University of Virginia Library

43. From Paris to Orléans and Tours.

Chemin de Fer d'Orléans. Express to Orléans in 2½, ordinary trains
in 4¼ hrs. (fares 13 fr. 55, 10 fr. 15, 7 fr. 45 c.); to Tours in 4½—9¾ hrs.
(fares 26 fr. 20, 19 fr. 65, 14 fr. 40 c.). Station in the Boulevard de l'Hôpital,
comp. p. 24.

The line ascends the l. bank of the Seine, which is occasionally
visible on the l. On the r. Jvry, a manufacturing place
with 12,000 inhab. Stat. Athis-Mons lies at the confluence of
the Orge and the Seine.

From stat. Juvisy a branch-line diverges to the l., following
the course of the Seine, to the small manufacturing town of
Corbeil and Maisse.

The animated valley of the Orge is now traversed. After
crossing the river, the train commands an extensive view to
the r. The ruined castle of Montlhéry, with its lofty tower
(98 ft.), is a conspicuous object in the landscape. It was once
a place of great strength and was often unsuccessfully besieged

before it came into the possession of the French kings. A battle
took place here in 1465 between Louis and Charles the Bold,
the leader of the French nobility (the "Ligue du bien public"),
which although indecisive compelled the king to make concessions.
The castle was destroyed in the wars of the Huguenots.

At Bretigny a line diverges to the r. to Dourdan, Chateaudun
and Vendôme (110 M. from Paris), which will be prolonged to
Tours and will then be the most direct route between Paris
and Tours.

Stat. Chamarande possesses a château, erected by Mansard in
the 17th cent. To the r. of stat. Etrechy the huge, ruined tower
of Guinette becomes visible. It appertained to the citadel of the
ancient town and rises immediately to the r. above the station.

Etampes (Grand Courrier; Bois de Vincennes), with 10,000 inhab.,
consists of a long street with many architecturally interesting
buildings. The cathedral of Notre-Dame, in the round-arch and
pointed style combined, possesses a very graceful tower. St. Martin
was erected in the first half of the 12th cent.; the foundations
of the tower (15th cent.) have settled, so that it is considerably
out of the perpendicular. St. Gilles, the Hôtel de Ville and several
other old buildings deserve inspection.

Beyond Etampes the line ascends rapidly (1:125). The
district is monotonous and uninteresting, but becomes more
attractive as the vine-clad valley of the Loire is approached.

Stat. Les Aubrais. Those who arrive by express here, change
carriages in order to be conveyed to the town, 1 M. distant, the
station of which is entered by the ordinary trains only.

Orléans. *Hôtel d'Orléans, Rue Bannier 118, R. 2, B. 1, D. 3½,
A. ½ fr. Hôtel Lorret and Trois Empereurs, Rue Bannier 18.
Hôtel Boule d'Or. Near the station the Hôtel St Aignan, much
frequented. — Café Foy, Rue Bannier. — Bookseller A. Gatineau,
corner of the Rue Royale and the Rue Jeanne d'Arc. — Omnibus 30,
with luggage 60 c. — Voiture 1½ fr. per course, 2 fr. per hour.

Orléans, the ancient Aurelianum, founded by the emperor
M. Aurelius (according to others by Aurelian) on the site of
Genabum which was destroyed by Cæsar B. C. 52, lies on the
r. bank of the Loire. It is the capital of the Department of the
Loiret, with a population of 50,798. Its situation formerly rendered
it a place of great military importance. It is now a quiet town,
the ancient monuments of which have gradually given way to
modern improvements. Its prosperity was materially injured by
the revocation of the Edict of Nantes. A handsome bridge connects
the town with the suburb St. Marceau. From the bridge
the principal street, the Rue Royale, leads to the Place du Martroy
with the statue (see below) and is prolonged by the Rue Bannier
to the Boulevards near the railway station. Below the Place the
broad Rue Jeanne d'Arc diverges to the cathedral towards the E.

ORLEANS

The *Equestrian Statue of Joan of Arc, by Foyatier, was erected
by the town in 1855, "avec le concours de la France entière".
The statue is 13 ft., the granite pedestal 14 ft. in height. The
intention of the artist was to represent the Maid in the attitude
of returning thanks to God for a victory, but the execution is
somewhat unsatisfactory. The reliefs on the pedestal represent
the principal events in the life of the heroine, beginning at the
back on the l.: 1. Joan (born at the village of Domremy in 1412)
with her flock summoned by saints to the succour of her distressed
countrymen; 2. Her departure from Vaucouleurs; 3. Interview
at Chinon with Charles VII., whom she convinces of her divine
mission; 4. Entrance into the besieged town of Orleans, Apr. 29,
1429: "Messire m'a envoyé pour secourir la bonne ville d'Orléans":
5 (to the l. above) Capture on May 7th of Tourelles, the têtede-pont
on the l. bank of the Loire, in consequence of which
the siege was raised (the Maid was wounded on this occasion);
6. (to the r. above) Coronation of Charles VII. at Rheims, July 17th;
7. Joan wounded in the attack on Paris; 8. Her capture at Compiègne
in 1430 (comp. p. 245); 9. Her captivity at Rouen;
10. Her death (p. 218).

