Magnificent Chenonceau castle in France. "Ladies' Castle" Chenonceau in France

Loire castles have long become as popular a French brand as the Eiffel Tower, Disneyland Paris, croissants and wine. The beauty of ancient castles, most of them built in the Middle Ages, and then rebuilt during the Renaissance in accordance with the requests of the kings and aristocracy of those times, all year round attracts an endless stream of lovers of beauty.

The castles are located not very far from Paris, within a 1-2.5 hour drive, and many people combine visits to several castles during an organized excursion (there is no shortage of such excursions from Paris). Of course, this is a matter of taste, but since you can get to many castles on your own, and it’s not difficult to do, it’s worth thinking about your own route. To help you do this, I am starting to publish articles about different castles of the Loire - their history, architecture and “highlights”.

By the way, how many castles are there in the Loire?- the answer to this question will not be unambiguous, because castles and palaces, let’s say, fall into “different categories” and have different statuses in different catalogs. If we focus on the classification of the official society "Castles of the Loire. Royal Valley", then their list includes 71 monuments. Despite the fact that not all objects on this list can be castles, since a whole park of buildings for various purposes has traditionally grown around castles. Today, all of them have enormous historical value and, according to unofficial estimates, the total number of objects in the Loire Valley can reach up to 300.

Among the several dozen castles of the Loire River valley, known as cultural and historical monuments of world significance, some are especially popular, and the number of tourists visiting them ranges from 400 to 900 thousand people a year. One of them is Chenonceau Castle, which has the unofficial title of “Dame Castle”. Its owners were outstanding women, each of whom invested a piece of their personality into the appearance of the castle and the magnificent gardens surrounding it.

The history of Chenonceau dates back to around the 13th century (1243). It is known that this year the de Marc family from Auvergne became the owners of the lands on which the castle was erected in the form in which we can see it today. Among the objects was an ancient fortress (where exactly it came from - information about this is lost over the centuries), surrounded by water ditches and connected to the bank of the Cher River by a bridge on chains. In some places on the territory of the castle, today you can find an image of the emblem of its first owners, the de Mark family.

Then, at the beginning of the 16th century (1512), the right to own the estate with the fortress passed to Thomas Boyer, a very enterprising nobleman in the position of intendant at the court, in charge of finances. The wealthy Boyer began a global reconstruction of Chenonceau, from which he decided to make a luxurious castle in the Italian style, inspired by his “business trips” to this country during the wars. The construction was large-scale and very expensive, and descendants are reminded of this by the motto of the Boyer couple, preserved on the massive front door the castle erected under their leadership - “If I manage to build Chenonceau, I will be remembered.”

After the death of Boyer and his wife, this “tidbit” was “expropriated” from their heir by the King of France Francis I. Around this time, the period of Chenonceau’s history as a “ladies’ castle” began. I won’t bore you with historical conflicts around the castle and a complete list of those who owned it, but I will list only the most famous female owners, because of whom it received the name “ladies’ castle.”

King Henry II, son of Francis I, gave Chenonceau to his favorite in 1547 Diane de Poitiers(1499-1566). Diana developed a vigorous activity, laying out beautiful gardens here, the best of the best at that time. The famous bridge over the Cher River, also built by her order, determined the unique appearance of Chenonceau.

Catherine de' Medici(1519-1589), widow of Henry II, after his death, excommunicates her rival Diana and takes the castle from her, continuing to work on its improvement. Catherine de' Medici erects a two-story gallery for organizing lavish festivities. During her regency, Italian luxury reigned in the castle; court “parties” were held here on a huge scale.

Louise of Lorraine(1553-1601) in 1589, after the death of his husband, King Henry III (this was the fourth son of Henry II and Catherine de Medici), he retired from the court to the castle of Chenonceau and wore mourning until his death. Mourning was then symbolized by the color white, and Louise, who whiled away her widow's days in the castle, plunged him into a state of, so to speak, stagnation and numbness. Today, the luxurious “black bedroom of the white queen” of Louise of Lorraine (in one of the photos) “tells” about this sad period in the history of Chenonceau. With her death, the period of royal presence at Chenonceau Castle ended.

In the 18th century, another Louise - Louise Dupin, the wife of a wealthy landowner-banker, to whom the castle passed in 1733, inspired Chenonceau new life. This prominent representative high society France, during the Age of Enlightenment, organized a fashionable salon in the castle, surrounding itself with the best writers, poets, scientists and philosophers of the time. Montesquieu, Diderot, Voltaire, Rousseau and other outstanding minds of the era often visited Chenonceau. In fact, Louise Dupin saved the castle during the French Revolution, since thanks to Dupin's good nature, popular anger passed over the castle and its inhabitants.

In the 19th century Margarita Pelouz, who came from the industrial bourgeoisie, spent almost a fortune on reviving the former luxury of Chenonceau (she wanted to recreate its heyday under Diane de Poitiers).

And one more name is mentioned in connection with the history of the Chenonceau castle - this Simone Meunier, which in the 20th century managed a military hospital organized on the territory of the estate and castle. The premises were converted into a hospital for wounded soldiers with funds from the Meunier family, producers of the chocolate of the same name. Simone Meunier's courage manifested itself both during the First World War and during the Second - in the form of resistance to the Nazis, when anti-fascists were active around the castle.

Chenonceau Castle today

Chenonceau, a masterpiece of the Renaissance, was directly influenced by Florence's Porte-Vecchio. It features a unique collection of paintings, tapestries and furniture. Chenonceau houses paintings by the greatest European masters of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries: Murillo, Tintoretto, Nicolas Poussin, Correggio, Rubens, Primaticcio, Vanloo, Van Dyck, Francois Clouet and many others. A retrospective dedicated to the most important ladies in the history of the castle listed above is open here. The splendor of Chenonceau is largely created by the famous gardens of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medici - a work of Renaissance garden art. Gardens of the mistress and legal wife King Henry II are different, but they are united by incredible grace. Also, everyone, without exception, likes the Italian labyrinth garden, created at the request of Catherine de Medici. Today, a whole staff of gardeners and floral designers is working to maintain the historical appearance of the gardens and floral decoration of the castle.

Unfortunately, the format of the article does not allow us to list all the rooms and objects on the territory of the castle and estate, each of which is noteworthy and even famous in connection with their outstanding owners. It’s better to come here and see for yourself one of the most (and according to many, the most beautiful!) castle in the Loire Valley.

Of course, it’s worth devoting at least one full day to this castle, or even in the evening - in the summer (from July 1 to August 30), on the territory of the estate you can buy tickets for the so-called night walk and see the skillfully illuminated gardens of Chenonceau to the accompaniment of the composer’s music Italian classicism Arcangelo Corelli.

The castle is open all year round, seven days a week.

How to get to Chenonceau Castle

The castle is located 214 kilometers from Paris, and 34 kilometers from the city of Tours - one of two cities (the second is Blois), near which the most famous castles of the Loire are “concentrated”. By car from Paris you need to take the A10 highway.

You can also get there by train - from Montparnasse station to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps station, which is located near Tours. Then you need to change to a local train to Chenonceau. It is important to plan your journey in advance using the SNCF timetable to avoid long intervals between trains between Saint-Pierre-des-Corps - Chenonceau.

