Fulk III, Count of Anjou, built the 11th-century keep. The introduction says the castle was constructed in the 9th century, and the article does not reconcile the two dates. Philip II of France captured the castle from the English in 1204, and building soon afterward turned Loches into a large military fortress.
The stone keep is square, 76 by 51 feet (23.3 by 15.4 m), with walls 9 feet (2.8 m) thick. It is 121 feet (37 m) high over four stories, and each floor was a single room. The article names no architectural style.
Charles VII gave the castle to his mistress, Agnès Sorel, as a residence, and Louis XI converted it into a state prison. The French Revolution left it ransacked and severely damaged, and major restoration began in 1806, though some parts remain ruins. It was listed as a monument historique in 1861. The commune of Loches owns it, and it is open to the public.
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