The Cathedral, partially destroyed by the Huguenots in 1468
was gradually restored in the 17th cent. The principal façade with its
two truncated towers (268 ft. in height), was completed in 1766,
the towers themselves in 1829. The vast dimensions of the
exterior, as well as of the interior with its nave and double
aisles, produce an imposing effect. The chapels of the choir are
a fine specimen of late Gothic of the 14th cent.; the stained
glass is modern.

On a marble basement adjacent to the cathedral rises the
bronze statue of Robert Joseph Pothier, the eminent jurist (d. 1762),
erected in 1859.

In the same Place is situated the *Hôtel de Ville, erected in
the florid Renaissance style in 1530, restored in 1850—54. The
Caryatides at the side-entrances are attributed to Jean Goujon.
The interior (concierge 1 fr.) deserves inspection, especially the
Salle des Mariages and the Salle des Conférences with fine
wainscoting and chimney-piece. One of the rooms contains a
cast of a beautiful statuette of Joan of Arc on horseback, over
a mortally wounded English soldier, executed by the Princess
Mary of Orleans.

To the S. of the Rue Jeanne d'Arc is situated the old Town
Hall, erected in the 15th cent. It contains the Museum (open
to the public on Sundays and Thursdays, 12—4 o'clock, to
strangers at any time for a gratuity).

Among the pictures may be mentioned Nos. 12—15 in the first saloon,
painted for Richelien by Claude Derret of Nancy, allegorically representing

the four elements and remarkable for their quaint style; 500. Statue of
Venus, by Pradier; 496. Hebe with the eagle, by Vilain. In the room to
the r. several modern pictures and a statue of Venus by Mollknecht; on
the l. portraits. Then a room with casts and two others with sculpture,
carving etc. The upper story contains a nat. history collection which
comprises the Collection Départementale, exhibiting the Fauna of the environs.

In the immediate vicinity is the so-called *House of Diana
of Poitiers, a charming specimen of the Renaissance style, the
side towards the court particularly well preserved. It contains
the Musée Historique, a collection of local antiquities.

No. 15 Rue de Tabourg, to the E. of the Rue Royale, is the
so-called *House of Agnes Sorel (mistress of Charles VII.). No. 45
in the same street is the House of Joan of Arc, in which she
resided during her stay in the town. No. 28. Rue de la Recouvrance
is the House of Francis I. Several other ancient houses
also merit inspection.

The train from Orleans to Tours returns to Les Aubrais (p. 224).
The express trains do not enter the station of Orleans, passengers
for which by these trains change carriages. The best seats
are now on the I.

The line traverses the broad and sunny valley of the Loire,
on the N. side of the river. The district is well cultivated and
abounds in vineyards. The river is rarely visible, but ancient
towns and castles render the journey interesting.

Stat. Meung possesses a Romanesque church and a half ruined
castle peeping forth from the trees. The small and antiquated
town of Beaugency is picturesquely situated between two hills.
It is commanded by a venerable and massive square tower (10th
or 11th cent.) which adjoins the castle. Town Hall of the
16th cent. Then stat. Mer.

An excursion may be made hence to the celebrated château of Chambord
(near it the *Hôtel St. Michael), situated to the S. of the Loire. It
was founded by Francis I., but not finished till the reign of Louis XV.
The latter presented it to Marshal Saxe, who died here in 1750. It was
subsequently occupied by Stanislaus Lescinsky, the exiled king of Poland.
Napoleon presented it to Marshal Berthier, from whose widow it was
purchased by the now exiled proprietor in 1821.

Stat. Suevers, then Menars with a handsome château, once
occupied by Madame de Pompadour.

Blois (Hôtel d'Angleterre), an ancient town with 20,331 inhab.,
situated on an eminence on the Loire, over which a bridge leads
to the Faubourg Vienne, is the capital of the Department Loir-etCher.
The château, once a residence of the French kings, is rich
in historical reminiscences of Louis XII., Francis I., Henry III.,
and Catharine and Mary de Medicis. The church of St. Nicolas
is a fine Gothic structure of the 12th cent. The Cathedral or
Church of the Jesuits is by Mansard. The pleasant situation of
the town attracts frequent visitors. Omnibus in 2 hrs. to Chambord
(see above).

