La Riche is a city of Indre-et-Loire, in the Center-Val de Loire region, west of Tours which it is bordering.
Located on the left bank of the Loire, the town was first a suburb dependent on the church Notre-Dame-la-Riche, on the western part of the territory of Tours. But the suburb was separated from its parish in the 17th century during the construction of fortifications.
Officially named La Riche after the Revolution, the locality with quality lands was devoted first to the cultivation of cereals and hemp then to market gardening.
Already having more than 2000 inhabitants in the early twentieth century, La Riche lists 4000 to the Liberation and its urbanization continues in the 1970s and 1980s, taking advantage of the boom in the agglomeration Touraine. Today there are nearly 10,500 inhabitants. Endowed with zones of activities, the city has preserved an important historical inheritance related to the royal past of Tours.
With its cultural dynamism, this makes La Riche a must for anyone visiting the Loire Valley.
La Riche preserves from its glorious past a number of heritage sites that are worth visiting over a course that can start with the old castle of Plessis-lès-Tours. It was first the seat of the lordship of Plessis. King Louis XI redeemed and remodeled the building from 1468. He made one of his new homes and was fond of staying there. It is also in this castle that he died in 1483. His successors also liked to frequent the castle, embellishing it over the decades before the place was abandoned in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It was even very damaged during the Revolution. All that remains now is the southern part of the old king's dwelling, made of bricks and stones. The building now houses a theatrical company.
See next, the priory of Saint-Cosme, founded in the eleventh century. The site is reputed to have been the home of the poet Pierre de Ronsard who was the prior of 1565 to his death in 1585. He composed many of his works. Ronsard's home can be visited, such as his office and the refectory of the monks (12th), with contemporary stained glass windows signed Zao Wou-Ki, and the remains of the former priory church. We will also linger in the French garden where hundreds of varieties of roses and irises seem to bloom the grave of the poet. Concerts walks and exhibitions are regularly organized. Open all year. Price: 4.50 and 6 euros. Information on +33 2 47 37 32 70.
The visit of the city can continue by the convent of Minimes founded in 1489 by Saint-François de Paule, called in Touraine by King Louis XI a year before his death.
The church and the buildings have now disappeared. There remains only a main building of the eighteenth century. However, in 1877, a chapel was built unfinished above the tomb of St. Francis, which became a place of pilgrimage. The buildings are visible from the outside.
To see again, the house of Rabaterie, also called "House Daim" in reference to a councilor of Louis XI. However, the visible building on rue Saint-François seems to date from the 16th century.
At the level of the hamlet called Pavillons, the agricultural Mansion also worth a look, consisting of a square building around a central tower and with two wings (seventeenth). The chapel retains vestiges of mural frescoes.
Finally, the city's heritage includes the Sainte-Anne church, built in neo-Gothic style in 1856. Note the bell tower porch and inside, there are several paintings evoking the life of St. Francis de Paule and an altarpiece of the seventeenth century.
In addition to the garden of the priory of Saint-Cosme and the garden adjoining the old castle of Plessis, many squares and gardens line the city of La Riche. Such as the square Marcel Pagnol with its bandstand or the square Estarreja.
We will not forget the banks of the Loire.
For hiking or mountain biking including all or part of the territory and its emblematic sites, documentation and information on +33 2 47 70 37 37.
On the cultural level again, many art or history exhibitions are programmed at the media library (information +33 2 47 76 60 80) and the Salle de la Pléiade, for its part, program throughout the year concerts and quality shows (information +33 2 47 38 31 30).
On the sporting level, the O square has swimming pools and many recreational facilities, including outdoors in summer. Admission: 1.90 and 3.90 euros. Information on +33 2 47 35 56 20.
For tennis fans, join the local club on +33 2 47 35 93 14.
In January, La Riche hosts some of the shows scheduled as part of the festival Tourangeau Ecoute-Voir, dedicated to contemporary creation.
On the third weekend of March, the WET festival is dedicated to young theatrical talents.
At the end of March, the festival Bruissement d'Elles specifically offers shows and concerts highlighting female artists.
The first weekend of June, La Riche hosts some concerts of the Rencontres de musique actuelle organized by the agglomeration of Tours.
The third weekend of June, Routes Bis offers street arts shows throughout the city (theater, music, circus).
In mid-June, the Tours d'Horizons dance festival stops at La Riche (dance shows).
Late September and early October, urban dance meetings.
Finally, on Wednesday and Saturday morning, Place Sainte-Anne, the rich soil of the Touraine region that was once called the Garden of France is in the spotlight on the market.
