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Tours-Place Plumereau and musée du Gemmail

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Introduction ad how to get there

History, part 1

History, part 2

Continuing the rue du Commerce we arrive at PLACE PLUMEREAU, the heart of the old Tours! An undulating wave of terraces between professionally restored rustic craftsmen’s houses. It's only in the second part of the 19th century that it became a "place", after the demolition of a house block and a cemetery. As well during the day as the night conviviality is the word in the surrounding small picturesque streets. Cafes offer their terraces to the strollers and it feels so relaxed to sit down and watch people go by and all the nice architecture around you. Admirably restored are the houses on the south side. On the other side, a passage leads to the peaceful jardin Saint-Pierre-du-Puellier. The garden is right on the spot of and old cloister. Just in front another gothic porch leads to another garden, jardin des Chanoines, lined with old houses. Enter the RUE DU GRAND-MARCHE, main street of old Tours. Here are most of restaurants, cafes, bars, boutiques etc...of Tours. It is pedestrian and practically totally lined with timber-framed houses. It’s the perfect area to explore and loiter in adjacent streets. Rue du Change, de la Monnaie, du Petit Soleil, de la Rotisserie, rue Paul-Louis-Courier, etc.... In one of my bibliographical sources they made the very intelligent remark that finally the changement of the historical centre of Tours into a pedestrian area had very negative effects, contrarily that would be expected. They are now invaded by a fauna of marginal and drug-addicts, a veritable fixation abscess of urban violence. We should not close our eyes for this problem and better be careful at night in this area.
Enter the RUE BRICONNET from the place Plumereau where we are now to proceed to the musee du Gemmail. Notice when you pass no.16 one of the most stunning buildings in the city called " la maison de Tristan, brick building of the 16th century and you can clearly see the Flemish architectural influence by its indented gable-end. The gothic portal is decorated with a stone girdle, the cordons around the windows and the small openings are destined to pigeons! We finally arrive at the MUSEE DU GEMMAIL, 7 rue du Murier, open Tuesday-Sunday april-half-oct 10.00 –12.00 14.00-18.30. The word “gemmail” is composed by “gemme” (brilliant) and “email” which is enamel, coloured glass where there is no lead.  The fact is that this material inspired a lot of artists, with celebrities like Picasso, Braque. Every work is unique and can not be copied.  The artists can juggle with colours, light in a festive way The visit of this museum drag you into a sort of magic: dark rooms to emphasize the luminosity of the colours. About 70 gemmaux are exposed. A marvel!
Pushing a little more south, let’s finish this very incomplete visit of Tours by the ANCIENT BASILIQUE SAINT-MARTIN.
St.Martin’s body may have been shipped with much show to Tours, its buried in a discrete sarcophagi at the Gallo-Roman cemetery where runs today the rue des Halles.  St. Brice, his follower built a small; chapel in 437 that was replaced later by a large basilica by bishop Perpetuus. The revolution made an end to all this and from the medieval basilica from the 11th to 13th century, only the tour Charlemagne and the tour de l'Horloge remain on this rue des Halles. When the grave of St.Martin was rediscovered in 1860 ion the cellar of one of the rebuilt houses, an enormous scandal broke loose! After a lot of discussions, decision was taken to that a new but small basilica would be built. This is what you see now and the crypt contains the tomb of Saint-Martin.
And for the amateurs there is an Art Nouveau building in the rue Charpentier nos.42-50, entirely covered with varnished ceramics and slightly incurved.

Bibliography

Regions Gourmandes: Les pays de la Loire, by H.Walden (Paris, ed.Hatier 1993)—Guide du Patrimoine, Centre, Val de Loire , by Perouse de Montclos (ed.Hachette 1992)—Het dal van de Loire, by A.Sperber (Brussels, ed.Harenberg 1992)—Tours et ses eglises, visites pour guides, ed.Office Tourisme Tours 1995,---Par les champs et par les greves, by G.Flaubert (1885)—Guide du Routard 1998 (ed.Hachette)—de kastelen van Frankrijk, by L.P.Boon (1956)

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