The line now skirts the river, the bank of which is protected
by a bulwark. Traces of the destructive inundation of 1866
are still everywhere visible. S. of the Loire, beyond stat. Onzain,
rises the handsome château of Chaumont, once the residence of
Catharine de Medicis.

Amboise (Lion d'Or), a town with 4570 inhab., possesses a
château of the 15th cent., the interior of which however was
entirely modernized by Louis Philippe, who kept Abdel Kader
in confinement here. The latter was indebted for his liberation
to the present emperor. The conspiracy of Amboise against the
Guises in 1560 terminated in a fearful massacre of the Huguenots
implicated. Leonardo da Vinci died at Amboise in 1519.

The château of Chénonceaux on the Cher, erected by Francis I.,
exterior and interior in admirable preservation, is situated 9½ M.
to the S.

Three stations in a fertile district. The train then crosses
the Loire. To the l. a number of cavities in the rocks, employed
as dwellings, are visible, a somewhat strange apparition in the
19th cent., which however is encountered in other localities in
France. Stat. Montlouis. Then over the Cher to St. Pierre des
Corps, where the express trains stop. Passengers by these trains
change carriages for Tours. The ordinary trains only go as far
as the town.

Tours. *Hôtel de l'Univers in the Boulevard, R. 4, D. 4, A.
and L. 1½ fr.; Hôtel de Bordeaux and Victoria in the Boulevard;
Hôtel de l'Europe, Rue de Paris 10; Hôtel du Faisan, Rue
Royale 9, all with similar charges and frequently occupied by families
making a prolonged stay. *Hôtel du Croissant, less pretending, a
commercial inn. — Cafés de la Ville and du Commerce in the Rue
Royale. — Omnibus with luggage 60 c. — English Church Service.

Tours, the Roman Caesarodunum, capital of the Turones, the
central point of the Department of the Indre and Loire, formerly
of the county of Touraine, with 41,061 inhab., is situated in a
fertile plain on the l. bank of the Loire. The river is crossed
by a handsome bridge of 15 arches, from which the Rue Royale,
the principal street, extends to the Boulevards, bisecting the town.

In the Place in front of the bridge stands the statue of the
celebrated philosopher René Descartes or Cartesius; on the pedestal
is inscribed the fundamental maxim of his philosophy: "Cogito,
ergo sum". At the entrance of the Rue Royale, on the r., is
situated the Hôtel de Ville, on the l. the Museum (open on Sundays
12—4 o'clock). The latter contains pictures and casts on
the first floor and on the second nat. historical and archæological
collections.

To the l. in the Rue Royale is the church of St. Julien, a
fine Gothic edifice of 1224, parts of which are of still earlier
date, restored in 1847. The interior is plain.

No. 35 Rue du Commerce (the second to the r. from the
bridge) is a handsome *Renaissance edifice of 1400, recently
restored. The same street contains several other interesting
houses, e. g. the corner-house in the Vieux Marché.

In the Rue Martin in the vicinity rise on opposite sides of
the street two towers, the Tour de St. Martin and the Tour' de
Charlemagne, which once pertained to the great cathedral of
St. Martin. From the 7th cent. downwards this church was
regarded as a most sacred shrine and was visited by vast numbers
of pilgrims, but was plundered by the Huguenots and
totally destroyed in the revolution. The corn-hall was formerly
a church of St. Clement, dating from the 16th cent.

E. of the Rue Royale stands the *Cathedral of St. Gatien.
The richly decorated principal façade, with its three lofty portals,
dates from 1510. The towers were roofed in at a later period
and consequently do not harmonize with the rest of the structure.
The interior (12th—15th cent.) is in the purest Gothic style.
The wheel-windows and those of the chapels of the choir merit
examination. The first chapel in the choir to the r. contains a
Renaissance monument to the two children of Charles VIII.,
after whose death Louis XII., of the younger branch of the
House of Valois, acceded to the throne in 1498.

In proceeding hence to the river the traveller observes in
the barracks to the r. an ancient tower, the last fragment of a
castle erected in the 12th cent. A chain-bridge (5 c.) crosses
by an island to the other side of the river, on which there is
a pleasant promenade.

Tours attracts a number of foreign residents, especially English
families, on account of the mildness of its climate.

From Tours to Angers (65½ M.) railway in 2½—3½ hrs.; fares
12 fr., 9 fr. 25, 6 fr. 50 c. The line returns at station Cinq-Mars to the r.
bank of the Loire, on which it remains. Station Saumur, with 14,079
inhabitants, is remarkable for its handsome Hôtel de Ville and numerous
windmills. Celtic antiquitics in the vicinity. Angers see p. 232.

From Tours to Le Mans (62 M.) by railway in 3 hrs.; fares 11 fr. 10,
8 fr. 30, 6 fr. 10 c.; Le Mans see p. 230.