(Leonardo da Vinci's castle)

Chenonceau Castle photo

Night Walk Tour of Chenonceau Gardens

Chenonceau Castle stands on the Cher River

Panorama of Chenonceau Castle

Italian labyrinth of Catherine de Medici

Diane de Poitiers' bedroom

Green cabinet of Catherine de Medici

Bedroom of Cesar Vendôme

"Mourning" bedroom of Louise of Lorraine

Christmas decorations at Chenonceau Castle

Photo: Briq Ecliptique, Images de Marc

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Address: France, villages of Chenonceau, Indre-et-Loire department
Construction: 15th century
Architect: Philibert Delorme
Main attractions: gardens of Catherine de Medici and Diane de Poitiers, Mark Tower, gallery, Hall of the Guards
Coordinates: 447°19"29.3"N1°04"13.1"E

Many travelers believe that most of the most beautiful and luxurious castles are located in Germany or England, but in France there is an architectural structure that can radically change this established idea.

This masterpiece is located in the Center region of France, in one of its departments called Indre-et-Loire. The castle, which is a worthy “competition” to the residences of the Wittelsbachs and the gloomy, but no less majestic architectural structures of Foggy Albion, is called Chenonceau. By the way, according to the conducted sociological research, this castle, built in a small village of the same name, is one of the most frequently visited attractions in France.

Chenonceau Castle at sunset

True, the castle does not belong to the state: it is still privately owned today, but its owners are not at all opposed to the fact that guests can enjoy not only luxury interior decoration Chenonceau Castle, but also to see the beautiful garden and its picturesque surroundings. By the way, Chenonceau Castle is quite often colloquially called “ladies’ castle” in many tourist brochures.. It was not by chance that it received this name among the people, because the fates of many influential and, by the way, very beautiful women are connected with it.

It is not for nothing that Chenonceau Castle arouses the interest of tens of thousands of tourists who come to France to get acquainted with the huge number of historical and architectural monuments that this magnificent and unique country is rich in. Photos of Chenonceau Castle always turn out to be unusually beautiful: according to professional photographers, this is due to the fact that the photographs are taken near the river, in which the architectural masterpiece is reflected, which makes it even more “airy” and, one might even say, “elegant.”

View of the castle from the river Cher

In addition, thrill-seekers can wander through the dense forest located near the castle. It is worth noting that such a walk does not last long; literally after 70-100 meters the forest becomes almost impassable. By the way, this impenetrable and dense forest allowed French partisans to hide from the invaders for several years during the Second World War. The Nazis were afraid to go deeper into the dense thickets, because rebels could be hiding behind literally every tree. Before dwelling in more detail on the interesting history of the castle, in which serious passions seethed and love affairs were woven, I would like to add that Chenonceau Castle was not just located next to the forest, which the Nazis called “partisan”, meetings of the rebel army were held within its walls and sabotage actions were planned.

Chenonceau Castle construction and history

The first mentions of a building on the site of the modern Chenonceau castle are found in documents that historians date back to the 12th century. In those distant times, the estate was owned by the rich and influential De Mark dynasty.

Main entrance of the castle

The family, on the territory belonging to it, built a massive fortress, surrounded by an impregnable wall and a ditch, over which a bridge was thrown. Not far from the fortification there was a mill, which provided the owners of the castle and the villagers with flour. As we know from history, in the 14th century the affairs of the De Marque dynasty were not going as well as they would have liked. For this reason, the head of the family decides to sell part of the land in order to cover at least some expenses. The intendant of Normandy, named Thomas Boyer, was a far-sighted man and understood that the land being sold by the de Marchi, who had already incurred huge debts, would be useful to him. It is worth clarifying that the de Marches did not want to part with their huge estate and sold only small plots to the intendant, but the debt trap became the reason why almost all the land and the castle already belonged to Thomas Boyer in 1512.

The king's intendant was forced to constantly be on long business trips, but the idea of building a beautiful castle on the acquired land never left him.

Mark Tower, living quarters, castle gallery

He decided to transfer all matters related to the construction of the country estate to his wife, who became the first of many women who contributed to the construction and improvement of the castle and the surrounding area. Catherine Bonet decided to demolish the fortress and leave only one tower from the de Marcov estate, which has survived to this day. It was decided to build the new castle in the luxurious Renaissance style. Construction proceeded at a frantic pace, and Mrs. Bonet ensured not only that the new castle would be admired by all its guests, but also that it retained its strategic purpose. The thing is that the architectural structure was supposed to protect the crossing of the Cher River, so it was decided to leave the drawbridge, and the main castle was built on the site of the mill. Catherine Bonet did not stop at the construction of the castle; on her orders, magnificent gardens were laid out on the vast territory adjacent to the new castle.

View of Chenonceau Castle from Diana's Garden

Chenonceau Castle - "Women's History"

After the death of his intendant and his wife, who passed away in 1526, King Francis I, amazed by the beauty of the new architectural masterpiece, citing the “crimes” of his subject, takes away the rebuilt castle and fortifications from his son. We are all mortal: both commoners and kings. After the death of Francis I, his son, King Henry II, became the full owner of the castle, which later became known as Chenonceau. It would seem that on this women's history"of a strategically important, but extraordinarily beautiful site on the Cher River, ends... However, as the history of France tells us, it was all just beginning.

Henry the Second had a lover named Diane de Poitiers, who, by and large, was old enough to be his mother: the age difference between Henry and Poitiers was almost 20 years. This state of affairs could not suit the legendary Catherine de Medici, who weaved intrigues and tried to overthrow the king’s favorite. However, Poitiers, despite her age, was one of the most beautiful women in France. Many documents describe that it was still dark ice water, took long walks and paid increased attention to my health.

Garden of Diane de Poitiers

Henry was fascinated by the maturity and experience of his beloved woman, and presented her with a gift... a huge and luxurious castle. In addition, according to historians, he gave her a decent amount for those times and completely exempted her from paying taxes. Having received a beautiful castle into her possession, Diane de Poitiers decided to improve it: exotic flowers bloomed in the garden, the best specialists worked on expanding the park. In addition, thanks to Poitiers, a stone bridge across the Cher appeared, the design of which was drawn up by the architect Flibert Delorme.

Henry II would have enjoyed the company of his beloved Diana for a long time if he had listened to the predictions of Nostradamus and had not taken part in the knightly tournament. It was there that he received a wound, which soon festered and caused his untimely death. This tragedy occurred in 1559. It was this year that the castle became the property of another woman - Catherine de Medici, who immediately after the death of the king took the castle from the aging Diana. Despite the fact that Catherine de Medici understood practically nothing about high art, she decorates the bridge built by Diana with a unique gallery of its kind.

Garden of Catherine de Medici

It is thanks to this gallery that numerous modern tourists say that the castle enchants them at first sight (that is, from the bridge over the Cher River). Catherine did not stop there and ordered the creation of another park on the territory adjacent to the castle, which would outshine Diana’s park in its beauty. Whether she succeeded or not is still debated by both architects and guests of Chenonceau, who can see two parks at once: one is the park of Diane de Poitiers, and the second is the park of Catherine de Medici. Before the marriage of his son to the famous historical figure Mary Stuart, the Medici placed an order with the architect Primaticcio to create a whole series of colonnades, triumphal arches, obelisks and fountains, striking the imagination with their forms, in the castle. By the way, on the bridge over the Cher River you can now see a wing that was built in 1580 by Andruet Ducerceau.

The castle subsequently passed to King Henry III, who, by the way, did not live in this world for very long. And the owner of the castle again became a woman - his wife, who received the popular nickname “white lady”.

Living quarters and castle gallery

After the death of her beloved husband, she did not look for a replacement for him, but lived in mourning in the castle until the end of her days. “Why then the “white lady”?”, a curious tourist may ask. The thing is that in the Middle Ages the mourning color was considered white, and not black, as in our days. Naturally, the grief-stricken widow did not carry out any construction work in the castle. By the way, Catherine de Medici outlived all three of her sons. The legendary Valois family ended there; the Medici's daughter married the monarch, who became the founder of the Bourbon dynasty.

