - a digital memory of 1910

2011-10-07T12:19:00.001+01:00

Click here to read about the floods of 1910

5:46 am from ArtefactoryLab on Vimeo.

The real thing

***

Mini pepper-pot towers

2011-10-03T14:52:00.000+01:00

A seventeenth century engraving of the town, after Israel Sylvestre,
looking from the West.

Note the three little roofless turrets on the middle of the western town wall, set between the two pointy-roofed 'pepper-pot' gatehouses.

Yes, amazingly, they are still there, all three of them. With all the larger extensions into the moat, these three minor turrets are not so conspicuous as they were initially. They need to be sorted out!

This is the current state of the turret on the right (S) today.

This is an axial view of the state of the central turret, hidden behind a tree.

This is the central turret today, lurking behind the tree (see above),
having been expanded into a house.

This is the left-hand (N) turret looking onto the moat.

This is the left-hand turret (N) from inside the wall,
now used as a garage.

***

The Marquis of Carabas

2011-10-03T12:22:00.000+01:00

glass half-full; glass half-empty

The story of Le chat botté - Puss in Boots - by Claude Perrault, from 1697.

The tale opens with the third and youngest son of a miller receiving his inheritance — a CAT. At first, the youngest son laments, as the eldest brother gains the mill, and the middle brother attains the mules. The feline is no ordinary cat, however, but one who requests and receives a pair of boots. Determined to make his master's fortune, the cat bags a rabbit in the forest and presents it to the king as a gift from his master, the fictional Marquis of Carabas. The cat continues making gifts of game to the king for several months.

One day, knowing the king and his daughter are traveling by coach along the riverside, the cat persuades his master to remove his clothes and enter the river. The cat disposes of his master's clothing beneath a rock. As the royal coach nears, the cat begins calling for help in great distress, and, when the king stops to investigate, the cat tells him that his master, the Marquis, has been bathing in the river and robbed of his clothing. The king has the young man brought from the river, dressed in a splendid suit of clothes, and seated in the coach with his daughter, who falls in love with him at once.

Puss brokes to the Ogre - an engraving by Gustave Doré

The cat hurries ahead of the coach, ordering the country folk along the road to tell the king that the land belongs to the "Marquis of Carabas", saying that if they do not he will cut them into mincemeat. The cat then happens upon a castle inhabited by an ogre who is capable of transforming himself into a number of creatures. The ogre displays his ability by changing into a lion, frightening the cat, who then tricks the ogre into changing into a mouse. Once that change is complete, the cat pounces upon the mouse and devours it. The king arrives at the castle which formerly belonged to the ogre, and, impressed with the bogus Marquis and his estate, gives the lad the princess in marriage. Thereafter, the cat enjoys life as a great lord who runs after mice only for his own amusement.

The tale is followed immediately by two morals:

"one stresses the importance of possessing industrie and savoir faire while the other extols the virtues of dress, countenance, and youth to win the heart of a princess."

The etiquette on the bottle of 'Carabas'
- Santé! -

Le Carabas is one of the names of the wines made by François Plouzeau in a vineyard, La Garrelière, not far from the cardinal duc's Ideal Town of Richelieu, above the village of Razines. While glugging a few glasses of François' white delight, Henri Proust was puzzled by its name: CARABAS.

Above, we publish the back-story of this top tipple.

***

Iconic images 2 - Richelieu Gatehouse

2011-09-10T10:14:00.003+01:00

Gatehouse 1.

Gatehouse 2.

Gatehouse 3.

Gatehouse 4.

Gatehouse 5.

Gatehouse 6.

Gatehouse 7.

Gatehouse 8.

Gatehouse 9.

***

Creating iconic images of the town of Richelieu

2011-09-09T12:08:00.002+01:00

This blog tries to bring the architectural marvel of the cardinal's still existing cité idéale to a wider public, especially the world of les anglo-saxons. One part of this objective is to put beautiful imagery of the town into the public realm, especially imagery that is free of any copyright fees, so that any casual reader can help these efforts of 'publicity and propaganda'.

There are many many photos on the blog which describe the town, and as they are mainly taken by the author, Abbé Henri Proust, they can be used without fear of copyright pursuit.

The Abbé has other skills as well as pastoral care of his flock and digital photography; today we offer his skill in CAD (computer assisted design), digital rendering and photo manipulation.

Below are three versions of a view a computer model of the town viewed from the south, rendered and tweeked in Photoshop. They show the cité's church, the Châtellerault gate and the Halle viewed from the cardinal's parc, looking down the town's central axis, on the horizontal plane.

Click on the image to see a larger version.

These images are easily downloaded and are quite detailed...

***

Metro wine map by Davd Gissen

2011-09-09T09:07:00.001+01:00

an interview with David Gissen

***

Association 'Richelieu 17th - 21st'

2011-09-08T12:58:00.000+01:00

The Association Richelieu XVIIe-XXIe was set up by a group of local enthusiasts of the cité idéale who hope to make a contribution to the recent developments and restorations, and in particular to provide a conduit for private patronage and finance of aspects of the town that have fallen into dereliction or general neglect.

In their first year of 2009 they hoped that they could stimulate and inspire the restoration of the Porte de Chinon, the northerly gate of the town. It was thought that this neglected structure, in the stewardship of the municipality, could be restored in such a way as to provide a truly iconic image for the town that might encapsulate the splendid and picturesque qualities of the cardinal's concept though modern digital media, now so important in the 21st century. They remain hopeful that the attention lavished on this structure will finally catalyse a project for its comprehensive restoration.

The Mairie has apparently responded positively to the idea of the digging-out of the moat at this point to make watery base to the composition of the gate, gate-houses and the flanking town walls. One day soon....

In 2011, their attention is now drawn to a more modest objective: the restoration of the 'false gate' to the town; one of the 6 original gates that were constructed, but the only one that did not lead to a thoroughfare and on to a destination, as it was blocked by the huge ducal hunting parc. This High Baroque composition at the end of the vista from the Loudun gate is designed with a scale and flamboyance that make it imposing even at the distances at which it will be perceived - often several hundred metres. Behind today's humble timber gate are sluices to the Mable river that encircles the town, a bridge into the parc and a more recent electrical sub-station.

On the right hand side the gate's original 'pepperpot' has just been carefully improved will the full rigours of Bâtiments de France and their magnificent representative architecte. The left-hand pepperpot has been absorbed into a later structure - a works - apparently recently sold and bought. This bit of dereliction needs a little action, please!

This gate has a very strong presence as it lies on the EW axis of the place du Marché. It is probably the most Mannerist element in the town's design. In its own way it is bien grandiose.

We all hope that the Association Richelieu XVIIe-XXIIe will find more traction for this project than they did with the Porte de Chinon, and that their Association can propose and execute a real benefit to the town as a calling card to larger projects and propositions in the future.

from the Loudun Gate

from the place Louis XIII

the Mannerist composition

the gatehouse?

The gate's canopy and the sad old masonry

***

The new tourist office 1 - Progress...

2011-09-07T11:17:00.000+01:00

mpdf

CLICK HERE for an article on the town's acquisition of the 'Grand Colbert'...

click here to make a financial contribution to the project....

The project is being financed by, amongst others, the FONDATION DU PATRIMOINE which is a French organisation that has been set up to support important redevelopments or restorations that fall outside the normal boundaries of projects that are the direct responsibility of the State. While it is directly assisted by many corporate patrons, even Mme. Bettencourt of L'Oréal - 'Europe's Richest Woman' - it welcomes donations by any individual, and has set up the means to receive these funds - see 'click here' above!

The future location of the tourist office, next to the church
on the place du Marché

the hôtel particulier façade

the opposite number, symmetrically across the square

the location of the former ground floor tabac

le grand colbert was on the upper floors

down the rue de Loudun looking east

***

A roof restored

2011-09-06T08:56:00.002+01:00

This photo shows a roof at the southern end of the rue des Galères that has just been restored. In this particular case it has been carried out with new red tiles and shiny new zinc guttering in the local Touraine manner. In the hard afternoon sunshine the 19th century style gutter-board casts a hard shadow on the crepi of the wall beneath. The new lucarne - rooflight - is left open to ventilate the roof-space which looks too low to be much more than a storage attic. The ridge tiles are pointed in the Touraine manner with little mortar crests. Time, algae and moss will soon 'distress' the pristine project, but at the moment it looks almost too good to be true.

The Abbé Henri Proust started this blog in part to convince himself - and then others - that the little 'lost' town of Richelieu really was a dynamic and living community. He hoped that this seemingly improbable fact would be confirmed by new projects and reconstructions taking place within this tranquill historic setting. To his amazement, the blogging task has shown that this hope is in fact realised - since 2004 the rate of restoration has really ramped up, and today continues at a frenzied (but tranquill) pace, more that anyone might expect from a casual visit. The municipality has recreated one of the town's two squares, several of the hôtel particuliers on the Grand Rue have been saved from pathetic dereliction, the town now has two - yes two - museums to entertain and inform their visitors. Two of the grand pavilions on the place du Marché have been restored or are in the course of restoration. Very soon the Halle will undergo a full restoration of its roof....

