***
Wednesday, 16 March 2016
Friday, 4 March 2016
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Myriam soldiers on....
There seem to be signs of life at the Fossé Saint Ange. Everybody was upset when stormy weather set in domestically; everyone regretting the anticipated loss of a favourite restaurant which always seemed to demonstrate the best qualities of the ville idéale to its cultural visitors.
(...although it was sometimes hard to get a booking...)
Myriam needs our support and patronage, even if these new open days are only
'the last days of pompeii'!
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| Myriam tucks in... |
***
the place du Marché Richelieu in February 2016
 |
| a view looking north-east |
One of the nice things about gridded 17th century neo-classical towns is that they are often actually perceived in the diagonal. Then the forms suddenly are seen in diagonal perspective and orthogonally-aligned buildings fill unexpected vistas; in this case, one of the rear pavilions of the halle fits between the standardised slate roofs of the other pavilions and an hôtel particulier.
One of the characteristics of 17th century French buildings is that each rectangular block of the building's plan has its own 'pyramidal' capping roof - they were not generally linked together until a later 18th century became more exuberant and adventurous in their roof-scape design and engineering.
***
Sunday, 14 February 2016
What is the collective noun for 'picnic tables'?
…maybe a picnic in the parc de Richelieu with your true-love?…
…is there a table free?…
14 February 2016
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| Table No.1 |
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| Table No.2 |
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| Tables Nos. 3 & 4 |
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| Table No. 5 |
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| Table No.6 |
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| Table No.7 |
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| Table No.8 |
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| Tables No. 9 & 10 |
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| Table No.11 |
***
Thursday, 11 February 2016
The phantom cardinal-duc
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| …a huge spooky and shadowy figure appeared... |
Le Chasteau de Richelieu
or
L'Histoire des Dieux et des Heros de l'Antiquité,
avec des Réfléxions morales.
par Mr. Benjamin Vignier - à Saumur
chez Henri Desbordes, imprimeur
& Marchand Librairie
1681
avec privilege du Roy
Benjamin Vignier was the steward in charge of the Château de Richelieu shortly after the cardinal duc's lifetime. He left this detailed description of the palace in 1681, presumably in the lifetime of the second duke. It is the principal written text describing the magnificent building at its apogee and detailing the artistic treasures that it contained, in particular the painting, the statues and busts of Roman antiquities.
click here below
Richelieu in Love
or
The Youth of Charles 1
click here below
***
Monday, 1 February 2016
The façade of the old opticians on the Grande Rue in grand ru-in
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| Gone bust - now rebuilt pretty sign, isn't it! |
***
Thursday, 28 January 2016
Alexandre Dumas père - b.2 July 1802 - d.5 Dec 1870
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| d'Artagnon and his three chums…. |
Alexandre Dumas is the author whose book 'The Three Musketeers' subverts the reputation of the historical cardinal-duc de Richelieu. Dumas' famous fizzing narrative needs a pantomime villain to serve the story and the cardinal-duc's portrayal fits right into this purpose. And so popular is the book that few consider if his machiavellian and cynical portrayal was really deserved. Another picture emerges if one reads any balanced historical text: the real Richelieu was machiavellian sometimes, but on other occasions quite visionary for his time and the turbulent context of the early 17th century.
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| Alexandre Dumas in 1855 author of The Three Musketeers |
Dumas has, of course, done a great favour to the little town of Richelieu, even if he links its creation the that 'literary stinker', the devious Armand-Jean du Plessis.
Better some publicity and reputation than none!
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| The Dumas memorial by Gustave Doré |
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| d'Artagnan in a Van Dyke pose... limbs akimbo, 'to occupy space' |
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| A first edition of Les Trois Mousquetaires of 1844 at auction |
***
Saturday, 16 January 2016
The proposed 'green route' between Chinon and Richelieu
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| Chinon castle across the Vienne river |
The existing but derelict railway line that connects the cité ideale of Richelieu and the historic Plantagenet fortress town of Chinon - home castle of Henry II and Richard Coeur-de-Lion, both kings of England - will soon be converted to a 'green route' for cyclists and pedestrians. It runs along the picturesque valley of the river Veude and later upstream, the little river Mable.
Voie verte Richelieu-Chinon : c'est parti !
Voie verte Richelieu-Chinon : c'est parti !
Posted by Office de Tourisme du Pays de Richelieu on Saturday, 16 January 2016
Above a link to a video taken by drones that show the path of the new connection.
Friday, 15 January 2016
The cartouche by Tassin on a 28" square wall panel
While the Abbé Henri-Armand Proust lies in winter cold in the cemetery outside the walls of the cité idéale, he seems nonetheless to be keeping abreast with the latest in information technology and home decor.
He scanned his new copy of the Tassin plan of the town (engraved in 1630) in high definition (1200 pixels/inch) and used Photoshop to clean up around the cartouche. The original cartouche graphic itself is only about two inches square.
Then he made a dense jpg file. He then sent this off to a company who can print digital files onto canvas and mount the result on timber stretchers. They did a grand job!
Here below the rather elegant results.
Do any of his parishoners want a similar panel for themselves? - the Abbé can easily order more - maybe in support of the Fonds de Dotation and the imminent restoration of the so-called Tour Sainte Anne….
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| the canvas wall panel |
***
Tuesday, 12 January 2016
The old works, place Louis XIII - 3 - January 2016
This project has now been almost completed on the exterior and now makes an enormous change to the feel of the place Louis XIII, originally the cattle market of the town, located behind the market hall, La Halle.
The square itself has been recently re-landscaped - all pleached lime trees and box hedges - with a refurbished fountain in the centre.
The four flanking ranges of elevations to the square are being steadily smartened up and restored, so this individual project makes an enormous difference. Unusually Bâtiments de France have permitted the restoration of a 19th century building - some sort of engineering works - admitting the 'rich palimsest' approach to the architectural history of the little town.
Someone* should now take on the restoration of the masonry of the neighbouring 'fausse porte' that acts as a scruffy interlude between to two recently restored buildings. The good Abbé understands that formerly the town's dog pound was located behind the locked central doors. Today there is a boxy sub-station hidden there behind.
It would be nice to allow curious visitors to go through to the banks of the Mable Canal, but statutory infrastructure is notoriously hard to get moved.
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| the new windows installed |
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| a general view of the project |
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| adjacent to the mannerist 1632 fausse porte |
* the Fonds de Dotation perhaps
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| fit-out approaches... looking to the canal of the Mable behind |
***
Monday, 11 January 2016
The 'tobacco barn (?)' rebuild - 3 - January 2016
Someone said that the new building replaces a former burnt-out timber tobacco barn that stood on the site. So, for once, Bâtiments de France has accepted a post-17th-century non-masonry replacement, although I understand that the new owner was obliged to keep the same geometric form as the old utility building. Timber tobacco barn translates to a 21st century 'green structure', unique within the walls.
We hope the river Mable doesn't overflow its banks too soon, as in 2014.
We hope the river Mable doesn't overflow its banks too soon, as in 2014.
The project advances. Click HERE for other posts of the works to this site.
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| looking north-east up the rue des Gaultiers |
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| street façade |
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| interior framework - softwood and plywood panels and oak free structure |
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| looking across the road from inside - a display of the new ochre colours |
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| a junction of materials |
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| the cheminée of the former neighbour to the North |
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