Ok so I finally came to Richelieu, the town of the Cardinal of France! This is a small but amazing town that needs to be seen; in my road warrior trips always by passed it until now. There will be other posts, and I start with the curiosities of Richelieu. Hope you enjoy it as I.
The town of Richelieu is located in the department of Indre-et-Loire no 37, in the Centre-Val de Loire region. On the borders of Touraine, Anjou and Poitou, the city now borders the department of Vienne no 86 and the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region. Richelieu is located south of Chinon, west of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine (see post) in the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Regional Natural Park. In addition, the city of Richelieu belongs to the canton of Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, which takes place within the district Chinonnais, in the department of Indre-et-Loire,no 37 in the Centre-Val de Loire region,
Above is place des religieuses and our parking!
The new town built between 1631 and 1642, bears the mark of its founder and sponsor, Cardinal Richelieu, and is a remarkable testimony to 17C town planning. It is based on a checkerboard plan on the model of Roman towns. or medieval bastides. It revolves around two squares, Place Royale and Place du Cardinal, and is surrounded by ramparts and monumental gates.
To start the posts i will throw in the bit of history I like here:
Le Plessis-Richelieu was first a stronghold of the Clérambault family , an important family of the Poitevin / Angevin nobility who notably owned Beçay and others. In the 15C, Perrine de Clérambault had married Geoffroi du Plessis: they are direct ancestors of Cardinal de Richelieu, and Beçay and Le Plessis-Richelieu were given in December 1488 by Louis de Clérambault to his cousin François Ier du Plessis, eldest son of Geoffroi du Plessis and Perrine de Clairambault, and great-grandfather of the cardinal. As for the du Plessis, their cradle was at Plessis in Angles and Neons and others etc.
The founding of the town of Richelieu took place during the 17C, seems to result from a “creation ex nihilo” ,The construction of the complex took place from 1631 to 1642, date of the death of the cardinal, The city, organized on a Hippodamian plan, represents a rectangular surface 700 meters long by 500 meters wide. Surrounded by walls and moats, it is accessible by three monumental doors, a fourth, artificial, is built to respect the symmetry of the whole. In order to ensure its rapid settlement, the cardinal exempts the town from taxes. In return, the purchasers of building plots transferred free of charge undertake to build there within two years a “pavilion” or a house according to the “plans and estimates filed with the registry” of the city, while being obliged to take as contractor the one of the two chosen by the cardinal ,On the death of the cardinal in 1642, the town was deserted for a time.
Other things to see in Richelieu are :
The City Museum is located on the first floor of the City Hall. On the site of the Palais de Justice in the 17C. It was created in 1961 and remodeled in 2011 It contains several busts, paintings (including the siege of La Rochelle…), earthenware from Moustiers that belonged to the castle and its various owners.
The enclosure and its monumental gates surround the city. Richelieu includes three real doors (Porte de Châtellerault, Porte de Loudun and Porte de Chinon) and three false doors to guarantee the symmetry and aesthetics desired by the Cardinal. The 28 mansions were reserved for nobles and friends of the Cardinal. It was he who gave them the land to build their home. A private mansion hosts an interpretation center retracing, in video format, the history of Cardinal Richelieu, of the city as well as a reconstruction of the castle. The building stands on 2 floors. During the summer season, the three rooms on the second floor are reserved for artistic and historical exhibitions. In addition, this mansion is the only one that has not been modified since its construction.
The Chapelle de la Sainte Trinité. At n° 25 of the Grande rue, you have to pass the porch to see this chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity, all in white freestone. Its door framed by Corinthian columns,opens under a semicircular arch whose archivolt is decorated , the whole surmounted by a decorated pediment. Above, a row of nine corbels all have a different sculpture: more or less animals less aggressive, two human heads, a hand that holds a chalice…
The Halles or covered market : Their construction dates back to the origins of the town in the 17C. They were modified in the 19C. A vast restoration project was carried out by the municipality in 2013. It made it possible to redo the roof, consolidate the framework, and restore the original height of the ground.
The city of Richelieu and its heritage : https://www.ville-richelieu.fr/culture-tourisme-patrimoine/un-peu-dhistoire/
The Azay Chinon Loire Valley tourist office on the museum and Center Richelieu in Richelieu : https://www.azay-chinon-valdeloire.com/en/fiches/richelieu-museum
There you go folks, a dandy beautiful place to see architecture and history of France before you intact for the most part since the 17C! Richelieu is nice, the Cardinal at least here did a good job! Hope you enjoy the tour as I
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine, is a soft goat’s cheese with a natural rind, Its best consumption period extends from April to August , Bacterial fermentation and the decomposition of plants into black manure in the earth. It also promotes the growth, in particular the specific ripening of cheeses and consequently ensures their preservation while the simple curds of goat’s milk remain so easily altered In the shape of a truncated conical log, Sainte-Maure-de-Touraine is a cheese goat cheese made with whole raw milk. Its soft paste is obtained by mainly lactic coagulation with a slight addition of rennet. Drainage is spontaneous. The cheese is salty and ashy on the surface, with superficial moulds.Sublime we eat it without moderation at home !! We got our load at the recommended Ferme Les fromages d’Angel pic with same lady who served us: webpage: 
Paris1972-Versailles2003 