Chenonceau Castle - the “women’s” story continues

After the death of the "white lady" and her husband's mother, the castle gradually lost its popularity and was abandoned. Abandoned until the 18th century, until... another woman appeared in its history. The castle was purchased for his wife by the richest landowner, investor and banker Claude Dupin. Madame Dupin decided what it was beautiful place simply must be popular among the elite of secular society. After the restoration work, the castle turned into... a fashionable salon, where Jean-Jacques Rousseau often loved to visit. Magnificent balls and receptions, excellent cuisine, like a magnet, attracted the most famous people of France to the Chenonceau castle.

View of the gallery and living quarters of the castle

By the way, Dupin lived in the castle until she was very old; for her generosity, the servants made up legends about her, and none of the workers during French Revolution no hand was raised against an architectural masterpiece built, for the most part, by women. True, Madame Dupin was not the last woman, who owned the castle, already in 1864 it became the private property of Madame Pelouz. So she restored the castle and made it the way a modern visitor to one of the most popular attractions in France can see it.

For a long time I gathered my courage to begin the next story, because I knew in advance
that there is a long way to go. Only the lazy did not write about Chenonceau Castle. Well, of course:
the most famous, most recognizable and visited (more than a million people a year) -
a real Mecca for tourists all over the world! There is a lot of information about this castle,
There are even more photos. Well, where am I going with my old camera and clumsy
first attempts to photograph something? Moreover, it was impossible to really take photos,
at least with a flash. But everyone has their own view of things. I'll show you Chenonceau
the way I saw him. And I’ll tell you the story of great love carried through my whole life.

Before starting the story about the castle itself, I would like to make a digression -
a kind of excursion into history, because one of the owners of the castle was the famous favorite
King Diana de Poitiers. This castle, in fact, was a gift from the king - a symbol of the great
unfading love, about which many legends have been composed, has generated many rumors and guesses.
After reading this story you will look at Chenonceau with slightly different eyes, because in it
the spirit of those times is still in the air, because it remains Unsolved Riddle: What is the power of Love? So..

FATAL DUEL
On June 30, 1559, all of Paris rushed to the Rue Saint-Antoine. On the occasion of the conclusion of peace with Spain, King Henry II decided to organize a knightly tournament and personally participate in it. To do this, the pavement on the narrow street was dismantled and stands were built for distinguished fans. Now they were full of the outfits of courtiers and the gilded dresses of ladies, and behind the ropes of the fence a gray mass of common people swayed. The crowd whispered anxiously, wondering why the king needed to revive the half-forgotten fun. With the advent of firearms, the age of knights became a thing of the past. Tournaments also ceased, although they were organized from time to time out of respect for antiquity. But Henry was not distinguished by such respect: everyone knew that he preferred completely different activities to military fun. The eyes of the Parisians involuntarily turned to the velvet-upholstered box, where the monarch's longtime mistress, Diane de Poitiers, sat. She had recently turned sixty, but her face and lithe figure remained flawless. They even said that she bathes in the blood of babies to preserve her youth. Queen Catherine de' Medici, sitting on the adjacent platform, was only forty, but she looked almost older than her rival. Plump, dark, with thin hair and bulging eyes, the Italian slightly resembled a toad. From time to time she cast evil glances at Diana, which she tried not to notice. The Parisians did not like both of them and felt sorry for their good king, who was constantly forced to calm down the quarrels of quarrelsome women. It is no wonder that he seeks consolation from others: only recently another lady-in-waiting gave birth to a baby who is like two peas in a pod like a king. Before this, he had seduced the governess of his daughter-in-law Mary Stuart, and the young Scot herself, according to rumors, had an uneasy relationship with her father-in-law - after all, her husband, the idiotic Prince Francois, was indifferent to love pleasures.

The herald's bugle sounded and the knights rushed into battle. As expected, the opponents clashed at full gallop, trying to knock each other off their horses with heavy spears. The blows hit the chest, shoulders and even the face, but all this was reliably protected by armor, and the spears were specially blunted, so there were practically no deaths at tournaments. Having endured battles with the Dukes of Savoy and de Guise, the king wished to fight a new enemy and ordered the 30-year-old Scottish captain Gabriel Montgomery to take a fighting position. At this time, the servant conveyed to him his wife’s request: out of love for her, stop the dangerous game. "Tell the queen that for the love of her I will win this fight!" - exclaimed the king. Hearing this, the queen turned pale: she remembered the prediction of the astrologer Gorik, who threatened the king with death from a wound to the head at the age of forty-one. Heinrich turned forty exactly three months ago. Another prophecy of a certain Nostradamus said that a young lion would gouge out the eye of an old one in a golden cage, and the royal helmet was just gilded... Henry heard these predictions, but now he forgot about them. Why be careful when so many beautiful ladies are looking at you! And above all, the one under whose sign his whole life passed - Diane de Poitiers. No wonder he wore her colors at the tournament - white and black. The opponents collided, and a multi-voiced cry echoed over the tournament field. From the blow that hit him in the face, the king's visor opened and the spear entered his right eye. Covered in blood, Henry rushed another 10-15 meters and slid off his horse into the arms of the courtiers who surrounded him. "I'm dying," he whispered. All eyes were fixed on him, and no one noticed the other participants in the game, which suddenly turned into a tragedy. Taking advantage of this, Captain Montgomery turned his horse and rushed at full gallop to his castle of Lorge, hoping to justify himself later. This did not help - five years later he was lured to Paris and beheaded, never believing that the fatal blow was inflicted by accident. While Henry was being dragged on a stretcher to the nearby castle of Tournelle, the queen lay unconscious. Diana did not lose consciousness: she simply stood and watched as her lover was carried past. Having come to her senses, Catherine rushed into the castle and first of all ordered her rival not to be allowed there. Then she called the famous surgeon Ambroise Paré and asked him to do everything to save the king. Aesculapius examined the wound and made a disappointing conclusion: the spear hit the brain, where bone fragments entered. There was no hope. Hearing this, the queen sent a messenger to Diana, who retired to the castle of Ane. She demanded that the favorite return all the valuables and possessions given to her by the king. Oddly enough, she agreed. In her response letter, she wrote: “My grief is so great that no oppression or insult can distract me from it.” On July 10, Henry died after a long agony, and on the same day Catherine received a weighty casket of jewelry and the keys to the magnificent Chenonceau Castle. All the rest of Diana’s property was kept under one condition - never to appear at court. Fate allowed her another seven years of life, which became a dreary epilogue to her fairy tale.

EDUCATION OF FEELINGS
It all started in March 1526 on the banks of the Bidasoa River, which separated France and Spain. From the French side, a cavalcade led by a handsome bearded man, King Francis I, drove up to the shore. More recently, he found himself in Spanish captivity and was forced to sign a humiliating and extremely unprofitable treaty. The royal sons, nine-year-old Francois and seven-year-old Henry, became hostages of its execution. Now they were brought to the border and put on a boat to be taken to a foreign, hostile country. The youngest of the princes, just a child, could barely hold back his tears. Noticing this, a beautiful lady from the royal retinue approached him and gently kissed him on the cheek. The boat set sail, and for many years this kiss became for Henry the sweetest memory of his homeland. He did not know that the lady, who was 27 years old, was the daughter of Baron Jean de Poitiers. She lost her mother as a child, and a couple of years ago her father was sentenced to death for participating in a conspiracy. Trying to save her father, Diana then rushed to the Louvre to see King Francis, a famous womanizer, who, at the first meeting, appreciated the beauty: tall, slender, with full lips and a lush mane. brown hair. The king knew that at the age of fifteen she was married to the 56-year-old Baron Louis de Breze, the Grand Seneschal of Normandy. The gloomy baron paid almost no attention to his young wife, spending time on military campaigns. Diana gave birth to two daughters and led the ordinary life of a provincial noblewoman - housework, sewing, long masses on Sundays. True, there were some oddities in her behavior. Living up to her name, taken from the goddess-hunter, she loved to ride at full speed on a horse, driving down game. And in the mornings I bathed in a spring with ice-cold water - and this was in an era when even the nobility considered washing unnecessary.