Even humble roofs are being restored....

***

The church tower

2011-09-05T16:25:00.001+01:00

The bell tower, looking South, supporting a pair of zinc-faced obelisks
Note the charming access stair pepperpot!

The only existing building directly by the hand of the King's premier architecte, Jacques Lermercier, is the church, Nôtre Dame de Richelieu, on the place du Marché. The rest of the town's original major edifices are to designs prepared by his brothers or Jean Marot, the well-known 17th century architect/engraver. The grandiose ducal château itself, also by young Jacques, was finally demolished in the 1830s.

A curious fact is that this church faces West, i.e. the sunset, rather than the city of Jerusalem to the East, the direction of sunrise and, by analogy, resurrection. When Jacques' English contemporary royal architect, Inigo Jones, was faced by a similar layout problem in the plans for the new Covent Garden in London, he ensured that the altar of the actor's church, St Paul's Covent Garden, actually faced east but had a ceremonial portico facing west onto the square (under which Audrey Hepburn was to frolic as a London flower-seller in 'My Fair Lady'). So why would a cardinal of the Roman church endorse such symbolic laxity? Where is Dan Brown when you need him?

***

Building works progress at the Cinéma Majestic

2011-09-04T18:50:00.002+01:00

The town of Richelieu has a fine cinema within the walls that is run by local enthusiasts of the movies. It is called the Majestic. It is accommodated in an old warehouse that lies in the backlands of one of the former houses at the foot of rue Henri Proust.

The town council supports the cinema. It is really a delight to visit, with lovely (clean) seats and good modern projection equipment. Country people from all the hamlets and villages that surround the cité idéale drive in by car to see the latest French and international films. Sometimes it is used for theatrical presentations as there is a modest stage behind the screen.

The entry arch is moved

The new gateway

To allow the addition of new facilities, including digital and 3-D equipment, the buildings on the street itself are now under restoration. Here are a couple of pictures showing the works at the end of August 2011.

HERE is another post on the cinema

The façade in September 2011;
the cinema re-opens
Awaiting the new rendering...

***

Xavier Gagnepain plays Bach at the 5th Fête de Musique de Richelieu 2011

2011-09-02T12:08:00.000+01:00

the audience in the Dôme and even the cardinal himself await the start of the recital...

with the knowledge of the festival's directors Nicholas Boyer and Gala Ringger

***

French property tax rises on secondary homes

2011-09-02T10:30:00.001+01:00

Check this site out if you are considering selling your maison secondaire and incurring a capital gain. This new and latest tax adjustment does not only apply to English second home owners, as did the former cunning tax-raising suggestion recently dismissed.

http://www.french-property.com/news/tax_france/budget_aug_2011_property_taxes/

***

The Puits Doré extends...

2011-09-01T14:54:00.002+01:00

The hotel located on the main place du Marché has acquired the property to its rear and now includes the entire hôtel particulier - or mansion - located next to the Châtellerault gate that leads from the ville idéale to the duc's domainal parc. The restoration works are now well under way, and we show pictures of recent stages of the construction phase.

The hotel seems to be prospering and the additional rooms that will be provided (and indeed the new lift) will increase the hotel's income and commercial viability.

looking towards the porte de Châtellerault

the design and contractor team

looking onto the place du Marché

the side elevation onto the Grande Rue

No doubt, the works will be under the detailed scrutiny of the town's dragon of the STAP and architecte des Bâtiments de France, Mme. Adrienne Barthelemey, who will ensure that the restoration of such an important element of the town's architecture will ratchet towards the hoped-for emphasis on the original designs of the 1630s, created by the brothers Lemercier for the cardinal and King Louis XIII.

half-timbered construction - colombage - in the courtyard

***

Careless beauty and decay

2011-08-31T17:22:00.005+01:00

a grand piano nobile

a humble dwelling for the lower classes

The elegance of the style of the reign of Louis XIII might be exemplified by these two almost derelict buildings in Richelieu's town...

***

More details of the statue of the cardinal...

2011-08-31T13:47:00.001+01:00

With this second post on the subject, we take a bit more time with the statue of the cardinal duc, Armand-Jean du Plessis, the founder of so many French activities and organisations that have endured to our day. The statue is located on the place that sits between his château's domainal parc to the south and his model town to the north.

He poses giving a cardinal's blessing to the viewer with his right hand, while holding the document of foundation of the Académie Française (dated as 1635) in his left.

the cardinal scrubs up well...

the all-seeing, all-knowing statesman

The statue has several 'credits' attached to it.

the sculptor's credit 1828

the relocation of the statue in 1932

the Second Regiment of the Marines

dedications from the Second Regiment of the Marines

The sculptor - C(laude) Ramey, père - Dijon, dated 1828
The inauguration of the statue in Richelieu 17 July 1932, probably as part of the bequest of the domainal parc to the Sorbonne (of which Armand-Jean was the first rector, and in whose chapel he rests to this day) by the eigth and last duke. It had formerly been located on the Pont Neuf of Henri IV in Paris for the period 1828-1932.
Two plaques of the Second Regiment of the Marines to their first Chef de Corps, one from 1932(?) and the other from the Lieutenants of the Second of the Marine, dated 9 December 1995 to their founding 'father'. The old strategist and pupil of Pluvinel's equestreian & military academy is not forgotten!

the cardinal up closer

the foundation of the Academie Française

***

Estate agents - when the music stops...

2011-08-23T19:31:00.001+01:00

There were, until recently, three estate agents in the Place du Marché in Richelieu who all offered properties to visitors and locals.

Thiot was there first on the northern side of the square; they offered in addition restoration services to those who had fallen in love with one of Touraine's tumbledown delights. But the years rolled on, and M. et Mme. Thiot have gone to their retirement. The old agency is now unoccupied and sad.

The second property agent, well known to the Abbé Henri Proust, Touraine Immo, seems to have closed up shop, again leaving an unoccupied office, this time on the eastern face of the square.

Then, and thirdly, the shop of Archard Immobilier on the eastern side, this time run by two rosbifs, and reflecting the strong UK interest in French country properties in the 2000-2010 period, has closed, maybe because of the financial crisis has taken the heat out of the sales of upmarket properties.

But nature and commerce abhorr a vacuum and a new property agent, Richelieu Immobilier, has now sprung up to meet demand.

Below pictures of their new office and the information in the window.

The new office in Route de Loudun

Details and contacts

The town's notaire, Maître Pierre Gravel continues to sell properties, as is normal in the French property system, in addition to supervising on behalf of the French State the transfer of most local property ownerships from seller to buyer.

***

The cardinal duc scrubs up well...

2011-07-01T16:46:00.012+01:00

the statue of the cardinal duc on the place Cardinal, in front of the porte de Châtellerault

before...

after...

This newly-cleaned statue stands between the cité idéale and the domainal parc and château.

It was carved in 1828 by sculptor Claude Ramey (29 Oct 1754 - 4 June 1838)

and (allegedly?) formerly located on the Pont Neuf in Paris.

Now maintained by the French 2nd Regiment of Marines

of whom A-J d P was

and is now a patron.

Abbé Henri Proust's garden inspiration

2011-06-29T20:30:00.009+01:00

...click on the picture to see the details within...

"What do you think of my new raised beds, Beatrice?" by Pieter Van Avont (1600-1652)

***

The 'Carte de Cassini' - around Richelieu

2011-06-22T20:46:00.015+01:00

The entire area of the Carte de Cassini

Following the full cartological triangulation of France, the King's administration created the Carte de Cassini, a standardised map version of every part of France.

the cité idéale - click on the maps to enlarge

Started on the order of Louis XIV, the 'Carte de Cassini' or the 'Carte de l'Académie' is the oldest of the maps of France in its entirety, created at a consistent topographical scale. It is also the first map in the world to be created on the basis of geodesic triangulation. It was measured by Jacques Cassini de Thury (1677-1756) of the Académie Royale des Sciences from 1683 to 1744, based on the preliminary work of his own father and grandfather.

After the publication of the 'Carte Générale' on 18 sheets at a scale of 1:870,000 in 1746/47, and now on the request of Louis XV, César-Francois Cassini (1714-1784) conceived a much more detailed map at a scale of 1:86,400 (1 line for 100 toises (194.9 m) = 2.256mm. The field work and engraving of the maps onto copper undertaken starting in 1750 were not completed until 1815. Many additions or corrections, mainly focusing on the lines of communication, were made to the engraving plates between 1798 and 1812.

During the summer of 1756, Cassini presents the sheet Beauvais 2 to Louis XV. The king admires the precision, but the announces to the cartographer that the Royal Treasury can not help the company any further.

