One of the star objects tucked away in a relatively little known church in the Touraine Loire Valley is the finest tomb effigy of the mid-15th century. Its subject was once a household name, but now is known only to those interested in this somewhat overlooked period. Earlier in the year she was all set to take pride of place at a special temporary exhibition at the famous Cluny Museum of Medieval Art in Paris. But it was not to be. She proved to be too fragile to move (and in the photo below, taken not long after the aborted attempt to transport her to Paris, you can see the crack that caused so much angst). If you book a tour with us that includes the charming small town of Loches you will learn who she was, why she was important, how she died, what caused the crack and how the modern conservators and curators negotiated a very tricky situation in order to protect her. It's worth coming off the tourist trail to see her if you are interested in the behind the scenes management of historic sites.
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