Diane de Poitiers, favorite of King Henry II.

Rumor called Diana faithful wife, but Francis was not used to retreating and led a systematic siege. He appointed the conspirator's daughter one audience after another, transparently hinting that only her compliance could save her father. Further, the opinions of historians differ. Some believe that the beauty gave in to the monarch’s advances, which is why he pardoned Jean de Poitiers when he had already ascended to the scaffold. Others are confident that Diana remained as unapproachable as her divine namesake. Otherwise, why did Francis order her portrait from the court artist with the caption “Inaccessible to seduction”? One thing is certain: from then on, the king began to respect Diana and more than once asked her advice. Soon Seneschal de Breze died and the young widow left his gloomy castle of Ane, moving at the invitation of the king to the Louvre. But she never became the official favorite; this place was taken by the young Duchess D’Etampes, who firmly captured Francis’s heart. Diana was bored, but did not forget to take care of herself, because beauty was her main weapon in the struggle for a place in the sun. In the summer of 1530, the king paid the Spaniards a huge ransom, and his sons returned to their homeland. The long separation from their homeland did not do them any good - Francois soon died of consumption, and Henry became withdrawn and silent. He willingly learned to fence and ride a horse, defeated his peers in any competition, but at the same time he never smiled and avoided communication. The prince showed warm feelings only for one person - the lady who once kissed him on the cheek. At his first tournament on the same ill-fated Rue Saint-Antoine, he approached Diana and confessed his love to her in front of everyone. Noticing this, the king asked the widow to be more kind to his son - in fact, to become his mentor in love affairs, which was necessary, since Henry was soon to marry and continue the royal family. In 1533, a bride arrived in Paris - the heiress of the Florentine Medici bankers. After the wedding, Francis, who needed an alliance with the pope, personally saw to it that his son fulfilled his marital duty. It was indeed a duty that Henry avoided under any pretext. His heart was given to Diana, and the little plump Italian could not excite him. Catherine, who had an extraordinary mind, honestly tried to please the prince: knowing that she had beautiful legs, she was the first to start riding like a man in flirty pants, which received Italian name"pants". All in vain - the desired heir was not born. The courtiers, led by Duchess D'Etampes, accused Catherine of infertility, which was sufficient grounds for divorce. But Diana stood up for the princess and decided to engage in sexual education for the young spouses herself. Perhaps Heinrich’s loving glances melted her heart. But the desire to be closer to the throne, pushing the hated D’Etampes away from it, also played a significant role. Be that as it may, in the spring of 1534, Henry and Diana went hunting together at the castle of Ecouen. The prince returned from there so joyful and refreshed that Catherine exclaimed: “Oh, your highness, you need to be in nature more often!” Henry diligently followed this advice, and then, forgetting caution, began to visit Diana in her chambers.

THE MAIN SECRET OF BEAUTY

Queen of France, wife of Henry II Catherine de Medici (1519-1589)

The lessons of the beautiful mentor were not in vain: Catherine de Medici soon became pregnant and since then has been regularly giving birth to heirs. Diana was present at births every time, personally selecting midwives and nurses for the babies. Moreover, she appointed the prince days on which he had to share a bed with his wife, which he still did not really want. But he was inseparable from Diana, despite the twenty-year age difference. Poor Catherine she went out of her way to try to find out why this “old woman” was so attractive to her husband. The famous gossip writer Brantôme recounts a story according to which she once ordered a hole to be punched in the ceiling of her rival’s bedroom for observation. "She noticed a very beautiful lady, fair-skinned, delicate and very fresh, dressed only in a short shirt. She caressed her beloved, they laughed and joked, and her lover answered her just as passionately, so that in the end they rolled out of bed and, as They were, in only their shirts, laying down on the shaggy carpet next to the bed... So, the princess, seeing everything, out of frustration began to cry, moan and be sad, saying that her husband never allows himself such madness with her as with this woman.” Jealousy did its job: the princess’s warm feelings for Diana soon grew into cold hatred. Many years later, she wrote to her daughter, the famous Queen Margot: “I cordially received Madame de Valentinois, for the king forced me to do so, and at the same time I always made her feel that I was doing this to my greatest regret, for never a wife who loves her husband , didn’t love his whore, and you can’t call her anything else, no matter how painful it may be for people of our position to utter such words.” According to rumors, Catherine even kept a bottle in her boudoir nitric acid, so that when the opportunity arises, splash it in the face of the homewrecker. But she never splashed; she must have realized that, having lost her beauty, Diana was unlikely to lose the prince’s love.

Henry II, King of France.

In the spring of 1547, Francis, who was not yet old, died, as they say, of syphilis, and Henry II ascended the throne. A real golden shower immediately poured down on Diana: she was given the entire tax “for confirmation of authority”, which was paid by all officials when changing the monarch, as well as part of the tax that was levied on all Parisian bells. The wise mistress was given all the estates of the defeated Duchess d'Etampes and her jewelry, including a huge diamond. And three months later she received an even more expensive treasure - the Chenonceau castle on the Loire. To top it all off, she was made Duchess of Valentinois - for the first time the ducal title went to a woman not by right of inheritance. Diana became a true queen. Together with Henry, she received ambassadors, replaced him at meetings of the royal council, and went on trips around the country. At this time, Catherine sat locked up in the chambers assigned to her, surrounded by numerous children. Her husband visited her only to conceive another heir. But he was inseparable from Diana and, during infrequent separations, he bombarded her with letters. This is what the king wrote when he learned about her poor health: “Lady of my soul, I humbly thank you for the work that you took upon yourself to send me news of your news, for it became the most pleasant event for me. I cannot live without you... I remain forever your insignificant servant." Foreign ambassadors complained that they could not obtain an audience with the king, since he spent all his time with Madame de Poitiers. The diplomat, who was lucky enough to break through to the favorite, describes the picture he saw: “He sits down next to her with a zither in his hands, plays, often asks the constable and Omal if Diana is still beautiful, and from time to time touches her breast.” However, time passed. The favorite turned fifty, and she took all measures to preserve her fading youth. Of course, no cosmetics or wigs - the same cold baths, physical exercise and a cup of goat milk in the morning. To refute rumors about her aging, Diana ordered her portrait to be painted in the nude and - unheard of audacity! – put it on public display. She also tried to surround herself only with beautiful objects that emphasized her attractiveness. She was one of the first in Paris to begin collecting antiques and paintings, turning her Louvre chambers into a real museum. In Chenonceau, on her orders, a marvelous “Garden of Delights” was laid out, where rare varieties of apples, peaches, and plums were brought from all over the world. In the center of the garden was Diana's Flower Garden, where the king's white lilies and scarlet roses, which the mistress of the castle considered her talisman - the flower of love.