Financial support, essential to the continuation of the work of the Cassini, is provided by a new Association of fifty members, which include the King, Queen and the Cassini family. This Association covers 20% of expenditures. Sales of sheets, subscriptions, and participation of the Généralités and contracts with the Pays d'États allow Cassini to keep the balance of accounts. Along with the publication of the map sheets of the Carte Générale, contributions from provincial expenditures (38%) lead to the publication of special maps of the Languedoc, Burgundy, Bresse and Provence.

In 1793, the revolutionary Convention nationale vote the transfer of the 165 sheets completed to the Depôt de la Guerre. They become an important mechanism for the cutting of France into the new system of départéments.

The map making company of Jaques' son, César-François Cassini de Thury, was continued in 1815 by his son Jean-Dominique, Comte de Cassini (1748-1845).

The Cassini map consists of a collection of 180 sheets, 154 in the format 104 cm x 73 cm and 26 sheets of various other sizes. The copper plates are kept by the National Geographic Institute (IGN) that administrate and publish the print-outs in black and white.

The four corners of each sheet mark the distances in toises to the Meridian of Paris and its Perpendicular.

At a scale of 1:86,400 and toise worth 1.949 metres, the size of the field of each map is 77,961 x 48,726 metres (in Cassini projection) for a full sheet.

round and about Richelieu

the Chinonnais, the Indre and the Loire

***

A Richelieu movie

2011-06-22T09:22:00.003+01:00

Sarko drops the proposed new property tax on secondary homes

2011-06-21T16:18:00.017+01:00

The old town of Richelieu attracts many purchasers of houses from abroad, as the pretty cité idéale does not offer many possibilities of comfortable employment to local sons and daughters, far as it is from the cities of Tours or Châtellerault with their job opportunities. Houses are quite cheap as a result.

Without these foreign buyers, who spend restoration money on the classic properties from wealth earned elsewhere, many of the houses located within the city's walls would be left to rot, as locals do not have either the funds or the inclination to take them on.

The new tax was to have been 20% of the valeur locative cadastral - notional rental value - of the houses per annum. As many of these properties are large, and the new property tax was to be based on these large areas, while little houses would only have attracted a smallish sum in addition to the impôts habitation et foncière already paid by second home owners, the large houses would have attracted new tax requests in the order of 2,000€ per annum. As existing local taxes are already quite steep on these large houses, it would have discouraged buyers and caused a reduction of prices and values.

So many second home owners can relax (for a while!)....

CLICK HERE

for details of the policy change
and HERE
and Here

Also the Sarko administration has improved the position of property owners when the

Grim Reaper
comes to call
in the land of

Napoléon Bonaparte

CLICK HERE

***

The Cartes de Trudaine of 1745 - 1780

2011-06-15T14:59:00.016+01:00

The so-called 'Cartes de Trudaine' are a collection of three thousand maps of the various regions of France assembled by the metropolitan Ponts et Chausées in the years 1745 -1770.

The Atlas of Highways in France, called the 'Atlas Trudaine', constitute a unique and consistent sixty-two volume collection of Atlases of maps, in all totalling over 3000 carefully hand drawn sheets, each tinted in watercolor. They are held in the French National Archives (formerly the Centre Historique des Archives Nationales (CHAN)) in Paris. Made between 1745 and 1780 on the orders of Charles Daniel Trudaine, the Director of Ponts et Chausées, they show all bridges and roads, existing and proposed, with their immediate surroundings that were within the twenty-two Généralités des Pays d'Élections governed by royal Intendants. The Pays d'États (Burgundy, Provence, Languedoc and Brittany) and the Pays d'Imposition (border regions conquered by Louis XIV) are excluded from coverage of the maps, but the Généralité of Metz has three atlases and Haut-Cambrésis three atlases as well.

These atlases are a valuable and highly useful documentation of the eighteenth-century French landscape. They include representations of populated places, woods, streams and roads, isolated buildings (crosses, shrines, castles, mills, factories, quarries ...), and the the sites of all works of art close to roads or actually built upon them.

Below, we show three of these maps of the region around Richelieu, it being located in the Généralité of Tours.

The Cité Idéale and château de Richelieu
The road from Richelieu to Champigny-sur-Veude
The town plan of Champigny-sur-Veude

The maps show the state of the locality in the lifetime of the third duc de Richelieu, Maréchal Armand de Vignerot du Plessis

As these maps are a record of roads and bridges between various locations, they cannot sustain the etiquette of 'North upwards'; In the Richelieu map East is upwards; in the road to Champigny the East remains upwards; in the Champigny map South is upwards.

The town and castle of Richelieu

the five kilometre road between Richelieu and Champigny-sur-Veude

The town of Champigny-sur-Veude

the Généralités of 18th century France

http://www.culture.gouv.fr/documentation/archim/atlasdetrudaine.htm

http://www.numerique.culture.fr/mpf/pub-fr/document.html?id=FR-DC-DAFANCH_004

***

this post dedicated to Liezel, a researcher for criticalproductive at Cornell University, with many thanks for the inspiration...

***

The 5th Festival de Musique de Richelieu, 27 July - 7 August 2011

2011-06-14T16:09:00.003+01:00

click on the image to enlarge it

www.festivalmusiquerichelieu.fr

***

the cardinal duc on the dike at La Rochelle

2011-06-14T14:27:00.011+01:00

Henri-Paul Motte painted this well-known history picture in 1881 showing the cardinal duc on the dike that he ordered to be constructed across the mouth of the bay at La Rochelle. By screening the fortified town from support from the sea - and the dastardly rosbifs led by the Duke of Buckingham - he ensured the siege of the town in 1627-28 was successful. The calvinist Hugenot Hanseatic town, a 'state within a state', was brought to its knees and finally capitulated to the King's forces.

one of the battle pictures at the town museum
portrays the siege of La Rochelle

look at the map opposite for the location...

***

The 'Puits Doré' starts to expand

2011-06-09T16:30:00.006+01:00

The town's hotel , the Puits Doré - 'The Golden Well' - is expanding its premises. The building works have started on the rear wing of their hôtel particulier on the south-western flank of the main town square, the place du marché. The expansion will provide the hotel with more bedrooms, which in turn will ensure the continued viability of the business. We have been told that the Puits Doré has been an operating hotel almost from the founding of the Ideal Town in the 1640s.

Meanwhile the hotel continues to receive visitors and set a jolly tone on the south side of the square.

It must be important for this little town that tourism can support and sustain such a hotel, as tourism and its grandiose history, cultural and architectural, are the aspects of the town that differentiate it from its myriad neighbours, each struggling to find a purpose in a dispersed agricultural world where the farms are de-populated by modern mechanisation. Richelieu remains a centre for quite a large farming area as the good Cardinal had the farsightedness and ruthlesness to ensure that his new town did not have urban competitors closer than about 20km - Loudun, Chinon, L'Isle Bouchard, St Maure de Touraine, each at arm's length. This 'isolation zone' maintains the serenity and tranqillity of the place, but sets it a bit aside from the mainstream.

The main front of the hotel on the place du Marché

The façade onto the Grande Rue, showing the part under renovation.

The hotel finally occupies the entire hôtel particulier, 2 Grande Rue.

the new rear façade to rue du Chantier, next to the Porte de Châtellerault.

the mason's sign.

It will be interesting to see to what extent the Bâtiments de France will require the renovated premises to be 'restored' to a more authentic state, and whether the strict line they have taken recently will be continued. We will follow the works over the next few months and find out.

***

Richelieu - 'Ville fleurie'

2011-06-08T11:28:00.009+01:00

This year the town council of Richelieu has taken upon itself to smarten the town up a bit by planting trees and shrubs in the straight and rather minérale streets of the 17th century 'grid' town.

Firstly, and most formally, they have installed caisses de Versailles on the boundary line of each successive hôtel particilier - mansion - on the Grande Rue. In each caisse is planted a tapered hornbeam (carpinus betulus fastigiata), about three meters high. Over successive seasons these will be pleached to be trim tall pyramids. Such planting is contentious with Bâtiments de France as some think that such 'softenings' are inappropriate and out of style for the 17th century period. This seems (to H. Proust) to be a bit strict as a point of view, as the little town has of course lived through subsequent centuries and amassed all sorts of later influences (cars, or neon pharmacy signs for example!) that change the perceived character and 'authenticity' of the town.

The Grande Rue with its new caisses de Versailles

Despite these stylistic worries, the 24 planters have now been installed, and the effect is quite striking in such a dogmatically axial street.

a new hornbeam

...and another...

...floral planting in each tub...

Secondly, smaller matching planters have been installed on the church steps and elsewhere on the place du Marché. While there were planters in front of the church, the new ones soften the rather naked facade. The main trees that encircle the new square layout were omitted in front of the church, allegedly to allow large church services and particularly funerals. A mistake in HP's view. So these new church planters improve matters, and could be moved if circumstances require.

the church steps with new planters

Thirdly, property owners not located on the Grand Rue were asked if they would like to have a plant installed in the concrete pavement, adjacent to their own house's façade. This offer as been taken up in quite a few locations. While the caisses will be watered by the municipal bowser, individuals will have to water their own new plantings.

new pavement plantings

A older planting installed in the same way but now fully grown up, looks like this.

on rue Traversière

***
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hornbeam

Another blog, this time from Braye-sous-Faye, just outside the Parc walls

2011-06-07T14:55:00.014+01:00

'Colin and Elisabeth' covered the Ascension day brocante on Thursday 2nd of June 2011 rather well on their own blog.

