The Castle of Chenonceau

The six women of the palace:

The present castle was built in 1513 has 1521 by Thomas Bohier, recipient of the finances under Charles VIII, Louis XII and François 1st.

Acquisition of Chenonceau by Bohier Balzac is a true tragedy.

The field is owned by the family of Marques whose dilapidations caused the ruin. Land is sold piece per piece. Bohier who threw his reserve Chenonceau, buy each of these pieces. The Lords of the manor feel cobwebs that weave itself around the palace, making a desperate effort to escape from it. After twenty years of struggle, is 1512, they must be recognized overcome Bohier surrender the castle for 12 500 pounds, and the fact shave, except keep. In the following year, in the animal a charming building is starting to increase, that the tourist has today under the eyes.

Chenonceau current thus in its history, an original feature: you could call it "the palace of the six women," points out the crucial role that its ladies manor played over 400 years.

Catherine Briçonnet, the batisse use a (beginning of the 16 S.).

Bohier married Catherine Briçonnet, Touran Gelle belongs to a family of large financial. Intrigued by his heavy and often after the armies of the Milanese, it can not follow the work of Chenonceau. It is Catherine who is the heart.

You feel out of place chosen for the castle in its distribution, a female influence and concerns housewife. Thus acidic first time, the parts are distributed on each side of a central hall which facilitates service widely. Similarly, this second innovation of Chenonceau: the staircase on the right, more practically inclined and better adapted to the entertainment than the spiral staircase.

Bohier dies in 1524 and Catherine two years later.

François 1: e will examine the accounts of his treasurer. It is found that it is indebted to the Treasury strong amounts. To pay this debt, his son abandons Chenonceau with the king then.

Diane de Poitiers, the always beautiful.

In 1547, Henri II, when they go up on the throne, it gives Chenonceau Diane of Poitiers. She is 20 years more than him, but the seduction is famous. "I saw it, writes a contemporary, in the age of 70 years (in fact, she died at age 67), also beautiful face and as comfortable as in the 30 years old. And especially, it was a great whiteness and without Fardig at all. But it is well said that every morning it is used by some bubble and other drugs, which I do not know. "

Widow of Louis de Breze, it made him travel a magnificent tomb in the cathedral in Rouen and always carries the colors black and white mourning. Its empire on Henri II as it does himself. Diane orders a beautiful garden and gives rise to a bridge that connects the palace to the other bank of expensive. She finds abundant resources in the tax on the 20 books per clock, which she receives a good share, which makes the king say to Rabelais hung all the bells of the kingdom to the collar of his jump.

Death of Henri II was killed in 1559 by Lance of Montgomery, a tournament favorite places an opposite Catherine de Medicis become regent. The queen, patient and dissimulated accepted the division, she will have her revenge. Diane is very attached to Chenonceau, Catherine knows she strikes her on the sensitive point by forcing it to bow to her in exchange of Chaumont. Death in the heart, the favorite one leaving edge of the animal, not just go to Chaumont and withdraw into the castle of Anet, where she dies seven years later.

Catherine de Medicis, the opulent one.

With a taste for art, Catherine de Medicis taste of ostentation and Chenonceau satisfied with one thing and another. She makes tracing a park to build a gallery on the bridge at the double floor, the creation of large common run.

Beautiful festivals follow one another, and the contemporary is filled with some surprise. There is that after the imposition of François 1st and Marie Stuart, that of Charles IX, which is even more brilliant. In the ditches bordering the alley of the palace of the young women dressed as sirens accommodate the visitors. Their catchy songs answer the nymphs of leaving the scrub. But the arrival of satyrs did fly away gracious troops. Meals, dances, masquerades, fireworks, naval action in the animal, not forgetting those with delight.

Henri III chairs a pastoral festival, which cost 100 000 pounds and really beautiful feeling "honest and damage of the naked right to be half and having their hair scattered as married, were recruited to serve with the girls from the Queen."

Louise Lorraine, the inconsolable one (late 16th C.).

