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Chenonceau:
A Chateau Fit for a Queen By
Arnie Greenberg Here's a chateau with an interesting pastime and a feast for the eyes. It's often referred to as the Chateau des Dames or the Woman's Chateau. The chateau is not far from Tours in the Loire Valley. In the early fifteenth century it was only a windmill supporting a fortress. Now only the tower is left. An Extension of a 16th-Century Chateau What you see today is the extension of a 16th-century chateau built for Thomas Bohier, a tax collector and his wealthy wife, Catherine Briconnet, the heir to a family of financiers. What they started was a far cry from the old medieval architecture, a simple square pavilion decorated with a tower at each corner. But the French Renaissance arrived and Chenonceau entertained changes with an elegance filled with innovative ideas. Of course, this was expensive even for the wealthy, and the chateau became the property of the Crown under Francis I. His son, Henri II, gave the site to his beautiful mistress, Diane of Poitiers. This blue-eyed beauty cast a spell on the French king, who was already married to Catherine of Medici. Diane was almost twenty years older than Henri.
(Another view of the lovely chateau, with the tower on the right) She enlarged the grounds by building a garden on the banks of the Cher River. She also built a bridge linking the chateau to the other side of the river. The expansion went on until Henri's death in 1559, when Catherine forced her rival to vacate the chateau. She would spend her exile nearby in a more somber setting. 'Still So Beautiful' A chronicler of the day wrote that 'she was still so beautiful, there was not a stone that wasn't sad.' But Catherine was bent upon extending the chateau. She created a new garden and added a building on the bridge itself with the water continuously flowing through its arches. This gave it the grandeur we see today, and later, her daughter, the widow of Henry III, decorated the rooms in mourning colors. By 1733 the chateau was leased and used to entertain some of the great names of French society, including Montesquieu and Jean Jacques Rousseau. Today it is privately owned, beautifully kept, and open to the public -- a must for anyone traveling in the area for the first time. Today, as you enter the grounds, there is ample parking for private cars and buses. Tickets are purchased at the gate entrance close by and you walk down a long road trimmed with tall plane trees. On your right as you cross into the living grounds is a restaurant and bathrooms, which you may want to visit after your tour. The ancient turret ahead to your right brings back memories of the chateau's beginnings. I was disappointed to find that it had been converted into a souvenir shop selling cards, posters, tapestries and the typical odds and ends for tourists. Cross the Moat, and It's Another World But once you cross the moat, you are in another world. You are in the original building, and as you walk through to the end, you find long rooms with ornate ceilings. You are really on the bridge over the Cher, but now it is part of this magnificent chateau. There are a number of floors open to the public and a tiny balcony facing the gardens, where cameras are necessary. The gardens are perfectly sculptured and kept. To your right next to the road you will see a gardener's house, typical of the era and one I wish I could live in for a week or two. Charming is the only word I can use for this small stone house. You can see Catherine de Medici's chamber, the wonderfully bright chapel, and the Grande Galerie built in Florentine style with an eye-appealing black-and-white floor. I suggest that you walk through the bedrooms, salons and main halls and look out the windows as you are standing over a river. The fireplaces conjure up memories of the great ladies who once lived there. Visit the Restaurant in the Orangerie On the way out, I usually visit the restaurant in the Orangerie, which has everything from a full-course meal to a soft drink or ice cream. There you can sit under a sun umbrella and just relax amid the flowers with a view you'll never forget. The damage done in a 1940 bombing raid has been repaired. Before
you leave, walk around the gardens and get a view of the chateau from the side
as the river flows through the arches.
Chenonceau is 214 Km from Paris and 34 Km from Tours Entrance
fees: Approx 7 Euros Other Chateaus in the Tours region: Azay-Le-Rideau, Usse and Villandry with its famous gardens. Blois, Chinon, Amboise.
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