CLICK HERE

The large market of interesting second-hand objects and antiques filled the place du marché and les halles. Abbé Henri Proust was sorely tempted, and finally purchased three things; a pewter plate, an old shotgun, a 'Lefaucheux', marked St. Etienne 16.8mm side-by-side pin-fire hunting piece - un fusil à broche - from about 1880 - HP's era - (but can this really be a man of the cloth, one asks?), and a small sea scene in oils in a gilt frame.

originally from Chatillion-sur-Indre in Berry to the East

All the town's other shops closed for the afternoon.

***

A link to a nice post all about the Palais Cardinal in Paris, latterly (since about 1650) the Palais Royale.

2011-05-23T09:01:00.003+01:00

CLICK HERE

for a connection to the posts describing aspects of the cardinal-duc's Paris mansion describing the development of this famous site over the years.

'Peter's Paris' is a very good blog about the City of Paris

and its detailed history, location by location.

http://peter-pho2.blogspot.com/

***

The dedication by CORNEILLE of 'Le Cid' to Madame de Combalet

2011-05-18T11:44:00.008+01:00

Rodrigo and Ximene finally get to the altar

LE CID

written by Pierre Corneille

DEDICATION TO MADAME DE COMBALET
niece and favorite of the cardinal duc

- 1637 -

Madame,

This living portrait which I offer you portrays a hero who is fairly easy to recognise by the laurels with which he covered himself. His life was one long succession of victories; his body, carried about by his armies, won battles even after his death; and his name, after six hundred years, has again triumphed in France. He has had too favorable a reception to regret having crossed his country's frontiers and having learnt another language than his own. The outcome has exceeded my wildest expectations, and at first surprised me; but it ceased surprising me as soon as I saw the satisfaction displayed when it was performed before you. Then I dared expect of him everything that took place, and I felt that, after the praises with which you had honored him, this universal applause could not fail to be accorded to him. And in fact, Madame, one cannot justly doubt the value of something that has been fortunate to please you. Your judgement on it guarantees its value; and, as you always liberally accord to real beauties the esteem they deserve, false beauties are never able to dazzle you. But your generosity is not confined to sterile praise for works which please you; it takes delight in extending itself usefully to those who write them, and does not disdain to employ in their favour the great influence which your rank and virtues have won you. I have experienced the results of your intervention which are too advantageous to me for me to pass them over in silence, and I owe you no less thanks for myself than for The Cid. This is a recognition which is to my credit, since it is impossible to announce that I am deeply obliged to you without at the same time announcing that you have had sufficient esteem for me to wish me to have these obligations to you. Thus, Madame, if I wish this success of my pen, this happy effect, to be fairly lasting, it is not for it to inform posterity of my name, but only to leave eternal proofs of what I owe you and to set before the eyes of those who will be born in centuries to come the protestation that I make to be all my life,

Madame,

Your very humble, very obedient and very devoted servant,

CORNEILLE.

***

Pierre Corneille

Madame de Combalet, duchesse de l'Aiguillon

this post dedicated to Dorothy in Georgia.
***

The Vienne at Chinon and the mighty Loire at Saumur

2011-05-16T18:31:00.003+01:00

Two April photos of castles on the two local great rivers, the Vienne and the Loire

click on either to see nice big versions, where the dog can see the rabbit....

The fortress of Chinon - built in the 1100s - with the river Vienne flowing right to left on its way to join the Loire.

The river Loire, further downstream at Saumur, viewed from the castle's battlements, looking east.

***

Richelieu à Richelieu - Musée Municipal Richelieu

2011-05-11T09:10:00.022+01:00

3 - RICHELIEU

The exhibition Richelieu à Richelieu runs from mid-March 2011 until 13 June 2011.

ONE MONTH TO GO!

Its subject is an investigation into the remains and general history of the now-disappeared château de Richelieu, originally a grand palace beyond contemporary compare. Interiors, gardens, art collections, painting, sculptures. Many of the artefacts created or assembled in the château by the cardinal-duke were dispersed, firstly by the chaos of the revolution of 1789, and then by the progressive destruction of the building itself in the 1830s, as the family could no longer retain control of the ducal properties even after the restitutions of the post-Napoleonic era.

Many of these art objects grace the great art collections of the world.

Richelieu à Richelieu is being held simultaneously at three locations:

1 The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans, located next to the cathédrale Sainte-Croix, right in the centre of the famous town of Orléans

2 The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours, located in the city's former episcopal palace, next to St. Gatien, the cathedral.

3 The Musée Municipal on the place du Marché in the little model town of Richelieu.

See the locations on the map on the right hand side of this blog

Today we examine the third part of this exhibition located in Richelieu, which is held in the former Auditoire of the cité idéale of the cardinal-duke, now used as the Town Hall. There has been a small museum of matters concerning the cardinal for many years, but now this has been entirely refitted and accommodates, on a permanent basis, six of the 'battle canvases' of the set of twenty which were originally the centre-piece of the works of art in the château's Grande Galerie. Six more of these canvases are on exhibition in Orléans, reviewed above. Eight are now lost, somewhere in the cellars of Versailles.

This new museum, complete with its awesome artworks, now complements the Éspace Richelieu at 28 Grande Rue. So the 'most beautiful village in the universe', to quote La Fontaine, sports a good set of facilities for the curious visitor. Remember that the 'town' of Richelieu only has 2000 inhabitants in the latest census, and these touristic and cultural facilities are expensive for such a small commune.

In this newly reorganised layout, pride of place is given to a sort of recreation of the Grand Galerie, which occupied the left hand (N) wing of the castle's piano nobile - first floor-. In all there were twenty battle pictures, ten each side, hung between each window, recounting in graphic terms the grandest military events of Louis XIII and his first minister, the cardinal-duke. Originally each battle was linked vertically to pictures of equivalent Roman battles and their relevant heros and gods.

***

Below we list the six canvases with a title for each.

The siege of the city of La Rochelle - Sept 1627 to Oct 1628

The reduction of Montauban - 21 August 1629

The Battle of Avein - 20 May 1635

Siege and capture of Corbie - 14 November 1636

The reduction of Nîmes - 4 July 1629

The rescue of the Ile de Ré - 1627-28

Plucked from these pictures are details of the King and the cardinal himself. Richelieu had trained as a soldier before he became the Bishop of Lucon by family inheritance, so he was at home in the saddle and in warrior adventures, while still wearing the cardinal's red costume (and socks?).

***

The exhibition's catalogue - 537 pages! - €49

The 'eminence grise', François Leclerc de Tremblaye, in the Palais Cardinal
painted by Jean-Léon Gérôme
***

A knitting pattern for Eminence Rouge socks

2011-05-10T17:21:00.004+01:00

With thanks to our friends at

http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/socks.php
and (probably) Miss Megan Mahoney!

Eminence Rouge Socks

***

Richelieu à Richelieu - Musée des Beaux-Arts Tours

2011-05-10T09:05:00.019+01:00

2 - TOURS

The exhibition Richelieu à Richelieu runs from mid-March 2011 until 13 June 2011.

ONE MONTH TO GO!

Many of these objects grace the great art collections of the world.

Richelieu à Richelieu is being held simultaneously at three locations:

1 The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans, located next to the cathédrale Sainte-Croix, right in the centre of the famous town of Orléans

2 The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours, located in the city's former episcopal palace, next to St. Gatien, the cathedral.

3 The Musée Municipal on the place du Marché in the little model town of Richelieu.

See the locations on the map on the right hand side of this blog

The Musée des Beaux-Arts, TOURS

Today we will report on the parts of the circuit exhibition - exhibition parcours - at the Musée des Beaux Arts in Tours. The museum is located in the former palace of the bishop, immediately to the south of the cathédrale de St. Gatien.

For Balzac fans, one might remember the sad tale of the Curé de Tours and the petty jealousies of the 1830s, as the hero finally loses his hope of eccesiatical preferrment and has to move from the north side of the cathedral precints to the 'outer darkness' of St. Symphorien on the other side of the Loire.

The aspect of the exhibition taken up at Tours is the art collection assembled by the cardinal and used to decorate the interiors of his palace. In particular:

the King's suite - to the right of the grand stair
the Queen's suite - in the righthand wing after the king's apartments
the Cardinal's suite - to the left of the grand staircase

each of which occupied parts of the piano nobile of the château.

In the King's chambers:

the 'Generosity of Titus' by Jacques Stella from the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard, USA

a detail from the above - don't I know that face? And the other bloke?

the two famous 'Bacchanales' of Nicholas Poussin - one from London, one from Kansas City USA

ordered by the cardinal-duc from Poussin for the Château

from the Queen's chambers:

Claude Déruet - 'Fire' from the 4 elements.

