Top Historic Sights in Angers, France
Explore the historic highlights of Angers
Cháteau de Angers
The Cháteau d'Angers is a castle founded in the 9th century by the Counts of Anjou. It was expanded to its current size in the 13th century. Originally, the castle was built as a fortress at one of the sites inhabited by the Romans because of its strategic defensive location. In the 9th century, the Bishop of Angers gave the Counts of Anjou permission to build a castle in Angers. It became part of the Angevin empire of t ...Angers Cathedral
Angers Cathedral (Cathédrale Saint-Maurice d'Angers) was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries on the orders of bishops Normand de Doué and Guillaume de Beaumont after the original building burnt down in 1032. The original Romanesque church was rebuilt with Gothic details in the mid 12th century. The single-aisle plan was vaulted with pointed arches resting on a re-clad interior elevation. The nave cons ...Maison d'Adam
Maison d'Adam, Adam's House, is the oldest house of Angers. The half-timbered building was built around the year 1500. The façade is beautifully decorated with wooden sculptures. Today the house is a home of artisans of Angers.Galerie David d'Angers
The glassed-over ruins of the 13th century abbey church of Touissant are filled with plaster casts of the work of local scupltor Pierre-Jean David (1788-1856). His idealized busts and figures were much in demand as memorials for people such as the Marquis de Bonchamps.Abbey of Saint Aubin
Largely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, Saint Aubin’s old monastic buildings are now local government offices. On the left of the courtyard, you will see through the bay windows the cloister’s beautiful Romanesque gallery with its finely worked sculptures.St. Martin's Church
The 9th-century church houses today a superb collection of religious statues dating from the 14th century.Ronceray Abbey
Situated on the northern side of the city, across the River Maine from the main old town area of the city, this delightful abbey is one of the most historic ecclesiastical buildings in the area and a fine example of Anjou architecture. The building has for many centuries served as a place of worship and religious observance. The structure has benefited from a series of overhauls in the last few hundred years, making it a ...Musée Jean Lurcát
The Gothic masterpiece was founded in 1175 by Henry II of England and it functioned as a hospital until 1875. A reconstruction of the dispensary occupies one corner of the Salle des Malades, and a chapel and 12th century cloisters can be reached through a door at the end of the gallery. Today the building houses the works of the 20th century artist Jean Lurcát and many of his vivid tapestries.Cointreau Museum
Cointreau’s history began in 1849 when Adolphe and Edouard-Jean Cointreau founded a distillery in Angers to create spirits using local fruits. This was the starting point of 150 years of success story build step by step by four generations of the Cointreau family. The Carré Cointreau, (the name of the distillery and museum) is open to the public for tours. While Cointreau is dedicated to keep their special r ...Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Historic Site of the week
Narikala Castle
Narikala is an ancient fortress overlooking Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, and the Kura River. The fortress consists of two walled sections on a steep hill between the sulphur baths and the botanical gardens of Tbilisi. On the lower court there is the recently restored St Nicholas church. Newly built in 1996–1997, it replaces the original 13th-century church that was destroyed in a fire. The new church is of 'prescribed cross' type, having doors on three sides. The internal part of the church is decorated with the frescos showing scenes both from the Bible and history of Georgia.
The fortress was established in the 4th century and it was a Persian citadel. It was considerably expanded by the Umayyads in the 7th century and later, by king David the Builder (1089–1125). Most of extant fortifications date from the 16th and 17th centuries. In 1827, parts of the fortress were damaged by an earthquake and demolished.