The next day our tour took us to the town of Les Andelys. Even from a distance, we could see a medieval castle named Château Gaillard. Construction began in 1196 under the direction of Richard the Lionheart, who was both King of England and feudal Duke of Normandy. The castle was expensive to build, but the majority of the work was done in just two years. The Château Gaillard has a relatively advanced design, using early principles of concentric fortification. It was also one of the earliest European castles to use machicolations, openings allowing people in the castle to drop stones, boiling water, or other weapons on people attacking the castle. The Château Gaillard consists of three enclosures separated by dry moats, with a keep (fortified central tower) in the inner enclosure. The topography also helped protect the castle.

Beneath the Château Gaillard were the villages of Le Grand Andely and Le Petit Andely. These two grew and merged into one Les Andelys. Pictured below is the Saint Savior Church. Building Château Gaillard required over 3,000 workers. The Church was built for them. Work started in 1198 and was finished in 1202. The Church has a wooden porch that was added in the 15th Century. In the porch is a 13th Century figure of Christ blessing the Church entrance.

Next are pictures of the interior of the church. The church has beautiful stained glass windows. Some were destroyed during World War II but were replaced by Max Ingrand, a master glassmaker. He used the theme “Stations of the Cross” when creating the new stained glass windows.

The pipe organ is considered one of the most beautiful in France. The organ was built by Robert Ingout, an organ maker in Rouen. The organ was installed in the Church in 1793 and remains there still today. This organ has been classified as a historical monument, first the instrument itself (in 1955) and then the wooden case that houses the instrument (in 1971). The organ is the oldest in existence still in working order.

We next stopped at a nearby farm called La Ferme des Ruelles. Run by Michel and Chantal Gamel, the farm produces apple cider and apple brandy known as Calvados. The farm is part of France’s apple-producing region with the region growing more than 300 varieties of cider apples.

La Ferme des Ruelles was built in the 17th Century. There are orchards and 148 acres of fields. After a presentation about methods for environmentally sustainable farming, we enjoyed a cider and apple brandy tasting. The pictures below show one of the fields, the barrels of hard cider, and the exterior and interior of the barn.