Claude Déruet -'Earth' from the 4 elements

left hand detail

right hand detail

'Perugino' or Pietro Vannucci - 'The combat of Love and Chastity'

from the collection of Isabelle d'Este in Mantua acquired by the cardinal.

Finally, from the cardinal duke's suite, a picture of his mum,
Suzanne de La Porte:

***

Richelieu à Richelieu - Musée des Beaux-Arts Orléans

2011-05-08T17:01:00.057+01:00

1 - ORLÉANS

The exhibition Richelieu à Richelieu runs from mid-March 2011 until 13 June 2011.

ONE MONTH TO GO!

Richelieu à Richelieu is being held simultaneously at three locations:
1 The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Orléans, located next to the cathédrale Sainte-Croix, right in the centre of the famous town of Orléans
2 The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours, located in the city's former episcopal palace, next to St. Gatien, the cathedral.
3 The Musée Municipal on the place du Marché in the little model town of Richelieu.

See the locations on the map on the right hand side of this blog.

Today we will talk about the part of the exhibition in Orléans, the furthest from the original location of the cardinal's château (174 km, 2hrs 3 minutes, 12.20€ tolls by autoroute A10).

The centre or Orléans is topsy-turvey with the installation of a new tramway system, still 18 months from completion. So one struggles, through all the works and disruption, to the the 1985 Musée des Beaux-Arts situated just next the town's cathedral, on Place Sainte-Croix. Once inside, a good part of the gallery's first floor is occupied with the exhibition.

This part of the exhibition parcours concerns itself with:

the authors of the cardinal's project in 1632
its influence on the art history of the time and contemporary comments by visitors
a large collection of classical statuary and busts, mainly from the exterior of the château and the gardens
the drawings of Cannini, made of the statues and busts purchased in Rome in the 1630s
a video presentation of the château's history
many religious paintings from the cardinal's apartments in the château
6 of the 12 remaining 'battle pictures' from the original total of 20 scenes in the château's gallery
the two huge rostral columns from the entrance portico to the château

Orléans was the only part of the exhibition where the organisers frowned on photography, perhaps hoping - rightly - that we would purchase the 3 inch thick catalogue for 49€. So we cannot offer a photo essay of the exhibition.

But we reproduce below their summary of the contents in the slim catalogue given to each visitor. Of course it is written in French, but not too hard to skim, even if the pictures are all one can digest.
We trust they will not object to our assistance to publicise the exhibition and encourage visitors this way.

Merged PDF
A short movie about moving the statues from the Louvre......

Découvrez Du Louvre à l'exposition "Richelieu à Richelieu" sur Culturebox !

.... and a web site of the DRAC (Direction régionale des affaires culturelles) of the Region Centre....

http://www.draccentre.culture.gouv.fr/contenu.php?id=198
....and a blog from Tours
http://theaujasmin.blogspot.com/2011/03/richelieu-richelieu-architecture-et.html

***

Paté en croute - the cardinal does 'veal 'n 'am' pie

2011-05-05T11:20:00.009+01:00

Trust the cardinal-duke to upstage the old favourite of Englande, veal and ham pie. And even the newly appellation controlé, Melton Mowbray pork pie.

This particular delicacy, purchased in April 2011 for a mere €2.50 (including the third slice FREE), shows how his table resonates down the centuries of history.

Maybe it was the gastro-project of one of his descendants - perhaps the voracious third Duke, inventor of Mayonnaise. Wikipedia, as yet, stays silent.

Buying it pre-prepared seems a better bet than cooking it oneself - the collection of ingredients alone would take a morning.

A foie gras core!

BUT it was nice....

http://cuisine.journaldesfemmes.com/recette/338585-pate-en-croute-richelieu

***

The head of Henri IV, 'le vert gallant' - Father of Louis XIII

2011-03-18T09:19:00.010Z

A recently found blog about Paris, Peter's Paris, directs us to an article on the rediscovery of the head of King Henri IV, the founder of the Bourbon dynasty, father of Louis XIII, grandfather of the the Sun King, Louis XIV, protestant-turned-cathothic - 'Paris is worth a Mass', pacifier of the 'Wars of Religion', assassinated by the crazy François Ravillac on 14 May 1610, general lothario and priapic beast (cf Louis XIII!).

Click HERE for the story.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Alphonse,_Duke_of_Anjou
Lost heads are becoming a bit of a theme

Click HERE for what happened to the head of the cardinal duc de Richelieu

Or HERE for the droll story of composer Joseph Haydn's bonce.

***

Press release on the 'Richelieu to Richelieu' exhibition

2011-03-12T22:20:00.008Z

The triple exhibition Richelieu à Richelieu started today, the 12 March 2011, and will run for three months until 13 June 2011.
The three locations are:

Musée des Beaux-Arts, 45000 Orléans; the antiqities of the château de Richelieu
Musée des Beaux-Arts, 37000 Tours; the interior decor of the château de Richelieu
Musée Municipal, 37120 Richelieu; the battle canvases of Louis XIII and the cardinal duc de Richelieu

http://www.loirevalleytourism.com/actu/richelieu-exhibition.html

Below we reproduce the press release for the exhibition (in French)
37_richelieudok

Bernardo Strozzi - 'The personification of Fame'

2011-03-11T15:54:00.010Z

Bernardo Strozzi (1581-1664) painted it in 1635-6, and it is thought that it was displayed at the head of the grand staircase in the former château de Richelieu.

The painting is a relatively late work, probably from the early years of Strozzi's Venetian period, about 1635-6. It is a far from idealised study of a girl in a darkened setting, equipped with the wings that Fame traditionally possesses. The light falls brightly from the left, highlighting the inquiring face of the sitter and details of her costume, which shows to advantage the distinctive handling of the painter.

In representations of Fame the figure usually holds a single trumpet, or two of different lengths, symbolising good and ill fame. The significance of the two instruments represented in Strozzi's painting, a golden trumpet and a wooden shawm, is unclear; maybe trumpet for fame and shawm for infamy?

This picture is in the National Gallery London, Room 32.

Richelieu was an important patron of the arts. Portraits of him by Philippe de Champaigne are in the National Gallery collection. The 'Triple Portrait of Cardinal de Richelieu' was intended as a study for a bust by a Roman sculptor. The collection also includes this image of Fame by Bernardo Strozzi, which may have graced the entrance to his château, and Poussin's 'TheTriumph of Pan', which he had commissioned himself.

The painting on the wall in Gallery 32 - it is quite big: 105h x 150w.
***

Article in 'Figaro' by ERIC BIETRY-RIVIERRE

2011-03-07T09:56:00.003Z

Sur les vingt œuvres,qui célébraient les campagnes militaires menées par Louis XIIIet son cardinal, il n'en subsiste que douze.Trois sont exposées au château de Versailles. Les neuf autres,en auvais état, sont entre les mains d'une équipe de restaurateurs. Crédits photo : Le Figaro

Ces grandes toiles, qui ornaient le château du cardinal en Touraine, sont en cours de restauration. Elles seront enfin exposées ensemble au printemps 2011.

Peu à peu, sous la main minutieuse de Sarah Destrez, de petits mousquetaires réapparaissent. Son pinceau fin court sans hésitation d'un pilulier transformé en boîte à couleurs à la surface de la toile abîmée. À Versailles, cette restauratrice use ses beaux yeux à restaurer des tableaux anonymes couverts de milliers de soldats, endormis dans les réserves et devenus, au fil des ans, autant de puzzles lacunaires.

Est-ce le jeune d'Artagnan qu'on aperçoit au loin face aux troupes des Habsbourg d'Espagne et d'Autriche, dans cette immense vue à vol d'oiseau du combat du Pas de Suse peint quelque temps après 1629? Ce n'est pas impossible, estime Nicolas Milovanovic. Brillant érudit -il vient de cosigner l'excellente exposition «Louis XIV, l'homme et le roi»-, ce conservateur au château supervise depuis octobre une équipe de neuf spécialistes chargés de redonner tout son lustre à ce qui subsiste du programme iconographique de la Galerie des batailles du château de Richelieu (Indre-et-Loire). Un lieu légendaire, considéré comme l'un des plus beaux d'Europe, malheureusement entièrement détruit au XIXe siècle.

La galerie comportait vingt formats d'environ 3,30 m sur 2,60 chacun qui célébraient les campagnes militaires menées par Louis XIII et son cardinal, de 1627 à 1636. Ils servirent de modèle pour le Grand Condé à Chantilly, pour le duc de Lorraine à Lunéville et pour Louis XIV au réfectoire des Invalides et à Versailles. Sur ces vingt œuvres, douze existent toujours. Trois sont en bon état et sont présentées au château de Versailles depuis que Louis-Philippe y a créé un musée d'histoire de France. Les neuf autres, trop encombrantes, n'ont encore jamais été vues par le grand public. Dans les réserves du château, mal protégées, elles se sont délabrées.

