Editing Angers (section)

== Culture ==

=== Main sights ===

[[File:Maison Adam Angers.jpg|thumb|upright|The ''Maison d'Adam'' (''Adam's House'') was built around 1500]]
The [[Château d'Angers]], built on a [[schist]] promontory, dominates the river [[Maine (river)|Maine]] and the old town. Its site has been occupied since antiquity; the castle itself was built between 1230 and 1240 by [[Louis IX of France]]. The massive walls are about one kilometer long and punctuated by 17 towers; they were built with horizontal slices of [[tuff]] and [[schist]], giving it strength and an original striped look. During the 15th century, a chapel and the Châtelet were added in the courtyard.

The ''{{Interlanguage link|Maison d'Adam|fr}}'' ("Adam's House"), located behind the cathedral, is an excellent example of the half-timbered houses which were built during the [[Middle Ages]]. Many similar houses, although smaller, are also visible along the streets around the castle. The city also displays several [[Renaissance]] and [[classical architecture|classical]] [[hôtel particulier|hôtels particuliers]], the most renowned being the ''Logis Pincé'' from the 16th century. The ''Maison bleue'' ("Blue House"), built in 1927, is an [[Art Deco]] masterpiece. The former seat of the French Aviation Company ({{lang|fr|Compagnie française d'Aviation}}) was built in 1938 and abandoned during the [[Second World War]]. Totally refurbished in 2004, it is now a testimony to 1930s architecture.

The [[Angers Cathedral]] is a major landmark in the cityscape, with its two spires culminating at {{convert|75|m|sp=us}}. The construction of the current building started during the 12th century on the remains of an older sanctuary. The original structure, [[romanesque architecture|romanesque]], received gothic columns and vaults in the middle of the 12th century, giving birth to the Angevin [[gothic architecture|gothic]], a style that quickly spread in Western France and the Angevin possessions in [[Italy]]. Sculptures and architectural details were added to the façade during the 16th century. The twin spires were built in 1518 and 1523. The neighbouring ''Palais du Tau'', the former episcopal palace, dates from the 12th century.

The skyline is also marked by the ''Tour Saint-Aubin''. Completed in 1170, it was the bell-tower of an abbey closed during the [[French Revolution]] and destroyed in 1810. Elaborately sculptured 11th and 12th century arcades also survive in the courtyard of the Prefecture.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eglise Saint Aubin |url=http://catholique-angers.cef.fr/site/im_user/118couverture_20041_petit.jpg |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050111095823/http://catholique-angers.cef.fr/site/im_user/118couverture_20041_petit.jpg |archive-date=11 January 2005 |access-date=2 July 2006}}</ref> Another abbey, the ''Abbaye Toussaint'', founded during the 13th century, was also partially pulled down and only the church and parts of the cloister are still visible. On the southern limits of the commune, close to the Maine, stands the ''Couvent de la Baumette'', founded during the 15th century by [[René of Anjou]].

La Doutre, an old quarter located on the western bank of the Maine and facing the castle, contains two major medieval sites, the former ''Abbaye du Ronceray'', built during the 11th and 12th century, and the ''Hôpital Saint-Jean'', founded by [[Henry II of England]] and used as the city hospital until 1870.

<gallery class="center">
File:Chateau angers porte interieur gauche.jpg|The distinctive striped towers of the castle
File:Château angers jardin châtelet.jpg|The Châtelet in the castle
File:Maison de Simon Poisson - Angers - 20100801.jpg|House Poisson
File:Maison du Croissant, facade - Angers - 20110119.jpg|Façade of House of Croissant
File:P1020272 Angers Logis Pincé reductwk.JPG|Logis Pincé
File:La Maison Bleue - Angers - 20110119.jpg|The "Blue House"
File:Saint-Maurice cathedral, west facade. Angers, France.jpg|The cathedral
File:Angers - Nef cathédrale Saint-Maurice.jpg|Inside the cathedral
File:Palais épiscopal du Tau - Angers - 20101126.jpg|Palace of Tau
File:P1020199 Angers Tour Saint-Aubin reductwk.JPG|Tower of Saint-Aubin
File:Église abbatiale de l'abbaye du Ronceray.jpg|Abbey of Ronceray
File:Abbaye st Nicolas d'Angers.jpg|Abbey of Saint Nicholas (Mother-House of [[Good Shepherd Sisters]])
File:The bridges over Maine (view from the Angers Castle).JPG|The bridges over Maine (view from the Angers Castle)
</gallery>

=== Museums ===

[[File:Tapisserie de l'apocalypse.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Apocalypse Tapestry]]'']]
The [[Musée des Beaux-Arts d'Angers]], located in the [[Renaissance]] ''Logis Barrault'', displays a collection of paintings and sculptures dating from the 14th century to today. It is particularly renowned for its 18th-century paintings, including works by [[Jean-Baptiste Greuze]], [[Van Loo]], [[Antoine Watteau]], [[Jean-Honoré Fragonard]], and [[Jean Siméon Chardin]]. The museum also contains a graphic design studio, a gallery devoted to the history of Angers and a temporary exhibition gallery. The institution has an annexe at the château in [[Villevêque]], a village located several kilometers north of the city.