ROSES FOR A BEAUTIFUL LADY
Diana was not only busy with herself - the lion's share of her time was devoted to management issues. Royal bounties gave her two dozen castles with vast lands, and she constantly visited them, scolding negligent managers and counting supplies with peasant meticulousness. In the castle of Etoile she set up an office, where she personally pored over the accounting books. The affairs of the kingdom also did not go unnoticed: Diana received ministers and gave them very practical instructions. Unlike other favorites, she did not have numerous greedy relatives. But the countless gifts that the loving king showered on her were not cheap for the treasury. As a result, taxes rose, and the people, as a result, blamed everything uncrowned queen. Then rumors spread about her witchcraft and witchcraft power over the king. But she was not to blame for the turmoil that gripped the country. The long-standing enmity between Catholics and Protestants increasingly resulted in armed clashes. Opponents in Paris catholic faith hanged and burned at the stake. The kind-hearted Henry never attended an execution, although he regularly signed death sentences. And Diana looked at the torment of the condemned with curiosity and even laughed. Today it is difficult to say what caused this behavior - the general “rudeness of the era” or the desire to demonstrate loyalty to the king. But this only increased the number of opponents of the favorite and gave Catherine de Medici courage. At the end of 1558, the queen for the first time dared to object to her rival on some issue. The king cut her off rudely, and the offended Italian buried her face in the book. "What are you reading, madam?" – Diana inquired, trying to smooth the situation over. “The history of France!” Catherine said. “It says here that the affairs of this kingdom have always been run by whores!” Diana burst into tears and announced that she was leaving the courtyard. Henry fell to his knees, begged her to stay, promised that he would no longer allow the queen to offend her only love. Diana stayed. And then the ill-fated tournament happened. Going into exile along the roads of Normandy, muddy from the summer rains, Diana told herself that she had defeated her rival. She remained beautiful, but Catherine de Medici, at forty, is the opposite. Is this why she was angry, started a war with Protestants, and staged the bloody Night of St. Bartholomew? Having placed her three sons on the throne in turn, as Nostradamus predicted, she lost them all and at the very end of her life saw the collapse of the Valois dynasty. She went down in French history as a murderer and poisoner. They said that Catherine also poisoned Diana, but this is unlikely to be the case. After all, Diana, although still hated, was now safe.

Miniature depicting Diana de Poitiers, Duchess of Valentinois

Well, I hope you've read about Diana and Henry. It's time to return to the castle.
It looks impressive in the photo below, doesn't it? But it wasn't always like this.
So where did it all begin? Where is the beginning of this fairy tale, frozen in stone?

The history of the castle dates back to 1243. Actually, there wasn’t even a castle then - on his
At that time, there was an estate that belonged to the de Marc family, who came from Auvergne. Considering
endless wars and civil strife, there was no sense in the elegance and beauty of the buildings - everything was
subordinated to protection and defense. Therefore, they built fortresses, surrounded them with water ditches and for communication
Only drawbridges were left with the outside world. The de Mark family had everything according to the same pattern,
with a “small” bonus in the form of a mill that stood next to the fortress.
Years, centuries flew by... One generation replaced another. Those destructive ones have already sunk into oblivion
wars and the need for fortresses disappeared. Perhaps the de Mark family and its descendants would have continued to live
in their fortress, but, as often happens, financial difficulties forced them to sell their inheritance
and the fortress to Thomas Boyer, intendant for financial affairs in Normandy. The year was 1512. In Europe -
Renaissance, I mean Renaissance. Everyone rushed to break and destroy the old and build a new one.
Thomas, as is still customary, decided to keep up with fashion and also razed everything to the ground.
The only thing left from the former buildings is the donjon. Well, thanks for that.

A rectangular castle with protruding corner towers was erected on the ruins of the mill.
Here, look at what the façade of this building used to look like. I don't know what year it was made
This is a photo, but now everything looks completely different (later I will show a modern version).

On the lower floor of the castle there is a vestibule with pointed vaults. And again the old photo for us
to help. I just can’t tear myself away from these old photographs, because, take my word for it,
they convey the atmosphere of the real, THAT castle, THAT era much better than this
that “sleekness”, pomadedness, deliberate “ostentation” of today.

As you can see in the photo, you can access four rooms from the lobby (I'll talk about them later).
These rooms are connected to four other rooms on the second floor by a wide, straight staircase.

It was no coincidence that I “galloped across Europe” and immediately jumped onto the stairs. The point is that at the beginning
In the 16th century, spiral staircases began to be replaced with just these, modern staircases with
straight marches. And this became an additional, and considerable!, financial burden. It is believed that
it was the enormous construction costs that explained the motto that Boyer ordered engraved
along with the initials T.V.K: “Whoever comes here someday, let him remember me.”
To be honest, I don’t think it was the financial costs that caused this motto. Well he
In fact, did he work in the mines or something, saving pennies for years, not eating enough, not getting enough sleep?
It seems to me that everything is much simpler: ordinary human vanity. And yes, we all want
leave a memory of yourself, if you can’t live forever. In general, Thomas, hello to you! We remember, yeah!
But let's return to the history of the castle. (Stock up on tea, coffee and vodka, because I’ll be bothering you for a long time)))
Since Thomas Boyer had an important government post and was often on the move, all the troubles
related to construction work, his wife, Ekaterina Boye, took upon herself (that’s who is in charge
hero, it turns out!). Thanks to this heroic woman, all work was completed in 1521.
As expected, they invited Father Cardinal Bonnet, Bishop of Bourges, who consecrated
castle chapel. And so it would seem: everything is over, they suffered and waited... and they lived happily ever after...
Nope, they didn’t live. Thomas died exactly three years later and not even in his bed - he went to Italy,
in the king's retinue...and that's it. Amen. His wife followed him into death two years later. You know,
This often happens: a person devotes his entire life to some business or person. How
only this leaves his life - the person dies. A person simply has no reason to live, and
either does not want to look for a new meaning in life or cannot. Well no more strength. Everything is left behind..
However, I digress from the topic. Moreover, the Boyer couple still have a son. That is, life goes on.

Unfortunately, ownership did not remain in the hands of Boye's son for long - the castle was confiscated by the king
Francis I under the pretext of compensation for financial embezzlement (embezzlement) on the part of Thomas Boyer.
In those days, this was a common practice: if you liked the castle, the owner was immediately accused of something,
then prison-sentence-scaffold. So the guy got off easy - he just lost the lock,
not the head. I think that's exactly how it came about raider takeover. (We shake our fists at France)))
In general, sources claimed that the expropriation of 1533 was dictated by the desire of the king
to own a beautiful estate, famous for its hunting grounds. And Francis I was
a passionate hunter and sometimes visited Chenonceau, accompanied by a small retinue of special
those close to you. Hunting trips, holidays, literary evenings according to fashion
of that time. Among the close people was Diane de Poitiers. As I said earlier, Diana
always had great influence on the Dauphin Henry, who, having become king in 1547, despite
his marriage to Catherine de Medici, did not stop showering Diana with all kinds of gifts. Soon and
Chenonceau became the property of Diana, contrary to all laws prohibiting the alienation of properties belonging to the Crown. The scandal, of course, was terrible: no-no-no-no give royal
own! But is it possible to prove anything to a man in love? In such cases they think
a completely different place. If they think at all. Diana, pardon me, held Henry tightly by the balls
all his life - and all his life it was SHE who thought and led France! These are the facts. Nothing personal.
I am sure: if Chenonceau had not been a royal possession, then the fact of this donation would not have
I would be excited. Now we admire this castle. And then, at the time of donation, the castle was nothing
It wasn’t anything special - a shack on the river bank, essentially. Against the backdrop of Chambord it looks like a hut.
This is roughly what it all looked like. And yes, Diana herself built the bridge across the river. So???

Do you really think that all this fuss arose because of this 8-room house? I have
a clearer picture. Diana got what was first on top. Yes, she had stables in her home castle
more. As for the current appearance of Chenonceau Castle, this is the merit of Diana herself and subsequent owners.