Catherine bequeathed Chenonceau to her daughter-in-law Louise Lorraine, wife of Henri III. After the assassination of the king by Jacques Clement, prefer Louise with the palace, taking grief in white under the Royal brand and keeps it until the end of his life, from which the name "Queen or White Injury", which was given to her. Her room, her bed, blankets and chairs are tightened black velvet curtains black Damas ceilings wear crowns of the ramifications and "Cordelières" painted in white on a black background. Over eleven years, Louise, faithful to the matrimonial memory divides his time between voice, embroidery and reading.

Madam Dupin, friend of the letters (18th C.).

After Louise Lorraine, Chenonceau into a time is left until the moment when the ordinary farmer Dupin will own it.

Mrs. Dupin has a room to the where all the celebrities of the time Ravel. Jean-Jacques Rousseau is the mentor for her son. It is with the use of the latter that his treaty of training was made up: "Emile". In his "Confessions", he speaks with warmth about this happy time: "We had fun in this very beautiful place, made a very good expensive there, I y obese trolls as a monk."

Mrs. Dupin ages surrounded by the love of the villagers, thanks to what the palace, crossed the revolution without damage. According to her wishes, she was buried in the park.

Mrs. Pelouze, the amateur of old (19th C.).

In 1864 Mrs. buys Pelouze Chenonceau and indeed the restoration of the castle business in her life. She recreates it in the state where Bohier had left. Catherine de Medicis had changed the main facade, with a doubling of the windows, while placing them between the caryatids. The additional openings are stopped and caryatides transported to the park. A building added between the box and book is also removed.

The castle is currently the property of Meniere family.

Arrival at the palace

The arrival occurs at an excellent spawning of plane trees. Tourist who likes the play of imagination will be able to revive the construction of Charles IX in the medium of sirens, the nymphs and satyrs. You see, in retreat to the left, at the end of an alley, the old caryatides the facade. After passing between two sphinges, you see, right, runs common raised in Philihert Delorme.

Cross a drawbridge, one arrives at a terrace surrounded by ditches. On the left, with Italian gardens stretching from Diane of Poitiers in court, that of Catherine de Medicis, surrounded by large trees in the park. Draw on the terrace with the old castle of Marques changed by Bohier. His first here read: "TBK" (Thomas Bohier and Katherine). You will find them in the castle with its currency "If it comes at the right time, will remember". Direction of this currency is still somewhat mysterious. One can understand that if the building is completed, it will bear much of the memory from that which built it.

Castle

The castle consists of a rectangular main building with turrets with angles. It sat on the two piles of the old mill, which rests on the bed of the animal. There is on the left, projecting, bookshop and vault. On the bridge of the animal exceeds the gallery on two floors of Catherine de Medicis. This construction of Philibert Delorme is an already traditional sobriety, which stands in contrast to the aspect of the rich and gay, which gives the older, sculptures of balustrades, roof and ceiling windows.

On the ground floor, it's old room in the Guards paved majoliques them and decorated Flemish tapestries of the 16th C. In the vault, we notices a fine Virgin with Carrara marble Child (16th C.), the chambrede Diane of Poitiers preserves a fire place because of Jean Goujon, the green cabinet of Catherine de Medicis, a tapestry of the workshops of the Loire and various tables. The large gallery on the animal, the 60-meter-long, on the black pavement and white presents, embedded in medium in the ceiling, the old ceiling in the room of Louise of Lorraine. In the room of François Ier, paintings by Van Loo (three Graces) are exposed to Primatice (Diane of Poitiers as a Huntress). Hall triangulated with ribbed vaults. Always on the ground floor you can see a room that has a magnificent ceiling with French husband, works by Rubens (Jesus and Holy Jean), by Mignard, Natti (Mrs. Dupin), and a portrait of Louis XIV in the sumptuous frame.

Coming on 1st floor by the stairs with a right angle, as in France, was then a novelty. Hall, which presents tapestries Audenarde (scenes of hunting) and effigies of Roman emperors out of Carrara marble reported in Florence by Catherine de Medicis, one enters the room of Gabrielle d 'Estrées, in the space of honor (or the five Queens ), in that of Catherine de Medicis and the gallery, her ballroom, and subsequently in the local, César de Vendôme, all furnished and decorated beautiful tapestries.

Under one roof the little convent Nasturtium was installed, with drawbridge, there was concern on the evening of distinguishing nuns from the host of the palace.

Finally, do not forget to visit the park that will offer you on the edge of the animal, the very picturesque sights in the castle.