Inside the [[château d'Angers|castle]], a special gallery displays the ''[[Apocalypse Tapestry]]'', ordered by [[Louis I of Naples]] at the end of the 14th century. It is more than {{convert|140|m|sp=us}} long, the largest medieval tapestry in the world. Inspired by [[miniature (illuminated manuscript)|manuscript miniatures]], the successive scenes, designed by [[Jean Bondol]], illustrate the [[Book of Revelation|Apocalypse of St John]].

Located inside the old ''Hôpital Saint-Jean'', the ''Musée Jean-Lurçat et de la tapisserie contemporaine'' displays tapestries dating from the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum is dedicated to [[Jean Lurçat]], an artist noted for his role in the revival of contemporary tapestry, and notably exhibits his "''Chant du Monde''", a modern echo to the ''Apocalypse Tapestry'' made after the bombing of [[Hiroshima]].

The [[Muséum d'histoire naturelle d'Angers]] has been located in the 1521 Hôtel Demarie-Valentin since 1885. It exhibits a large collection of mounted animals and fossils, divided in three departments, one for [[zoology]], one for [[botany]] and the last one for [[paleontology]] and [[geology]].

The ''Logis Pincé'', constructed during the [[Renaissance]], is the home of the museum of the same name. It displays Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities as well as Chinese and Japanese artifacts.

Located in the ''Abbaye Toussaint'', the ''Galerie David d'Angers'' gathers sculptures, reliefs, and medallions by [[David d'Angers]], a 19th-century sculptor born in the city. The gallery also owns the preparatory works for the [[Panthéon, Paris|Panthéon of Paris]] pediment.

Angers also enjoys a ''Maison de l'Architecture'', which organizes various exhibitions and workshops, as well as several temporary exhibition galleries distributed in the city center. Outside the commune limits are also an aviation museum and a museum of communications.

<gallery class="center">
File:P1020234 Angers Musée des beaux-arts rwk.JPG|The Musée des Beaux-Arts
File:Genies.jpg|''Les Génies des Arts'' by [[François Boucher]], at the Musée des Beaux-Arts
File:Hanno.mahout clean.jpg|Italian drawing, 17th century, at the Musée des Beaux-Arts
File:Hopital-St-Jean-Angers (3).JPG|Musée Jean-Lurçat
File:Galerie David d'Angers (1).jpg|Galerie David d'Angers
File:David d'Angers - Profil de Charles-Artus de Bonchamps.jpg|Galerie David d'Angers
</gallery>

=== Entertainment and performing arts ===

[[File:P1320004 Angers Grand theatre rwk.jpg|thumb|The Grand Théâtre]]
The Grand Théâtre, dominating the Place du Ralliement, was first built in 1791, but destroyed by a fire in 1853. The existing building was completed in 1871 and its auditorium contains six stalls and four balconies, totalling 730 seats. The Théâtre du Quai, inaugurated in 2007, has two auditoriums: one contains 980 seats and several balconies, and the other, more flexible, can welcome 400 seated or 960 standing spectators. The Grand Théâtre and the Théâtre du Quai are the venues of three institutions, [[Angers-Nantes Opéra]], an opera company also based in [[Nantes]], the Contemporary Dance National Center (CNDC), inaugurated by [[Alwin Nikolais]] in 1978, and the Nouveau théâtre d'Angers (NTA).

The [[Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire]], shared with Nantes, usually performs at the Congress Center, built in 1983, with a capacity of 1,240 seats. Other concert halls include the ''Chabada'', the ''Amphitéa'' and the former Ursuline chapel. Local theater companies perform at Théâtre Chanzy, Théâtre du Champ de Bataille, Théâtre de la Comédie or at the Centre Jean Vilar. Each September, the city organizes a street performance festival, called the ''Accroche-Cœurs''.

The ''Chabada'', a popular concert hall, is the cradle of the Angevin contemporary scene and several groups and performers were discovered there, [[Les Thugs]], a [[punk rock|punk]] band formed in 1983, being the first ones. The local scene also includes the [[alternative rock]] group [[La Ruda]], the [[power pop]] band [[Pony Pony Run Run]], the [[world music]] band [[Lo'Jo]] and [[Titi Robin]], a performer influenced by [[Gypsy style|Gypsy]] and [[Arabic music]].

The Premiers Plans festival, dedicated to European first films and meant to help new directors meet their audience, is conducted every year and lasts one week. The films are screened in three small cinemas, while two big [[generalist channel|generalist multiplexes]] also exist in Angers.

=== Media ===

Angers had a local TV channel ''Angers 7'' which went bankrupt in 2010 and was replaced 3 years later by ''Angers Télé''. The national French channel [[France 3]], however, still presents local news in its programs. Several national radio stations, such as [[Virgin Radio (France)|Virgin Radio]], [[NRJ Radio|NRJ]] and [[Chérie FM]] maintain local antennas in Angers. The city is also the home of two local stations, ''Radio Campus'' and ''Radio G!''. ''[[Ouest-France]]'' and ''[[Le Courrier de l'Ouest]]'' are the two local newspapers, the last one having its headquarters in Angers. The city and [[Communauté urbaine Angers Loire Métropole|Angers Loire Métropole]] also edit their news bulletins.