Throughout his life, Henry II continued to shower Diana with gifts. Thanks to these
Since 1551, Diana de Poitiers was able to undertake work to improve her
property, including the redevelopment of a park and an orchard in which vegetables and fruits grew,
considered exotic at that time, such as artichokes and melons. She made me measure it
depth of Sher for the purpose of the proposed construction of a stone bridge, which was carried out
designed by Philibert Delorme.

But “nothing lasts forever under the moon” - in 1559, according to the prediction of Nostradamus, Henry II died
from a mortal wound inflicted on him at the tournament by Montgomery's spear. The Queen, becoming regent,
hastened to return the Crown Treasures and, first of all, the Chenonceau castle. After some
After hesitation, Diana realized that it was better to give in, and retired to her castle of Ane, where she soon
died at the age of 66. Returning to Chenonceau, Catherine de' Medici organized there
magnificent celebrations in honor of his son Francis II and his wife Mary Stuart.
The architect Primaticcio designed the estate with extraordinary splendor: columns, statues, fountains,
triumphal arches, obelisks... A battery of 30 cannons saluted in the courtyard. New ones were broken
gardens and new office premises were built. These works were completed in 1568 by the time
signing of the Peace of Amboise.

In 1580, the architect Andruet Ducerseau embodied the plan of Philibert Delorme, building on the bridge
across the Cher River a new wing. The top floor, equipped as a ballroom, was richly
decorated like the rest of the castle. Luxurious holidays at which courtiers
young ladies were often half naked (this was the “flying squadron”, whose duties
included the collection of all kinds of information, which was then transmitted to the queen), ended with
the death of Catherine, which overtook her in Blois in 1589. In her will she gave the castle to
Chenonceau Louise de Vaudemont, wife of Henry III. A few months later, in August 1589,
the king was killed by Jacques Clément. Before his death, he dictated a letter to his wife, in which
said: “My darling, I hope that I will get well soon, ask the Lord for me and not
leave where you are". Perhaps these words were the reason why
the queen remained in Chenonceau until her death. All festivities have stopped, furniture
was covered with black draperies as a sign of mourning, and the queen called the Ursulines to the castle for
joint prayers.

According to royal custom, which had existed since antiquity, she wore white mourning, which she did not remove until 1601, the year of her death, which is where her name “The White Lady” came from. The castle was inherited by Françoise de Mercoeur, the wife of Caesar of Vendôme. From this moment on, the kings of France left Chenonceau. The last to live there was Louis XIV in 1650 at the age of 12. The state of abandonment in which the Dukes of Vendôme and the Bourbons-Condé left the castle was interrupted by the conversion of one of its wings into a Capuchin monastery. A drawbridge remained from this era, which served to isolate the monks from the outside world.
In 1733, the Duke of Bourbon sold the castle to the wealthy landowner-banker Claude Dupin. His wife, a fan of the arts, science, literature and theater, opened a fashionable salon in Chenonceau, in which the names of many celebrities of that era flashed: Fontenelle, Buffon, Montesquieu, Mably, Marivaux, Voltaire, Condillac, Madame de Tenay, Madame du Deffant... Jean-Jacques Rousseau became Madame Dupin's secretary and her daughter's mentor. He then wrote: “... There was a lot of entertainment in this wonderful place, they fed very well here, I became fat like a monk..”
Madame Dupin spent her recent years in the castle, surrounded by her village servants, who loved her very much. Thanks to this, Chenonceau did not receive any damage during the Revolution. Abbe Leconte, the village curé, spoke out against the more heated revolutionaries, telling them: “There is only one bridge between Montrichard and Blair, and you want to destroy it! You are enemies of the public good!”
Madame Dupin died in 1799 at the age of 93 and was buried in the castle park, as she had wished.

The deserted castle was sold in 1864 to Madame Pelouse, who undertook extensive restoration
work, intending to return the castle to its original appearance (before the transformations of Catherine de Medici).
Thus, the facade lost its windows and caryatids, but the wing on the bridge over the Cher was not touched.
After the ruin of the Pelouse family, the castle was confiscated in 1888 by the Land Credit, which sold
to Henri Meunier, one of the rich industrialists of the time. The castle is still the property of this family. In 1914, Gaston Meunier, then senator of the Seine-et-Marne department, converted the castle into a hospital, where he housed more than 2,000 wounded until the end of the First World War. During the Second World War, there was a contact point for local partisans here.
Today the castle, completely restored, is open to the public.

In the next post I will give you a full tour of Chenonceau Castle.
Let's go through all the corridors, rooms, nooks and paths. In general, I'm bored
you don’t have to, especially since I, as always, will amuse you with my comments.

The Chenonceau estate, or Chateau de Chenonceau (in the original Chateau de Chenonceau), is located south of the French village of the same name. It is rightfully recognized as one of the best and most famous in the Loire Valley.

The main pearl of the estate is the medieval castle. Its architecture has a mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance.

It is built above the Cher River, which in clear weather is so quiet and calm that it looks like an ordinary lake. Interesting feature The Chenonceau estate is that it was built, maintained and expanded mainly under the influence of noble women. For more than 4 centuries, female continuity was maintained here. That is why Chenonceau is also known as the “ladies' castle”.

Where is Chateau de Chenonceau

This beautiful castle can be seen in the Loire department in central France.

Geographic coordinates 47.324807, 1.070332

Nearest large city Tour 30 kilometers to the west.

History of Chenonceau

The very first mention of the Chenonceau estate dates back to the 11th century. Then there was a fortress surrounded by moats with water. It was connected to the shore by a drawbridge (as befits the classical Middle Ages). There was a mill nearby. Its foundation later served as the basis for the construction of the castle.

It is known that in the 13th century the Chenonceau estate belonged to the Marquez family.

In 1412, the castle was burned to teach its owner Jean Marquez a lesson for rebellion. It was restored in the 1430s, but Marquez's wife insisted on selling the estate.

The current castle was built in 1514-1522. In 1556-1559 it was supplemented with a bridge across the river. The construction of the crossing was carried out under the leadership of the French Renaissance architect Philibert de L'Orme. In 1570-1576, a beautiful gallery was built on the bridge, designed by the architect Jean Boulant.

It was mainly women who were involved in the construction, repair and modernization of the castle and the surrounding area. Here are the most famous of them.

Catherine Brissonette

The castle we see now was built at the beginning of the 16th century. At that time, Thomas Boyer bought land here and demolished the obsolete buildings and mill. The vacant space became a site for the construction of a new castle. It was under the supervision of Boyer's wife, Catherine Brisonnet, that the bulk of the work was carried out.

After Boyer died, King Francis I appropriated the castle for debts. But he did not have time to properly dispose of the estate, as he soon died, and the estate passed to his son Henry the Second. He gave the castle to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. I must say the lady really liked the estate, and she put a lot of effort into it. In particular, gardens were laid out in the surrounding area and a bridge appeared across the river.

Henry II died in 1559, and his legal wife (already a widow at that time) Catherine de Medici kicked her husband's mistress out of the castle.

By the way, Catherine also liked this castle. She spent a lot of money on its restoration and expansion. A two-story gallery in Italian Renaissance style was added to the bridge.

Catherine de' Medici died in 1589, and the castle went to her daughter-in-law Louise de Lorraine Vaudemont, who was the wife of King Henry III.

Unfortunately, in the same year, Henry III was killed (in general, in the Middle Ages it was fashionable to periodically kill various kings, lords and other nobles). Louise fell into a deep depression and turned Chenonceau Castle almost into a tomb. She repainted her room black. There was a sense of mourning throughout the entire estate.

