The castle of Loches

Loaches appears in the history in the middle of the 5th century with the construction of a church in the "vicus" (village) of "Luccas" by the Bishop Eustace de Tours. These facts are reported by the Bishop Gregoire, one of his successors, in his "History of the Franks". In 742, the Mayors of the Palate, Carloman and Pépin (future king of the Franks from 751 to 768 and knew under the name of Pépin the Brief) fought battle against Humbold, Duke of Aquitanian and seized Loches. "Luccas" from now on was indicated by the term of "castrum" (castle).The ceaseless quarrels which opposed the counts of Blois to the counts of Anjou from the very start of Xth century, were at the origin of the rise of the castle of Loches which played from now on a dominating part in this fight of being able. The angevin Geoffroi Grisegonelle rebuilds a new church at the end of Xth century, while his son the turbulent Baron Foulques III Nerra (987-1040) made build between the 1013 and 1035 enormous quadrangular keep always visible nowadays. This keep formed part of a network of fortifications encircling the town of Tours, object of all his covetousnesses. It is his son, Geoffroi II Martel (1040-1060), which carried out in the long term opens it paternal: Touraine became angevine in 1044.