France Autumn 2014 No.8

Most of the castles in Loire Valley were built in the Renaissance period. At that
time, noblemen had to wait upon the king for 3 months in a year; therefore,
apart from royal castles, a lot of them were built for the noblemen of the court.
Each castle naturally holds many stories, here we are going to present a few of
the story-rich castles.
Once upon a time, in the Loire Castles...
Royal castle of Amboise and Clos Lucé
An episode in the life of François I and Da Vinci
Amboise Castle was the center of royal power during Renaissance times.
Every French king, whether from Valois or Bourbon dynasty, once stopped
there. It is the growing place of many kings and queens, which is why people
call it « French Kings' kindergarten ». Charles VIII was born there, François
I was brought there by his mother at the age of 4 with his sister Marguerite,
the children of Henry II and Catherine de Medicis also grew up there.
François I was a French king at the Renaissance period, also known as
the father of French Renaissance. When he went to Italy, unlike his 2
predecessors, it wasn't for conquests or lands, he brought back the spirit of
Renaissance, bought a great amount of artworks, and invited all the artists
to come and live in France. One of them, was the well-known Leonardo Da
Vinci.
He set the artist's dwelling in Clos Lucé, a few hundred meters from his
castle. An underground passageway still runs under Amboise Castle for as
long as 1800 feet, right into Clos Lucé. It is said that they used to talk a lot
about the construction plans of the castle and many other themes. François
I used to respectfully call Da Vinci « My Father ». From 1516 to 1519, Da
Blois 皇 家 城 堡 弗 朗 索 瓦 一 世 樓 中 的 國 王 寢 室 /Blois Royal Castle Aile François Ier The Chambre du Roi
© Chateau royal de Blois_Photo D. Lepissier
Amboise 皇 家 城 堡 /Royal Castle Amboise
Vinci spent there the last 3 years of his life; he was buried in the
chapel of Amboise castle, after dying in the arms of the king.
Da Vinci was considered a genius in every domain. In Clos Lucé
we can see a lot of his designs, he had already invented helicopters,
submarines, cars; he even handmade a lion that walks.
In his dwelling, the walls, the mirrors or the doors all bear his
quotes engraved, leaving us visitors pondering on his ideas:
«That is not riches, which may be lost; virtue is our true good and
the true reward of its possessor. That cannot be lost; that never
deserts us.»
«Truth is so excellent, that if it praises but small things they
become noble.»
«Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.»
«Details make perfection, perfection is not a detail.»
His worship of god also appears in his writings:
«When a painter paints a divine figure, if not based on truth,
then it is blasphemy.»
«If the Lord — who is the light of all things — vouchsafe to
enlighten me, I will treat of Light.»
Blois Royal Castle
It's the best place to learn more about the Loire Castles, the Royal
Castle of Blois harboured 7 kings and 10 queens. Its architecture
goes from Gothic medieval style to Renaissance style, then
classic style, the buildings around the park are also classic French
architecture.
The last part of the castle was built in the 17th century, by
the Duke d'Orleans, brother of King Louis XIII; it remained
unfinished. He thought then of succeeding to the king, but when
Louis XIV was born, this idea was lost forever, and he abandoned
his construction plans. However, the double arched roof is truly
unique, through the open first floor arch, we can see the second
roof, which gives the impression that the sky is forever greater
outside.
In a time of war and conquests, the king can usually only stay
© Leonard de Serres
for a few weeks in the castles, before heading to other counties to inspect
or to fight. For the king needed to be seen often by his people to ascertain
his power. When the king travelled, every person of the court he needed for
everyday life and administrative tasks had to follow, in the times of François
I, the royal party would count over 10 000 persons. The king would travel
with his furniture, even with his throne, so everywhere in the castle we
can see easily carried thrones, trunks, tapestries and furniture that can be
dismantled.
Chenonceau Castle
Chenonceau is also known as “The Castle of the Ladies”, for every owner of
this castle had been women. This water-borne castle certainly displays great
femininity.
Catherine de Médicis is the queen who had the most influence in the
French court life during her time and after. She was wife to Henry II, a king
of the Valois dynasty, and the mother of 3 consecutive kings of France. She
used to live in Chaumont Castle; Chenonceau had been built by Henry II for
his mistress Diane de Poitiers as a gift. At the death of the king, Catherine
ushered Diane into living in Chaumont, and moved herself to Chenonceau.
In the park we can see 2 gardens in the name of the 2 ladies.
In longing for her native land, Catherine de Médicis decided to build rooms
over the existing bridge, like the Ponte Vecchio in Firenze, an inhabitable
bridge, giving Chenonceau its present appearance.
Keeping the family tradition, Catherine de Médicis sponsored many an
artist and writer, the castle holds her collection of artworks and paintings.
She brought Italian trends to France, Italian table manners and even tables
and forks.
During the French Revolution, Chenonceau escaped its doom, because its
owner of the time, Madame Dupin had many good relations and befriended
the local abbé, who then became the president of the Revolutionary
Comity of Amboise. He told the crowd, that Chenonceau is the only bridge
between Montrichard and Bléré, if they want to destroy it, they would be
the enemy of the public good. His arguments were deemed legitimate,
thus the castle was preserved, but they did burn everything that had to
do with royalty, including 78 portraits of the royal family. Madame Dupin
Cheverny 城 堡 /Cheverny Castle
©A. Chicurel
Blois 皇 家 城 堡 - 路 易 十 二 騎 馬 雕 像 /Blois Royal Castle-Statue Equestre du roi Louis XII
was an acknowledged woman of literature, hosting salons in
her home with the most enlightened philosophers and writers
like Montesquieu or Marivaux. Jean-Jacques Rousseau was her
secretary and admirer.
A 400 years old private castle: Cheverny
Cheverny has been from 1624 the territory of Hurault family, to
which one of the Chancellors of France had been born. After many
a transaction, it came back in the family, to the actual Marquis de
Vibraye. Inside the castle we can often see the pattern of “L'ombre
du Soleil” (the shadow of the sun). For the king was the sun, his
subjects were his shadows.
Inside, the wooden frame work of the ceilings were painted by
Renaissance artist Jean Mosnier, so were the 32 panels weaving
around the dining room depicting the story of Don Quichotte
against the windmills. It hasn't been renovated for 300 years, a
very rare piece.
Those who like “The adventures of Tintin” would recognize here
the castle of Captain Haddock, for Cheverny was the first castle to
be open to the public in 1922; the author took his inspiration of
Moulinsart castle from the advertising flyers of Cheverny. You can
even find there a special exhibition where you can step into the
world of the comic books.
For now, the marquis' family lives in the right wing of the castle,
if you are interested in the life of present days noblemen and
experience their life, you can book a diner with the marquis.
experience their life, you can book a diner with the marquis.
www.chateau-amboise.com
www.vinci-closluce.com
www.chateaudeblois.fr
www.chenonceau.com
www.chateau-cheverny.fr
www.loire-chateaux.org
© Chateau royal de Blois_Photo D. Lepissier
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