This stained glass window in Saint Saturnin in Blois is an invocation to the Virgin Mary when the Loire oerflowed its banks on 29th September 1866. It was thanks to the levee that Blois was spared. But the breach in Conneuil (near Montlouis-sur-Loire) flooded the entire valley between the northern slope of the Loire and the southern slope of the Cher. Click on the photo for more details.
Ce vitrail à l’église Saint-Saturnin à Blois est une invocation à Notre-Dame lors de la crue de la Loire le 29 septembre 1866. C’est grâce à la levée que Blois est épargnée. Mais une brèche se forme à Conneuil (canton de Montlouis-sur-Loire), noyant toute la vallée située entre le coteau nord de la Loire et le coteau sud du Cher. Cliquer sur la photo pour voir les détails.
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3 replies on “Blois Spared from Flooding – Blois épargnée lors de la crue”
Apparently, avoiding being flooded qualifies as a religious experience. I’m curious about the historical flooding of the Loire and the construction of the levees. Do you have a good source (hopefully online)? We have been told our house in Amboise was built around 1850 and I have wondered whether it was ever flooded. It would appear that it should have been protected by the levee and your post today seems to confirm that.
There are quite a few on-line sites in French. There’s L’association de la Loire Sauvage http://associationloiresauvage.blogspot.fr/p/les-crues-de-la-loire.html, but the site is not very clear. The Wikipedia site about the levee (also in French) seems very complete http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev%C3%A9e_de_la_Loire. It only mentions Amboise once: “Suite aux crues de 1679, les digues d’Amboise sont exhaussées. Colbert prescrit de continuer activement et tous les ans de semblables ouvrages : il les recommande à plusieurs reprises « afin que, quelque hauteur que les eaux puissent atteindre pendant l’hiver, l’eau ne passe point par dessus les levées et ne les puisse endommager ». It seems to have been effective. The breach was near Montlouis so it would seem that your house is safe. Ours was built in 1584, when the levee was first mentioned in writing. The fields across the road and the road itself in front of the house are considered to be floodable but not our front garden. This means that nothing can be built between us and the Loire.
Excellent ! Thanks so much. These should keep me busy for a while. It sounds like you have the perfect spot.