A hundred years of oblivion

Louise subsequently gave the castle to her niece, who was engaged to the son of Henry the Fourth. But over the next 100 years, few people were interested in the castle, and it gradually began to collapse.

In 1733, the castle was acquired by Claude Dupin. His wife, also Louise, organized a literary salon in the castle, which became quite famous in elite circles. Famous writers and playwrights often visited here.

Worth mentioning interesting fact saving Chenonceau.
During the French Revolution, rebels planned to destroy the castle as a symbol of the king's power. Louise practically saved the entire estate by reminding the angry crowd that the castle's bridge was the only river crossing in the area.

Margarita Pelous

In 1864, she purchased the castle and immediately began to restore it to its original condition. Significantly updated and improved the interior, got rid of several transformations by Catherine de Medici. But Margarita was so carried away by modernization that she spent too much money. As a result, the estate had to be sold to avoid the formation of large debts.

As you can see, a lot of women have invested in Chenonceau, which is why it is often called the “Ladies' Castle”.

The Chenonceau estate today

Now the castle belongs to the Menier family. Henri Emile Anatole Meuniere (member of a famous family of confectioners) bought it back in 1913.

During the First World War, a hospital was set up here to treat wounded soldiers.

Exhibit illustrating the castle hospital

During the Second World War, the castle was bombed by both the German army and the anti-Hitler coalition. As a result, the castle suffered significant damage. In 1951, the Menier family entrusted the restoration of the castle to Bernard Voisin and was right. He brought the destroyed structure to almost perfect condition.

Since 1840, the French Ministry of Culture awarded the estate the status of a historical monument.

Chenonceau Castle in tourism

Despite the fact that the estate is privately owned, it is accessible to tourists. It is one of the most visited places in the country. Up to 1 million travelers come here every year. For example, in 2007, about 800,000 people visited it.

At the entrance to the estate there is a beautiful alley of plane trees. To the right you can see the garden of Diane de Poitiers, and at its entrance is the manager's house, built in the 16th century.

On the lower floor of the castle is the Hall of the Guards. Tapestries from the 16th century hang here. You can also go to the Green Hall and the Room of the “Five Queens” (it is named after the two daughters and three daughters-in-law of Catherine de Medici), the bedroom of Diane de Poitiers and the room of Catherine de Medici herself. In total, about 20 rooms are available for tourists, with medieval interiors and furniture.

Living room

Kitchen room

Outside the castle, but on the grounds of the Chenonceau estate, there is a wax museum "Gallery of the Dames", a parking lot and picnic areas.

Working hours

January 1 - February 9 from 9:30 to 17:00
February 10 – April 6 from 9:30 to 17:30
April 7 – May 27 from 9:00 to 18:30
May 28 – June 30 from 9:00 to 19:00
July 1 - August 26 from 9:00 to 19:30
August 27 – September 30 from 9:00 to 19:00
October 1 – November 5 from 9:00 to 18:30
November 6 – November 11 from 9:00 to 18:00
November 12 – December 21 from 9:30 to 17:00
December 22 – December 31 from 9:30 to 17:30

Cost of visit

In general, entry to the estate is free, but you will have to pay to visit the gardens, the castle itself and the gallery.

Adults – 14 euros
Students and children from 7 to 18 years old – 11 euros
Children under 7 years old - free

How to get there

The castle is located 214 km from Paris, 30 km from Tours.
From Paris, Chenonceau can be reached in 2 hours via the A10 motorway (exit Blois or Amboise).
By rail in 1 hour 40 minutes from Paris to the city of Tours, and then half an hour from Tours to the castle. Get off at Chenonceau station. The train station is located near the ticket office (400 m).
By car from the city of Tours, Chenonceau Castle can be reached along roads No. D976 or D40-D140.

More detailed information about the opening hours, cost and conditions for visiting Chenonceau Castle can be obtained on the official website of the attraction - https://www.chenonceau.com/

Chenonceau Castle video

The first 15 minutes of this video are dedicated to Chenonceau Castle. The rest of the time is devoted to the castles of Amboise and Chaumont-sur-Loire, which in turn are also very interesting. Enjoy watching!

And, back to the magnificent

The Loire, the longest of French rivers, flows leisurely through green plains stretching from the Massif Central to Atlantic Ocean. The lush fertility of the beautiful Loire Valley was appreciated not only by the French, who fought for it with foreigners for centuries.

Eleven centuries ago, the first fortresses were built here to protect against Norman raids. Initially these were temporary structures; later, when building materials began to be mined in the valley in the 11th century - tuff, slate and easy-to-work limestone - numerous castles of the Loire.

They were surrounded by moats with drawbridges and massive walls with towers and loopholes. The spirits who, according to legend, live in the huge, sad castles of Angers and Langeais or in the ruins of Chinon could tell a lot about the dark times of defensive wars.

French kings and aristocracy of the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance turned the middle reaches of the Loire into a region of luxurious castles - chateaus. The most famous poets and artists were invited here, and troubadours sang for the royal favorites.

Passions were in full swing in the Loire, and entire fortunes were wasted. During the Renaissance, many castles in the Loire Valley were rebuilt. Invited Italian masters (one of them was Leonardo da Vinci himself) turned medieval fortresses into fairy-tale palaces; A number of new castles were also erected, such as Chenonceau.

Like many castles in the Loire Valley, Chenonceau was never intended for defensive purposes, although it is decorated with high walls and towers typical of medieval castles (like the castle of Amboise, Mont Saint-Michel, or the castles of England: Conwy, Harlech, Carnarvon) . Instead, Chenonceau Castle is an amazingly luxurious palace, the beauty of which can only be eclipsed by the Palace of Versailles.

Chenonceau was nicknamed the ladies' castle. The building's design reflected the passions of its owners with a gentle touch. Catherine Briconnet, wife of Thomas Boyer, a wealthy tax collector, built this elegant castle in 1521 on the site of an ancient 13th-century fortress. After their death, the son inherited huge debts along with the castle. He had to sell Chenonceau to the French crown.

When King Henry II came to the throne of France in 1547, he gave the charming estate to his mistress Diane de Poitiers, the first beauty of the time, 19 years older than Henry. Diana built an arched bridge over the river, giving the impression that the castle was floating on water, making it one of the most beautiful in the Loire Valley.

After Henry's death, his wife, Catherine de' Medici, decided to take revenge on her mistress. She knew how attached Diana was to Chenonceau and, in order to hurt her feelings, Catherine demanded that Chenonceau be given to her in exchange for Chaumont Castle. But Diana moved to her castle Anet, where she died seven years later.

With her characteristic taste and ostentatious luxury, Catherine made her improvements to the landscaping of the gardens, completed the construction of a drawbridge and a 70-meter gallery on the bridge over the river. Architect Primaticcio designed the estate with extraordinary splendor: columns, statues, fountains, triumphal arches, obelisks. Beautiful lavish balls, masquerades and fireworks followed each other in succession, surprising contemporaries with their scope. A battery of 30 cannons saluted in the courtyard. Here the idea of a holiday from the time of Louis XI (mid-15th century) was renewed, when women dressed in men's suits, and men into women.

Catherine bequeathed Chenonceau to Louise of Lorraine, the wife of her son Henry III. When he died unexpectedly, Louise took a vow of lifelong mourning. For eleven years, the castle became the crypt of the “White Queen,” as Louise was nicknamed for her refusal to remove the widow’s white robes according to traditional etiquette.

The last of the French royal family to Chenonceau Louis XIV lived at the age of 12 in 1650. The castle was abandoned until one wing was converted into a Capuchin monastery. The monks built a drawbridge to isolate them from the outside world.

