Nancy

Nancy is the old capital of the Dukes of Lorraine. The first Duke of Lorraine was one of Charlemagne's descendants (Lorraine deriving from the Kingdom of Lotharingia). One of them was called Stanislas, for reasons you probably learned at school; and I've forgotten too (except that he was a failed king of Poland).

Palais des Ducs de Lorraine, Nancy

One of the older City gates (seen here from the inside) is the Porte de la Craffe.

La Porte de la Craffe, Nancy

I have to admit that I only found the name in the encyclopedia - I couldn't make it out from the inscription, because the script was so ornate! The outside has been modernised - I think in the 16th Century, and is not so attractive. This photo was taken about 100 metres from our hotel - L'Hôtel de Guise in the Rue de Guise. The hotel was a very old house, dating from the 15th or 16th century; but if there was a genuine Guise connection, one would imagine that it was with a very cadet branch.

Nancy, like all cities in France, has a place du Général de Gaulle. Perhaps with better credentials, since the General was a Lorrain. The stonework is very ornamental, fittingly so in what used to be the Place de la Carrière.

Place du Général de Gaulle, Nancy

Or perhaps it is the diplomatic area? There was a very splendid palace - one could imagine the ambassadors coming to present their credentials to the Duke:

Anyone who has heard of the French Revolution has heard of the Cordeliers. If you're English, you probably can't think about Greyfriars without thinking about the Fat Man of the Remove, but Bunter was nowhere to be seen when I took this photograph.


Église et couvent des Cordeliers, Nancy

Nowadays it is a museum (Lorrain popular arts, I think).

I never got lost enough (it was national hole-in-the-road week) actually to find Place Stanislas. Perhaps this is it, in the distance.

Taken from Place Général de Gaulle, Nancy.

Nancy has a church dedicated to St Epuré, or St Epure. All I have been able to find out is that he was bishop of Toul during the Dark Ages.

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