The picturesque medieval town of Loches (location) lies a little off the château trail in the Indre Valley. Its château dominates the cityscape and boasts the deepest dungeons in the Loire. (It is from the French donjon that English gets the word dungeon) The château or Logis du Roi (15 th/16th cent.) was the residence of King Charles VII (died1461) and is located on the northern edge of the castle district (Cité Médiévale) which is surrounded by a 2 km long wall. The district also includes the church St-Ours (12th century), the empty grave of Agnès Sorel (mistress of Charles VII, died 1450), and on the southern edge of the district the Donjon (11th cent.) wich since 1249 was used as a state prison for centuries.
Loches is also where Joan of Arc, after her victory in Orléans, pleaded with Charles VII to honor his promise to go to Reims and be crowned.