Le départ en 2007 de la questure de l'Assemblée nationale et du Sénat ayant libéré les anciens appartements du comte de Provence dans l'aile du Midi, un atelier de belle hauteur de plafond et bien éclairé a pu y être aménagé. C'est ici que Le Siège de l'île de Ré, La Réduction de Nîmes, La Soumission de Montaubanou La Levée du siège de Casal sont actuellement nettoyés, complétés et rentoilés sur des châssis assainis.

L'opération, dont le coût dépasse les 377 millions d'euros, est financée par des mécènes comme le Crédit agricole et la Fondation du patrimoine, une souscription publique, le Musée des beaux-arts d'Orléans, celui de Tours et la ville de Richelieu. Ces trois dernières institutions ont prévu d'organiser en mars une triple exposition sur les décors et collections du cardinal acquis et commandés pour l'ornement de son château familial tourangeau, développé sur les plans de Jacques Lemercier en 1631.

Richesses d'Europe

Y seront bien sûr montrés les neuf tableaux de batailles mais aussi quelques-unes des pièces les plus insignes du fonds de peintures, de sculptures, d'objets d'art et de mobilier qui forment aujourd'hui le cœur du patrimoine conservé au Louvre. Les prêts demandés sont ambitieux. À Richelieu, le cabinet du roi abritait les Mantegna, Pérugin et Lorenzo Costa provenant du studiolo d'Isabelle d'Este à Mantoue, ainsi que les Bacchanales de Poussin (qui sont aujourd'hui à la National Gallery de Londres et à Kansas City).

Quant aux antiques (deux cents statues et bustes environ) réunis pour occuper les niches des façades, ils constituaient l'une des toutes premières richesses d'Europe, avec notamment Les Esclaves de Michel-Ange. Après l'exposition, l'établissement public du château de Versailles demeurera propriétaire de ses neuf batailles restaurées mais il a accepté une mise en dépôt de longue durée dans les musées organisateurs de cette manifestation.

L'exposition «Richelieu à Richelieu» sera présentée simultanément par les Musées des beaux-arts d'Orléans et de Tours et la ville de Richelieu du 11 mars au 12 juin 2011. Informations : www.musees.regioncentre.fr

Data on the town

2011-03-06T17:38:00.001Z

http://www.habitant-ville.info/habitant/37120-RICHELIEU.php

This site has all sorts of data on the town of Richeleiu,

including the phone directory for all the inhabitants.

Give it a whirl!

***

The Wallace Collection 3

2011-03-01T12:42:00.002Z

Three paintings much in the taste of the cardinal duc

and his collection at le château.

Nicholas Poussin - 'A Dance to the Movement of Time'

"These classical projections, and something from the fire, suddenly suggested Poussin's scene in which the Seasons, hand in hand and facing outward, tread in rhythm to the notes of the lyre that the winged and naked greybeard plays. The image of Time brought thoughts of mortality: of human beings, facing outward like the Seasons, moving hand in hand in intricate measure, stepping slowly, methodically sometimes a trifle awkwardly, in evolutions that take recognizable shape: or breaking into seemingly meaningless gyrations, while partners disappear only to reappear again, once more giving pattern to the spectacle: unable to control the melody, unable, perhaps, to control the steps of the dance."

Anthony Powell - 'A question of upbringing'

A nativity by Phillipe de Champaigne with a neo-classical cabinet & statue

A fragment of another canvas by Philippe de Champaigne with an urn.

The Wallace Collection

***

The Wallace Collection 2 - S.V.P

2011-02-28T09:26:00.002Z

S'il vous plait - if you please - Societé Vincent de Paul.

When the cardinal-duc founded our little town, he put the souls of the new inhabitants in the hands of his contemporary chum, Vincent de Paul 1581-1660, later canonised 'Saint' Vincent in 1737. De Paul visited and stayed in the cité idéale in its early days, maybe to ensure the solidity of congregation in the agenda of the Counter-Reformation following the Council of Trent. This part of France is quite close to the Vendée and the Charentes of La Rochelle, fountain and battleground of Hugenot heresy.

The venerated ecclesiastic is still a strong influence in the Roman Church and the inspiration of many Vincent de Paul Societies, even a university in Chicago!

On visiting the Wallace Collection in Manchester Square London to look for famous works of French art, we spied this van of the London Branch of the S.V.P 'helping locally', 'turning concern into action'.

Well done big Vince!

***

Paul Delaroche's two pictures at the Wallace Collection, London

2011-02-25T17:50:00.011Z

The Wallace Collection, located just north of Oxford Street in central London, has a huge and impressive collection of French art and artefacts. Among them are these two famous 19th century interpretations of famous historical scenes painted by Paul Delaroche.

The first canvas was the inspiration of the book 'Cinq Mars' by Alfred de Vigny.

CLICK HERE

The cardinal's barge leads Cinq Mars and de Thou down the Rhone to their execution on the scaffold in Lyon.

The deathbed of Cardinal Mazarin in 1671.

***

le retour

2011-02-23T15:19:00.000Z

The movie celebrates the return to Richelieu of Janet, to be welcomed by a large company.

***

Restoration of the 12 canvases - a program from TF1

2011-02-18T13:20:00.004Z

Les toiles de Richelieu à l'heure de la restauration

For a site that describes the contribution of the bank Crédit Agricole.

CLICK HERE

Press release on the exhibitions 'Richelieu to Richelieu'

2011-01-20T12:08:00.008Z

This long pdf is the official press release on the exhibitions on Richelieu being put on at the Beaux-Arts museums of Orléans and Tours, together with the Municipal Museum in Richelieu itself.

Read on .... maybe better to download and print off from the scribd document below!
or, perhaps, use the 'full screen' button at the top of the Scribd window.

DossierPresse Richelieu 01

An organised visit to see the newly-restored battle scenes of the Louis XIII and his cardinal-duc, 19 March 2011

2011-01-20T09:53:00.013Z

The local association, Richelieu 21 , has organised a coach trip to see the six canvases of this series of twelve, originally from the galerie of the Château de Richelieu (now long gone), that are to be exhibited at the municipal art museums of Tours and Orléans. The day out takes place on Saturday 19 March 2011. Six more paintings are to be exhibited in the cité idéale de Richelieu itself - no coach trip required!

Musée des Beaux-Arts d’Orléans

L’exposition temporaire porte sur le Château, l’architecture, les antiques et les jardins, ainsi que la galerie des batailles.

The temporary exhibition features the château, the architecture, the antiquities and the gardens, as well as the gallery of battles....

Musée des Beaux-Arts de Tours

L’exposition temporaire donne accès à la reconstitution du cabinet du roi et de la reine au Château de Richelieu, mobilier, peintures…
The other temporary exhibition allows examination of the reconstitution of the King's and Queen's apartments at the château de Richelieu, furniture and paintings....

The exhibition Richelieu to Richelieu.....

If you were to be interested, print and fill out the pdf form below and send it off to the organisers.

Rev Layout 2 ToursOrleans

Is all hope of the restoration of Richelieu station and the train to Chinon lost?

2011-01-19T08:47:00.002Z

The station clock stands at eight minutes to three, accurate twice a day....

Locomotives magnificent and humble....

Can a bicycle track to Chinon be a replacement?

the track returns to the landscape 2010

***

Two hour-long TV programmes on Richelieu on Tours TV

2011-01-01T12:02:00.010Z

If one clicks HERE one can view two hour-long programmes on Richelieu, the man and the town.
They principally concern the restorations of the twelve huge battle scenes taken into the care of Versailles at the demolition of the Château de Richelieu itself in the 1840s.
The paintings have been painstakingly restored (some are still in process), and finally three will he housed in the art museum of Orleans, three in Tours and six in the town of Richelieu itself.

http://www.tvtours.fr/emissions/36/in-situ.html#

The two programmes are in the series 'INSITU' and are called
"Richelieu à Richelieu"
and may be called up from this web page.

of course they are in French...

***

The introduction to 'Cinq Mars' by Alfred de Vigny

2010-12-23T13:39:00.007Z

Alfred de Vigny 1797 - 1863

***

"Cinq Mars"

"A conspiracy under Louis XIII"

This book written by Alfred de Vigny and published in 1826 starts with a bewitching description of Touraine.

Many say that it has the best portrait of the all-powerful cardinal duc de Richelieu, although every literary portrait seems to have its own political agenda, this one born of the 1820s.

"Do you know that charming part of our country which has been called the garden of France—that spot where, amid verdant plains watered by wide streams, one inhales the purest air of heaven?

If you have travelled through fair Touraine in summer, you have no doubt followed with enchantment the peaceful Loire; you have regretted the impossibility of determining upon which of its banks you would choose to dwell with your beloved. On its right bank one sees valleys dotted with white houses surrounded by woods, hills yellow with vines or white with the blossoms of the cherry-tree, walls covered with honeysuckles, rose-gardens, from which pointed roofs rise suddenly. Everything reminds the traveller either of the fertility of the land or of the antiquity of its monuments; and everything interests him in the work of its busy inhabitants.

