Châteaux de la Loire 2: Chenonceau

Second on the list was Chenonceau. Chenonceau is definitely the castle I would pick to live in; it was by far the most comfortable and the grounds were the prettiest. It is known as the Châteaux des Dames, or Ladies’ Castle, for all the queens and mistresses who have lived there. Really I’m not being sexist or anything, but I think you can tell that a woman had a hand in its design because it doesn’t dominate the landscape like other castles I’ve seen. Rather, its situation on the Cher River, a tributary of the Loire, creates a harmony between the breathtaking splendor of the castle and its natural surroundings.

Leading up to the castle is a long driveway, with trees on either side of the road. The grounds include two gardens on each side of the château, one designed by Diane de Poitiers, the other by Catherine de Medici, as well as an old 16th century farm, wax museum, labyrinth, caryatides and chapel. Inside, the many rooms house numerous paintings by Reubens, Riguad, Tintoretto, Van Dyck, Van Loo, Veronese, Poussin, hundreds of ancient tapestries and grand furniture. Truly, the interior was unparalleled in beauty.

Each of the rooms are named after its occupants. The most famous of these rooms is the Chamber of Five Queens and its inhabitants were the daughters and grand-daughters of Catherine de Medici: Queen Margaret (wife of Henry IV), Elizabeth of France (wife of Philip II of Spain), Mary Stuart (wife of Francois II), Elizabeth of Austria (wife of Charles IX), and Louise of Lorraine (wife of Henry III).

Another of the rooms was outfitted entirely in black after Louise of Lorraine was widowed. The only disappointment during the entire day was that the façade was being renovated: The château would have been even more remarkable had it not been under construction.

The most fascinating thing about this castle was its history. It was constructed in the 16th century by Thomas Bohier and his wife Katherine Briçonnet. Then, it was given by King Henry II to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who was 20 years his senior. However, Henry II was married to Catherine de Medici who was obviously annoyed by her husband’s favoritism because after his death she forced Diane to give her the castle, even though Diane and Catherine are actually descended from the same family.

Gabrielle d’Estrees, mistress of Henry IV, the king who declared “Paris is worth a mass,” was also mistress of Chenonceau. During the Enlightenment, Madame Louise Dupin became its mistress and entertained famous philosophers like Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Rousseau. Madame Dupin also saved the chapel from destruction during the French Revolution by turning it into a wood store and is said to have changed the castle’s name by dropping the royal “x” at the end of “Chenonceaux” to please the local villagers.

During World War I, Chenonceau became a hospital ward and during World War II, it was the divide between Nazi territory and the “free” Vichy zone. In 1988, Prince Charles and Lady Diana stayed here for a time. With that said, I think that Châteaux des Dames is a very fitting title for Chenonceau.

Châteaux de la Loire 1: Azay-le-Rideau

Today I learned that the Châteaux of the Loire are famous for good reason. And hopefully by the end of this three part blog, you’ll have discovered that too.

Around eight this morning we set off down the longest river in France, the Loire—the scenic route to our three destinations: Azay-le-Rideau, Chenonceau and Chambord. Monsieur Melin was once again our commentator and he pointed out to us the many features of the Loire. We went through Saumur which is home to lots of mushrooms and one of the world’s finest cavalry training centers.

As we continued along, we saw the troglodytes (houses built into the cliffside), the place where Rabelais was born (near Chinon, where in 1429, Joan of Arc convinced the Dauphin to claim his throne. The Royal Fortress of Chinon was also the home of Cardinal Richelieu.) and Balzac’s house. I learned that whenever Balzac wanted peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, he had to take a train to Tours and then walk three hours to get home. I learned that the banks of the Loire, like the tides at Mont St Michel, are very dangerous because of the quicksand. Apparently, when the river bank collapses it forms a whirlpool which sucks the swimmer inside. We were told that in a single afternoon, seventeen children died. Ok, so that isn’t very nice to hear, but it is interesting and it should warn you never to swim in the Loire.

We traversed the roads with some minor difficulties (coach buses were not meant for country roads and narrow French streets). We saw the château de Menars (Madame Pompadour’s favorite castle) and an enormous stone bridge, across from the city La Chaussée de Saint-Victor, which had not been repaired since being bombed during World War I. All total, I saw at least 9 castles: Saumur, Montsoreau, Chinon, Azay-le-Rideau, Artigny, Chenonceau, Cheverny, Chambord, and Menars.

Le Château d’Azay-le-Rideau was first on our list. It was the smallest castle of the day (the only one I could actually walk around) and most of it was inaccessible to the public. It was once a fort, but was turned into a castle in 1510. Unlike Chenonceau and Chambord, it is not a royal residence because it was never owned by the crown, though King Louis XIII once stayed there. Even though we couldn’t see a lot of the castle, my favorite room of the entire day was located at Azay-le-Rideau. It was the billiard and card room and it immediately reminded me of the board game Clue.