Editing Angers (section)

=== 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>