During the French Revolution, Chenonceau Castle was saved from destruction by its next patron - Louise Dupin, the wife of banker Claude Dupin, who bought the castle in 1733. A big fan of the arts, science and literature, Louise set up a fashionable salon and a small theater in Chenonceau, where all the celebrities of the time gathered, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau. They say that the peasants loved her very much, so the castle was not damaged by the revolutionaries.

In 1864, Chenonceau was bought by Madame Pelouz, who dedicated her life to restoring the castle. Since 1913, the castle has belonged to the Meunier family (a famous candy manufacturer), who completed restoration work and returned the castle to its former glory. Today Chenonceau is privately owned, but is open to tourists.

At the entrance to Chenonceau castle there is a magnificent alley of centuries-old plane trees, behind which sirens, nymphs and satyrs once hid during the celebrations in honor of the accession of Charles IX to the throne.

After passing the drawbridge, you will reach a terrace surrounded by a moat. To the left is the Italian garden of Diane de Poitiers, to the right is the Catherine de' Medici park. At the corner of the Main Courtyard stands a medieval donjon - the oldest building of the castle, preserved from the old fortress. Bohier's initials are engraved on it: T.V.K. (Thomas Bohier and Katherine) and the inscription: “Whoever comes here someday, let him remember me.”

Chenonceau Castle consists of a rectangular main building with turrets at the corners. On the left there is a car park, a bookstore and a storage facility. The two-story gallery of Catherine de Medici stretches across the bridge. On the ground floor there is the Hall of the Guards, decorated with 16th-century Flemish tapestries. The chapel houses the Carrara marble sculpture of the Madonna and Child. Next is the Green Hall of Catherine de Medici with tapestries, the room of Diane de Poitiers with an elegant fireplace, a gallery with paintings by Rubens, Primaticcio, Nattier and other artists.

You can climb to the second floor via a staircase with straight flights (which was an innovation in France at that time). In addition to the ballroom, there is a gallery of tapestries with hunting scenes and marble statues of Roman emperors brought by Catherine from Florence, the Gabrielle d'Estrée room, the State Room, or the room of the "Five Queens" (Catherine's two daughters and her three daughters-in-law, including Mary Stuart and Queen Margot). All rooms are furnished and beautifully decorated.

Under the roofs there was a small monastery with a drawbridge. In the buildings where there were royal stables and where silkworms were raised for the first time in France, there is now a wax museum - the “Gallery of Ladies”.

Finally, take a walk in the luxurious 18th-century park with yew labyrinths with caryatids on the picturesque shore of the Loire Valley, the beauty of which can only be rivaled by the royal castles of Germany in the Bavarian Alps: Neuschwanstein, Linderhof and Herrenchiemsee.

The area where the castle and gardens of Chenonceau are located is an outstanding testimony to the delicate taste of the two talented women: Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Medicis and for this reason it has a second, popular name - “ladies' castle”. Since the completion of their creation, the gardens have always been an integral part and worthy decoration of the magnificent castle, which is one of the so-called castles of the Loire (castles built on or near the banks of the picturesque Loire River).

According to historical data, the history of the Chenonceau estate began in the middle of the 13th century. Subsequently, the lands passed into different hands several times, and the castle itself was rebuilt. At the beginning of the 16th century, the estate was bought by the financier Thomas Boyer, a big fan of the Renaissance style, who invested huge amounts of money in the construction of a new castle, created according to the canons of this style. However, the Boyer family did not own their beautiful castle for long - soon after the death of the head of the family, the Castle was confiscated by King Francis I for fraud and violations allegedly committed by Boyer in his financial service. Subsequently, the king repeatedly visited the Chenonceau estate, which was famous not only for its majestic castle, but also for its extensive hunting grounds. Among his entourage, who often came here with the king, was, of course, his son Henry with his wife Catherine de Medici and his son's favorite Diane de Poitiers. It is difficult to say what kind of relationship actually connected Henry and Diana, but... soon after Henry became king (1547), he gave her the Chenonceau estate.

Without exaggeration, 1551 can be called the year of birth of the Chenonceau gardens. Having received the estate as a gift, Diane de Poitiers set about improving the territory of the castle, where at that time there was only orchard and a small vegetable garden with some plants that were fashionable at the time.

Over the next five years, many important changes took place here and today this part of the Chenonceau gardens is known as the Garden of Diane de Poitiers - "Le Jardin de Diane". The garden contains retaining walls and raised terraces, thanks to which it is protected from floods located near the Cher River. This is a kind of green theater, with an area of more than 1.2 hectares, built in accordance with very simple plan: two large diagonal alleys that intersect in the center, forming four triangles. Each triangle was then also divided into two equal parts by alleys running through the center and decorated with santolina plantings with a total length of 3,000 meters.

The beauty of the garden lies not only in its simple design, but also in the assortment of plants used here - fruit trees and shrubs, hawthorn, hazel, while on the edges of the alleys strawberry trees and violets. Many famous gardeners have cared for the beauty of this place over the years, including the Archbishop of Tours and his vicar (assistant), as well as Jean de Selve - friend and protector of the famous French scientist Bernard Palissy. On a commemorative bronze plate placed near the garden we can read the description of the garden given by Jacques Androuet du Cerceau in his book "The Most Excellent Houses of France", written between 1576-1579.

The assortment of plants in flower beds changes twice a year. Spring plantings include: yellow and blue varieties of Viola (Pansy), white roses depending on the theme of the flower garden, pink and white daisies, forget-me-nots and numerous bulbs. Summer favorites: petunias, tobacco, dwarf dahlias, verbena and, of course, begonias.

In the immediate vicinity of Diane de Poitiers's garden is the Chancery, the house of the property manager, and a wooden pier entwined with vines. From the pier you can go on one of the boat trips along the Cher River.

King Henry II was seriously wounded during the tournament and died on July 10, 1559. Fearing troubles from the king's widow, which her former "merits" promised her, Diana hastened to return the Chenonceau estate to Catherine de' Medici.

In the minds of the new mistress of the castle, Chenonceau was to become the residence of the king, just like the Tuileries Palace. The Italian architect and sculptor Francesco Primaticcio was invited for construction work, who erected new arches, fountains and obelisks, and also participated in the creation of new gardens.

Catherine produced others global changes, for example, built a garden of curiosities among a variety of flowers and shrubs, which included an aviary, a menagerie, sheepfolds, artificial caves and the Fountain du Rocher.

Catherine de' Medici bequeathed Chenonceau to her daughter-in-law Louise of Lorraine, wife of Henry III. When Louise learned of the murder of her husband, she forever dressed in white - the mourning color of queens - and retired to her apartments, decorating them with mourning symbols and black draperies.

After the death of Louise of Lorraine, the castle fell into disrepair, and in 1773 it was sold to Claude Dupin, tax collector from Chateauroux. Under the Dupins, Chenonceau was restored and regained its former splendor. Madame Dupin, a fan of the arts, science, literature and theater, created a salon in Chenonceau, which was visited by the most famous people culture of the 18th century from Marivodeau to Voltaire and Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

In 1864, the castle was bought by Madame Peleuz. She carefully restored the castle, giving the buildings their original appearance, and then sold it to its modern owners, the Meunier family

Chenonceau Castle is open daily from 9.00 to 19.00 in summer and from 9.30 to 17.00 in winter, in July and August until 20.00. Closed December 25 and January 1. Cost: 10.50 euros, with audio guide and museum visit - 15.50 euros. Chenonceau is one of the busiest attractions in France, so it's best to arrive early to avoid the crowds. Official website: www.chenonceau.com