The French Loire Valley is known as Chateaux Country, the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. In 2000, UNESCO named the Loire Valley, between Maine and Sully-sur-Loire, a World Heritage Site. The valley is home to over 300 chateaux. Not all are your traditional fairy tale chateaux, as some stately homes are included in the list. The enormous castles, build by royalty, started being constructed in the 10th century. In the 16th century, when King Francois I made Paris once again the center of power, castle building died down, however the area remained rich and continued to be courted by royals and the nobility. However, during the French Revolution, dozens of chateaux were destroyed and some sold off or ransacked for building materials.
Azay le Rideau
Azay le Rideau is one of the more famous chateaux, with good reason. Located in a small village, the chateau site on an island in the Indre river. Built between 1518 and 1527, it is one of the first French Renaissance chateaux. Gilles Berthelot, then state treasurer of Francois I and mayor of Tours, commissioned the build, but it was his wife, Phillipe Lesbahy, whose inheritance paid for it, who supervised the construction. She is credited with the idea of the central staircase, for which the chateau is famous.
In 1528, Berthelot was suspected of embezzlement and was forced to flee. The unfinished chateau was acquired to the kind, who gave it to a high ranking soldier as a reward. In the 20th century it was acquired by the French government, who restored it and opened it to the public.
The outside of the castle, with its romantic location, can be beaten by the interior. The famous staircase was one of the first straight-flight staircases built in France. Based on Italian designs, the staircase was meant to reflect the nobility of the Berthelots, which they felt was not adequately reflected with a spiral staircase. The castle also has traditional Renaissance architecture with its high roof and long rows of windows. It has to be fortified, as well as demonstrate wealth, but the turrets and other fortification elements balance out an excessively majestic design. The surrounding park has an English garden feel to it and is used for Son et Lumiere shows that run throughout the spring and summer.
The interior decoration is somewhat sparse. Loire chateaux were generally only used during the summer and rarely filled with furniture. Also, much of the existing furniture disappeared or was ruined over time. Today the rooms are decorated with rich tapestries and several historical paintings.
Chateau de Chenonceau
Built in the on the site of a mill on the Cher River, the chateau is located near the village of Chenonxceaux. Built some time in the 10th century, the chateau was burned in 1411 to punish the then owner, Jean Marques. He quickly rebuilt the castle, which was inherited by his son Pierre Marques. The castle was quickly sold off to Thomas Bohier, Chamberlain for Charles VII. He destroyed the castle and rebuilt a new one between 1515 and 1521. The Renaissance aspects of the chateau, such as the wide staircases, are usually attributed to Bohier’s wife, Katherine Briconnet, who oversaw most of the work. The entrance hall, which is covered with rib vaults, are in excellent condition, considering they were built in 1515.
Eventually seized by Francois I, after his death Henry II gave the chateau to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. It as she who ordered the construction of the famous arched bridge, which joined the chateau to the opposite bank. After the death of Henry II, his wife and queen, Catherine de’ Medici took over the castle, expelling Diane to the Chateau Chaumont. Catherine moved into the castle and added her own touch to the gardens, already made famous with Diane’s triangular designs. The castle is also known as the Chateau of the Six Women because of the number of female owners, whose influences are still present throughout the site.
Practically every room in the house is impressively restored, even down to the kitchen with a large rotisserie and an attached butchery. The chateau has its own chapel, consecrated by Cardianl Bohier. Although the architecture and gardens are impressive, the detail inside the chateau is stunning. The tapestries, starting with Diane de Poitiers’s Flemish tapestry and ending with the gold tapestries in the Louise XII chambers, can be found throughout. The Gallery, which took eight years to complete, is enamelled tiles of chalk and slate.
After Catherine’s death, the castle passed through many hands, including Louise de Lorrain-Vaudemont, Gabrielle d’Estrees, and the Duke of Bourbon. It is now owned by the Menier family, who acquired it in 1913. Other than the Palais de Versailles, Chenonceau is the most visited chateau in France.