Nothing has proved useless to them; it seems as if in their love for so beautiful a country—the only province of France never occupied by foreigners—they have determined not to lose the least part of its soil, the smallest grain of its sand. Do you fancy that this ruined tower is inhabited only by hideous night-birds? No; at the sound of your horse's hoofs, the smiling face of a young girl peeps out from the ivy, whitened with the dust from the road. If you climb a hillside covered with vines, a light column of smoke shows you that there is a chimney at your feet; for the very rock is inhabited, and families of vine-dressers breathe in its caverns, sheltered at night by the kindly earth which they laboriously cultivate during the day. The good people of Touraine are as simple as their life, gentle as the air they breathe, and strong as the powerful earth they dig. Their countenances, like their characters, have something of the frankness of the true people of St. Louis; their chestnut locks are still long and curve around their ears, as in the stone statues of our old kings; their language is the purest French, with neither slowness, haste, nor accent—the cradle of the language is there, close to the cradle of the monarchy.

But the left bank of the stream has a more serious aspect; in the distance you see Chambord, which, with its blue domes and little cupolas, appears like some great city of the Orient; there is Chanteloup, raising its graceful pagoda in the air. Near these a simpler building attracts the eyes of the traveller by its magnificent situation and imposing size; it is the chateau of Chaumont. Built upon the highest hill of the shore, it frames the broad summit with its lofty walls and its enormous towers; high slate steeples increase their loftiness, and give to the building that conventual air, that religious form of all our old chateaux, which casts an aspect of gravity over the landscape of most of our provinces. Black and tufted trees surround this ancient mansion, resembling from afar the plumes that encircled the hat of King Henry. At the foot of the hill, connected with the chateau by a narrow path, lies a pretty village, whose white houses seem to have sprung from the golden sand; a chapel stands halfway up the hill; the lords descended and the villagers ascended to its altar-the region of equality, situated like a neutral spot between poverty and riches, which have been too often opposed to each other in bitter conflict."

le château de Chaumont
***

for the complete work:

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/3953/3953-h/3953-h.htm

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T08:43:00.005Z

be so good as to click 'ere/ faites un déclic ici s.v.p.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GkHNNPM7pJA

***

Joyeux fêtes 2010

'absolutism grabs the steering-wheel'

Msgr. Henri Proust

***

Nearly mid-winter

2010-12-16T12:03:00.003Z

Caspar David Friedrich

September 5, 1774 – May 7, 1840

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caspar_David_Friedrich

***

The town's planning development proposals are revised

2010-12-02T10:20:00.006Z

- le Plan Local d'Urbanisme -

(or PLU)

The development plan for the Cité Ideale de Richelieu and its modest conurbations has been the subject of reconsideration and updating by the minicipality. The policy results have just been published by the townhall for public consultation.

Until today's revisions, the planning directions for the town were the consequences of a policy of protection outlined in the 1960s and 80s. This new 2010 revision brings these policies up-to-date and corrects those aspects of development policy that were found to be either counter-productive or to have unforeseen negative qualities.

But when? - O when? - are they going to complete the longed-for by-pass sector whose alignment is established but incomplete. Meanwhile every Euro-truck in France grinds past the walls of the town. Look at page three below to see the problem.

***

click on each image if you want to read on....

***

Our Mayor - no longer a secretary of state after Sarko's reshuffle

2010-12-01T09:59:00.009Z

With the reshuffle of the cabinet of President Sarkozy on 14 November 2010, our Maire,

M. Hervé Novelli, now only the

found himself out of a post. He remains a member of parliament and of course, much the most significant for us,

Mayor of Richelieu.

It is not easy to remain at the pinnacle of power in the centralised French state. The more impressive that Armand Jean cardinal duc de Richelieu stayed at this sharp pinnacle for more than twenty years, albeit in the seventeenth century. But not so bad either for M. Novelli to be compared with his great predecessor.

***

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8580276.stm

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/5624611/Sarkozy-appoints-Mitterrand-nephew-to-cabinet.html

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/members/archive/alphaOrder/view.do?language=EN&id=4357

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hervé_Novelli

http://www.herve-novelli.com/

http://www.concurrences.com/cv.php3?id_auteur=1688&lang=fr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/novelli-2010/

http://www.ville-richelieu.fr/

•••

The avenues of the parc in november

2010-11-30T12:04:00.000Z

The late november sunshine falling on the algae on the trunks of the windswept trees of the park's avenues bathe the entire scene with a green light, while other visitors walk the dog.

***

Henri Proust now has an I-pod touch g4

2010-11-24T15:07:00.004Z

Hello.

For the first time a blog post has been made from a handheld device operating on a wi-fi system, in this particular case in France.

***

....still blogging....

2010-11-12T12:05:00.007Z

Although the great eponymous cardinal duc is almost of iconic status representing La France for the anglo-saxon world, he is far from the only French icon.

Here are the Citroën DS (Déesse!) 19 Pallas and the liner La France at Le Havre - in the hey-day of the novelle vague* 1960s.

Nice drawing isn't it?
*strictly 1958 - 1964

***

....where are the bar staff?

2010-10-02T18:51:00.005+01:00

Richelieu brandy's the toast of Zambia and South Africa......apparently.

***

'La Locomotion' - the biennial car meet

2010-09-15T10:34:00.001+01:00

Every second year the AUVL (Association d'Utilitaires de la Vallée de la Loire) organises a huge rendez-vous of old vehilcles that fills the cardinal duc's parc for a weekend. This time, for 2010, it also hosted the GREC (Grande Rassemblement Européene Cadillac) with the Cadillac LaSalle Club France as specialist hosts.

The highlight really is the Sunday morning run that cruised 50 km around the various cantons of the pays de Richelieu followed by a communal motorist's luncheon under the trees of the park.

We must briefly mention those plucky motorists from the Bristol Austin Seven Club who managed to wobble their way from their home to this distant parc. A 1930's radiator was replaced at the roadside by their mechanical wizards from Birmingham hidden (allegedly) in the club's only-too-Gallic corrugated Citroën H support van.

Below a collection of images of the meeting.

Lime rendering a garden wall

2010-09-14T14:17:00.001+01:00

The garden walls of 16 Grande Rue are shown being re-rendered in lime mortar. First, all the old lime render was hacked off, and then the two artisans started on this skilled task that will entirely encase the old 17th century coursed rubble wall within. Hand skills such as this are still quite the norm in the Loire valley. There are so many historic buildings of quality that require these traditional skills to survive, that it is expected that non-specialist builders can execute them as much their conservation specialist colleagues.

click on the image for a nice big version to open

***

Les Caves Painctes in Chinon and the Entonneurs Rabelaisiens

2010-09-12T20:32:00.005+01:00

Here is a short movie of a gala dinner held in the underground 'Caves Painctes' in the ancient Plantagenet town of Chinon, located deep within the castle rock itself. Allegedly, this is the location of the cellars owned by the father of the 16th century Humanist writer François Rabelais, and referred to directly in the 1534 adventures of the giant Gargantua and his own son Pantagruel. A ritual ceremony installed a few of the 300-strong Cadillac Lasalle Club France party into the society of 'Entonneurs Rabelaisiens - the funnelers/barrel fillers(?) of Rabelais', a dinner club started in 1962 that celebrates the famous red wine of Chinon and its most fervent admirer, François Rabelais himself.

Your blog's author, the Abbé Henri Proust, was elevated to the rank of Chevalier of the Entonneurs Rabelaisiens on the 3rd of September 2010 (for services rendered etc.....). What an honor, and frankly what a responsibility!; to act as advocate for the Humanist and gourmand world-view of Rabelais and as an ambassador for the gorgeous cabernet franc wines of AOC Chinon.

HARD work; but someone has to do it!

Readers, friends, if you turn these pages

Put your prejudice aside,

For, really, there's nothing here that's outrageous,

Nothing sick, or bad — or contagious.

Not that I sit here glowing with pride

For my book: all you'll find is laughter:

That's all the glory my heart is after,

Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you.

I'd rather write about laughing than crying,

For laughter makes men human, and courageous.

BE HAPPY!

***

< Beuvez tousjours, vous ne mourrez jamais >

The new music widget

2010-08-08T10:36:00.000+01:00

Henri Proust has added a music 'widget' in the side bar to the right, having found it on another blog http://versaillesdailyphoto.blogspot.com/.

All one has to do is click on the little arrow and a playlist of French period music will play while you look at the blog site. HP couldn't figure out how to implant a new playlist of his own, so he has filched the one from the site about daily Versailles photographs.

One day when he has time he will try to work it all out and get music from the seventeenth century rather than the eighteenth.

