Paris1972-Versailles2003

We have come quite often to Nantes, a City that needs to be visited more by all. A wonderful historical city with many monuments to see, many wonderful properties. I was again on my local road warrior mode and as bit not back, decided to give it a refresher to this must to visit City of Nantes, Loire-Atlantique dept 44 of the Pays de la Loire region,in my belle France ; even if old Bretagne! Do read my previous posts on the city as well, For now let me tell about the Cours Saint Pierre et Saint André of Nantes !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Cours Saint-Pierre et Saint-André are public walks and were, in the 18C, the first spaces of this type arranged in Nantes, on ancient waves then located outside the walls of the city, The two promenades, Saint-Pierre and Saint-André, are built in a row and overhang, separated between them by Place Maréchal-Foch. They draw a vast perspective planted on both sides of trees between the Quai Ceineray overlooking the Erdre and the place Duchess-Anne formerly bordered by an arm of the Loire of which only the canal Saint Félix remain today. The Cours Saint-André owes its name to a chapel, founded in the 5C, which was located in the current rue Prefet-Bonnefoy. The Cours Saint-Pierre takes up the first term in the neighboring cathedral ,which is also attributed to the square where the one last forecourt is, and to the Porte Saint-Pierre (see posts)

The Cours Saint Pierre is accessed from rue Prémion, facing Place Duchesse-Anne, by a large staircase which was embellished in 1897, with a monument to the dead dedicated to soldiers of the department fell during the war of 1870. It is bordered by the porte Saint-Pierre, the cathedral’s bedside, the manor of the psallette and the walls of the neighboring properties. The remains of the Gallo-Roman and medieval walls of the City, also visible on this part of the promenade. It is long by Rue Henri-IV located in elevation to which you access by stairs. It is bordered by Palce Maréchal-Foch square. The Cours Saint André is bordered by the Place Maréchal-Foch square. It is bordered by rue Sully, while it runs along rue Tournefort. These two arteries, located in elevation, are linked to the cours by stairs. The cours Saint André ends with a parapet on quai Ceineray, On the retaining wall below it, another war memorial dedicated to the victims of the Great War or WWI was erected in the form of a list of names of 5,832 Nantes soldiers who died during the conflict.

A bit of history I like tell us that in 1590, the Duke of Mercœur, as part of a vast reshuffle of the city enclosure, built the Saint-André bastion, north of the courtyards, near the Grosse Tour or big tower on the edge of the Erdre river. At the same time, the Duchess, Marie de Luxembourg had an esplanade for entertainment arrange in 1711, A flood of the Loire river damaged the land south of Motte Saint-Pierre ; earthworks were then carried out in 1713, and the mayor of Nantes in 1720, carried out an ambitious urban planning policy. Among its projects is the promenade of Motte Saint-Pierre it is leveled, covered with sand, planted with elmals and closed by a wall. The inauguration was in 1726 ; then on August 4, 1761, an alignment of the cours North and South and the creation of the Place d’Armes (current place Maréchal-Foch), after destruction of the ramparts. The project is approved by the Duke of Aiguillon, then governor of Brittany, on December 9, 1763, and will be applied with some modifications. The cours is planted with a double row of elms and lime trees, and ends in terraces which lead to the Loire and the Erdre river by stairs. The first building built along the Cours Saint-Pierre is the Maison Minée in 1768, and along the Cours Saint-André is the Maison du Chapitus, in 1769. The whole was first baptized “Etats” or states in references In the States of Brittany then, during the French revolution, there is a distinction between the two cours: that of the Cours Saint-Pierre becomes “Cours de la Liberté”, while that of the Cours Saint-André was called “Cours de la federation”, Mathurin Crucy,(architect) decides to have in the cours, four statues of emblematic figures in the history of Brittany and France, set up, at the two ends of the cours. They represented Bertrand du Guesclin and Olivier de Clisson, executed in 1820 and installed in the Cours Saint-André , as well as Arthur III of Brittany and Anne of Brittany, produced in 1822 and installed in the Cours Saint-Pierre, They were replaced, In 1900, on both sides of the monument commemorating the victims of the war of 1870, In 1998, on the occasion of the Football World Cup in France, the Cours Saint-André was transformed a “Copacabana beach”, and the Cours Saint-Pierre hosted one of the two giant screens of the city to follow the matches broadcast live. The development of an underground car park, completed in 2006, under the Cours Saint-André , removed the surface car parks which had been set up during the previous decades. The cours Saint Pierre et Saint André, thus found their original condition. They are now planted with chestnut trees and oaks. Nowadays, each year, the spring fair is only held on the Cours Saint-Pierre , while the September fair occupies the two cours.

No specific webpages for them, so text is from brochures, book on Nantes, and the bit of heritage sites of Nantes. It is a pleasant walk and rest area to marvel in the beauty of the city indeed!

The Heritage site of the city of Nantes on its heritage : https://patrimonia.nantes.fr/home/decouvrir/les-parcours-du-patrimoine.html

The Loire Atlantique dept 44 Tourist office on Nantes:  https://www.atlantic-loire-valley.com/cities-and-urban-tourism/24-hours-in-nantes

There you go folks, do visit Nantes,and its wonderful monuments.  A must to visit while in the city ; see the Cours Saint Pierre et Saint André of Nantes !!! Again, hope you enjoy this post as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!