The Amboise Clock Tower

Who could possibly resist the charm of the beautiful old Clock Tower? It never fails to work its magic. Small wonder so many famous artists have painted it. It has two square storeys and a hexagonal bell tower. Pretty mullioned windows light the floors which are accessed by a circular staircase adjoining the tower.

Clock Tower, Amboise, James Abbott McNeill Whistler

It’s not the oldest building in town. That accolade goes to the Château. Foulque Nerra aka Fulk the Red, whose strange name pops up all over the Loire Valley, inherited it in 987 so it was already a building of some substance.

Château Royal d'Amboise

The Château, beats, in age, the present church of St Denis (1107) although it is on the site of an oratory built by Saint-Martin, bishop of Tours, in the 4th century.

In the 1300s, the building now known as The Clock Tower was the City Gate guarding the town. It’s not known when the Gate was removed but the remains of it are, so it is said, still in the cellar of the Tower.

When a flour mill was built and powered by the river Amasse, it became known as The Mill Gate. The mill was here until as late as 1800. The gate was also known as The Alms Gate. This is where the poor received charity.

The Belfry

The Tower was built above the Gate in the 1460s during the reign of mover and shaker Louis XI. His son, Charles VIII, installed a bell in 1495 after which The City/Mill/Alms Gate became known as The Belfry. The bell chimes on the hour and half hour just after the bell of St. Denis at the other end of rue Nationale.

The niche under the arch held a mediaeval statue (1300s). ‘Our Lady of the Belfry’ is now in the town museum.

It was replaced by a copy, ‘Virgin and Child’, by the sculptor Claude Demay. Exposed to the elements, the colours faded, and it is now protected behind glass.

The famous, much loved landmark, received its present name, The Clock Tower, in 1500 when a clock was installed.

Post by Pamela, photography by Mark.