***

Inside 15 Grande Rue - formerly 'Le musée du chat'

2010-08-03T11:04:00.005+01:00

During the festival of Cape and Rapier, it was possible to look into the back court of the hôtel particulier that was formerly Madame Le Roy's Musée du chat - the cat museum - number 15 Grande Rue. It has new owners and has been cleared so that restoration can be carried out. Today this building is the only hôtel on the Grande Rue that is not finished in lime render. Although the exposed rubble walls have picturesque qualities to today's eye, this would have looked very common to the 17th century owner, as it would tell that the owner was a more a farmer or other rude mechanical than a gentleman. The cardinal's original detailed specification for the houses asked for rendered façades to the mansions, with tuffeau ashlar quoins and string courses. Perhaps economy would drive the rear dependances and stables to be more humble and to have exposed coursed rubble walls (and even vulgar roman tiled roofs!), but the removal of the render from the main house facades would have been unthinkable, both for reasons of watertightness and of blatant snobbery. One can see in the ashlar-work window surrounds, where the particular stone used happened to be too large, that the original mason has hacked the face back to allow the adhesion of the render that he assumed was to follow. One can observe this detail in the re-rendering of other Grand Rue houses too.

But nonetheless the stripped old building has a particular charm. Madame Le Roy had laid out a picturesque garden too, but this has been cleared as well.
The rather lumpy building at the foot of the garden on the site of the hôtel's écuries or stables needs re-roofing to replace the nasty cement tiles used in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century on the inauthentic mansard-like roof section.

But soon, presumably, these views will become the 'before shots' of a major restoration.

***

Frédéric Mitterrand marries ‘Culture’ and ‘Tourism’

2010-08-02T17:03:00.012+01:00

" The town of Richelieu will now benefit from State support for its future cultural development. The Minister inaugurated the Espace Richelieu:, a cultural centre that tells the story of the cardinal and his ideal town, and signed a three-year agreement of support for the town’s restoration projects.

The Cardinal has always fascinated the man of culture. Frédéric Mitterrand, now the French Minister of Culture, would have talked for hours if only his ministerial duties had not pressed him into a full day of travel all across Touraine. He finally completed it all with eyes wide open and many an admiring glance.

Before doing a tour of châteaux highlighting the vital work of private owners, the Minister of Culture was greeted in Richelieu by the Mayor, who is none other than his colleague and friend in government, Hervé Novelli, Secretary of State for Tourism.

And if some official visits must sometimes seem tedious, the rediscovery of Touraine by a Frédéric Mitterrand, now in his role of a minister, was anything but a chore.

It must be said that both the Secretary of State for Tourism and Minister of Culture share the belief that the two political portfolios are often complementary, even fusional. Already signatories to a charter to combine tourism and culture to enhance the general attractiveness of the Hexagon – France itself - the two men have now initiated an agreement on cultural development between the State and the humble town of Richelieu for a period lasting three years.

Obviously the Ideal City as conceived by cardinal duc de Richelieu, cannot, with its mere 2,000 souls, carry out alone the development of a 'place that has the capability to become a cultural exception and mediator', in the words of Frédéric Mitterrand, enthusiastic after visiting the new Espace Richelieu:, created in a former grand mansion that had been renovated by the actor Gérard Klein. The exhibit, with much museum display equipment, a virtual tour of the missing château de Richelieu in stereo 3D, and many other detailed memorabilia, welcomes the visitor and audience at the very heart of the 1640s cité idéale. The agreement will also allow the renovation of les halles, the ancient and original market building from the seventeenth century, and many other actions to enhance the attractiveness of the town of Richelieu, as well as creating a ‘Richelieu Circuit’.

Eloquent about the 'almost Shakespearean dimension of relations between the cardinal duc de Richelieu and King Louis XIII', Frédéric Mitterrand called for a ‘tourism of excellence’ for which Touraine has so many major advantages. The Minister saw confirmation of these qualities throughout the entire day’s visit."

Translated from Patrick Goupil’s article in La Nouvelle Republique 23/7/2010

We hope they won’t mind a little extra media circulation!

A few links about the Mitterrand visit to Richelieu (mainly in French):

The Minister of Culture admits his passion for Richelieu. The Homme Rouge as he is called on a panel from the exhibit in the Espace Richelieu:, consecrated to the Cardinal in his own town.

Fortresse Royale of Chinon

2010-08-02T09:20:00.003+01:00

The castle at Chinon stands over the banks of the Vienne river a kilometre from its confluence with the mighty river Loire. In mediaeval times this was a strategic as well as a commercial location, as it commanded the main method of movement of the day, river transportation. In the 1200s The Plantagenet Kings used Chinon as their main Royal castle and from there governed a huge 'empire' that ran from Scotland to the Basque country. While being a vassal of the King of France (then more or less only the Ile de France), the french-speaking Plantagenet Lord a was full King of England, and so a peer of the French King in Paris. Tricky balance!

The old castle at Chinon is formed of three defensive castles-within-castles and is on a par with the defensive works of the Crusaders or those build by England's Edward 1 in Wales. The crusades caused defensive architecture to advance a great deal, and this skill was brought back to France from Jerusalem.

The ruin that we find today is the recipient of the largest restoration project work in Europe. This involves the partial reconstruction of the royal apartments to the earliest state of which there is a sufficiently comprehensive record. We now see the apartments as they were in about 1760. Sadly the hall where the King of France received the Maid of Orleans, Joan of Arc, remains in ruin as there is no documentation extant to act as guide to reconstruction.

The three photos look up from the mediaeval main-street of the town of Chinon to see the restored apartments outlined against the sky. The town itself was placed next to the river for both access and defensive reasons, and protected in the rear by the towering castle rock.

***

Fondation du Parimoine - Richelieu's canvases

2010-07-26T09:50:00.021+01:00

The Fondation du Patrimoine

is an organisation that sponsors cultural projects and invites private and corporate patronage of the historic inheritance of France. On this site one can see news of the project to restore and then display the huge - 3.5 x 2.6m - battle scenes that were originally created for the gallery of the château de Richelieu. They told of the great victories of the king Louis XIII and his first minister, the cardinal duc de Richelieu. They were preserved (sic!) in the château de Versailles.

Once restored, three canvases will be displayed in the museum of Orleans, three in Tours and

SIX - yes! 6
(three of these need restoration)

in the municipal museum of the town of Richelieu. One asks why not all of them? Should we not start a club to ensure the restitution of the Cardinal's famous art collection to its original location in its entirety? Recreate the gallery in its original location on the island in the parc? At first floor level maybe?

If you CLICK HERE you can download a document which tells how to subscribe €s to this worthy objective - or download the document you can see at the foot of this post. It tells the story of the project and also tells which restored painting will go where. Amongst their six canvases, Richelieu will receive these paintings restored:

1 The siege of the Ile de Ré (needs 52,582 euros - 526 persons @ 100€ each!), against the dastardly rosbifs and the Duke of Buckingham, as featured in the Three Musketeers!
2 The Reduction of Nîmes (27,238 euros)
3 The Submission of Montauban (needs 39,067 euros)

You can support this project by subscribing either as an individual or as a company. The pdf document below tells you about the project and how contribution may be made.
You can even choose which painting to support
Go on! You know you want to.
'cos its worth it

doc_projets_873_735

Roof ablaze at the château de Rivau 5km from Richelieu

2010-07-13T14:26:00.007+01:00

Read HERE about the recent roof
FIRE

at the château du Rivau,
a building actually referred to in GARGANTUA by Rabelais
located a few kilometres north of the cité idéale.

*****

* 4th Richelieu Music Festival Programme * 29 July - 15 August 2010

2010-07-13T09:17:00.004+01:00

Music Fest 4

the next fesitival of CAPE AND RAPIER

2010-06-15T09:55:00.001+01:00

The biennial festival that relives the fantasy of the 17th century of the world of 'The Three Musketeers' takes place on the weekend of 17-18 July 2010.
Henri Proust has attended the most recent three 2004, 2006 and 2008; each more successful than the last, as the crowds grow for this wonderful village fête magnifique.

DO COME IF YOU CAN

From Near or Far

(hallo Maxim in St. Petersburg!)

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Polychromy+Tuffeau

2010-06-12T13:28:00.005+01:00

The town of Richelieu is built of the staple materials of the 17th century in Touraine; chalky fieldstone rubble, tuffeau - a very soft whitish limestone, barely more than compacted chalk - and various pierres dures - hardstones - for use in locations where tuffeau's water absorbtion is a problem. This problem is mainly in foundation work and the first couple of courses above ground level, as can be seen in a change of stone work at low level on all but the humblest constructions. With slate or tile roof on a oak or chestnut timber charpente, this forms the materials palette of the provincial 17th century.

However (and obviously) the town lived through the aesthetics of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries too, and some of their favourite styles can be found in adaptations to older buildings. Here, in the dappled light of a hazel nut tree, is a typical piece of 19th century polychromy. Tuffeau blocks interchanged with five red-brick courses, all embedded in a much older rendered rubble wall of a rear extension building.

Often the results of this stylistic mélange seem very pretty.....

It may be a motif that is more eighteenth century than nineteenth, as one can see the idea illustrated at the fantasy farm created for Marie-Antoinette at Versailles in the 1780s.

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