LOIRE VALLEY: CHATEAU D’ANGERS AND APOCALYPSE TAPESTRY

CHÂTEAU D’ ANGERS

Located in the city of Angers, the Château d'Angers is on a rocky ledge above the Maine River, in a site that has been occupied since prehistoric times because of its strategic location. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the Dukes of Anjou held court in Angers. They were enlightened princes and patrons of the arts and architecture, and their château suggests just how refined court life was. Today, owned by the City of Angers, the massive, austere castle has been converted into a museum housing the most priceless medieval tapestry in the world, the 14th-century "Apocalypse Tapestry." 

Château d'Angers towers

Château d'Angers gardens

Château d'Angers gardens as seen from above

Towers the length of the Château d'Angers
Punctuated by 17 towers, the massive medieval fortifications stretch for almost 500 meters.

Château d'Angers drawbridge

ORIGAMI MENAGERIE OF JEAN-CLAUDE MOURÉ DIT RÉMOU

The giant sculptures of the artist Jean-Claude Mouré dit Rémou recall the incredible menagerie of King René, which contained both domestic and exotic animals in the 15th century. A self-taught sculptor of painted steel in the manner of origami sculpture, Rémou came to sculpture late, at the age of 53.  This exhibit in the garden of the Château d’Angers took place from June 7 - September 30, 2019.

Rémou origami sculptures in a manicured garden of the château

Rémou panther, pig, horse & bird origami sculptures

Rémou horse, bird & rooster origami sculptures 

Rémou origami animal sculptures

Rémou pig, chicken, bird, mouse & rooster origami sculptures

Rémou bird, pig & reindeer origami sculptures

Rémou ostrich origami sculpture

Rémou elephant origami sculpture

WITHIN THE  PERIMETER OF THE CHÂTEAU D'ANGERS

Royal Lodge

Chapel and steps down to a formal garden
 The chapel was added to house a fragment of the cross of the crucifixion.

Coats of Arms of the House of Anjou

Sign post indicating the way to the tapestries

Formal Garden

Formal Garden 

Chamrai, a shipmate from Thailand on the Loire Princesse cruise

Portal overlooking the Maine River

THE APOCALYPSE TAPESTRY

One of the main reasons I came to the Loire Valley was to see this tapestry. It is epic--328 feet long (longer than a football field !!!) by 14 ½ feet high. It was commissioned by the Duke of Anjou and produced between 1377 and 1382.  It depicts the story of the Apocalypse from the Book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, written by Saint John the Apostle. 

When John wrote the book, he was imprisoned as a result of anti-Christian persecution during the Roman Empire. He received an apocalyptic vision from an angel and was instructed to write the things he had seen. The Apocalypse reveals the complete and final destruction of the world. The purpose of the book was to give encouragement to Christians to await the return of  Christ and also to warn sinners/nonbelievers of the fate they would endure on Final Judgment Day.

John wrote what he saw in an Apocalyptic vision he received from an angel. Thus, the scenes of the tapestries are allegorical and bear a lot of interpretation in the context of the Christian religion. (Actually, theologians don’t always agree on symbolism in the tapestries.) They tell the story of the final fate of the world and mankind, the reign of the Antichrist on earth, the second coming of Christ, his victory over the Antichrist, and the final judgment. 

Note: I apologize in advance for the quality of my pics. They are imperfect, but you can still get the idea of how esoteric and remarkable the tapestries are.   

Wall of tapestries 

Set aside and forgotten for generations, the tapestry was then restored in the 19th century and is now on display at the Château d'Angers. 

Wall of Tapestries 

The tapestry was designed by Hennequin de Bruges, the foremost painter of the Bruges School, who lived in France as court painter for King Charles V (1364-1380). 

Important Figure Seated under a Canopy

This is a “reader,” who opens each series of revelations.

The prophesy of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse describes a period of time when a quarter of the population of the earth would be killed by a combination of wars, famine, disease and death. The White Horse represents conquest, the Red Horse is war, the Black Horse is famine, and the Pale Horse is death.

The Victor Riding a White Horse

The scene represents the victory of God’s Word, the crown on the victor’s head personifying the triumph of the Gospel and the Church. The angel extends his protection to  both horseman and horse.

 Black Horse of the Apocalypse

The Black Horse Of The Apocalypse refers to a severe famine, unlike anything seen 

before in the history of the world.

The Host of the Elect 

God is seated on a throne carrying the saintly lamb with his right arm. He receives the adoration of the Elect, the good of all nations and tongues: priests, bondmen, merchants and free men.

Angel bearing censer

The smoke of the incense ascends before God out of the angel’s hand.

The first six trumpets are used to serve as a wake up call to the sinners on Earth and a call to repentance. Each trumpet blast brings with it a plague of a more disastrous nature than the one before it. The trumpet is used to build anticipation and tells the reader that an alert, announcement, or warning is about to take place. The seventh trumpet does not bring a plague with it. Rather, it is sounded so that glory is given to God and His kingdom is announced.

Second Trumpet: The Shipwreck

The ships are sinking, a mast lies broken. The skies pour forth a river of fire.

Third Trumpet: Wormwood

A mighty angel announces the catastrophic event by blowing his horn; a stream of blood--  the star called wormwood--pours from the sky, and water, which is vital for mankind, is contaminated at its very source.

Angel with the Book 

The mighty angel who instructed John was Christ.  He places His feet on the sea and the land, signifying His universal rule and that what He is about to proclaim has worldwide significance. He shouts with the roar of a lion. A lion’s roar symbolizes God’s voice. John is not allowed to write down what the thunders have said. There are things concerning the future that God has not revealed to us through John.

Important Figure under canopy

A reader opens another series of revelations.

Adoration of Dragon  and Adoration of the Beast (bottom 2 panels)

The Dragon symbolized the old pagan Roman Empire. The dragon was originally a symbol of a monarch. In Revelation it means the persecuting monarchy of Rome.

Adoration of the Beast

“And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads. And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it, the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority.” The beast represents powerful paganism, the Antichrist that persecutes the church. Satan gives it the scepter of royalty and thereby the mission to fight the faithful.

God’s Wrath Overflows

God’s wrath is usually contained in a bowl, but there are so many iniquities and so many evils on earth that his wrath overflows and a river of blood pours forth. 

Seven Last Plagues and the Harps of God

“I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues-last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.”

Great Whore on Waters

The “woman clothed with the sun” is the pure and faithful church. The Great Harlot is the false, faithless, apostate church. The church is often symbolized by a bride, or a woman bearing children. A pure woman represents a faithful church; an adulterous woman, “a harlot,” a false, apostate church.

Word of God Attacks Beasts

The armies of God attack the AntiChrist. Christ holds in his hand the sword of faith. This scene exalts divine victory: the triumph of God’s word over the Devil.

Final Wall of Tapestries

Measuring New Jerusalem

At the end of the book of Revelation we will see the city called New Jerusalem, representing the people of God, being measured. “And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.” (1400 miles)

River Flowing from God’s Throne

God and the Lamb appear in their glory in a mandorla. (almond-shaped frame). From their throne flows a crystal pure river watering hills on which grow flowers and trees bearing many fruit. This is a vision of an earthly paradise before the fall of Adam and Eve.

At first, the tapestry was hung in the cathedral of Angers on major festival days, but during the French Revolution, the tapestry was cut into pieces for its protection and given to different people. After the Revolution, a Canon of the cathedral gathered the pieces back, and the tapestry was restored between 1843 and 1870. It is the oldest French medieval tapestry to have survived, and "one of the great artistic interpretations of the revelation of Saint John, and one of the masterpieces of French cultural heritage." (Historian Jean Mesqui)