The Château de Chenonceau, located in the Loire Valley in France, exemplifies ladylike elegance, from its impeccable profile to its extravagantly decorated interiors.  With bright white façades, turrets and its iconic bridge, the Château de Chenonceau is a Renaissance masterpiece.  Its highly sophisticated polish is due in part the impact of the great ladies of history on its architecture, in particular, the “builder queen”, Catherine de’ Medici.  Particularly known for the influence of women on its design, it is known as the Ladies’ Château.

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In 2019, the Château de Chenonceau celebrated the 500^th birthday of Queen Catherine de’ Medici, born in Florence in 1519, and an important figure in the castle’s design.

History of the Château de Chenonceau

The history of the Château de Chenonceau is particularly known for the almost uninterrupted succession of women who built, embellished, protected, restored and saved the château.  It started out as a medieval Château in the 12^th and 13^th centuries, and all that remains is the dungeon known as the “Tour des Marques”.  The builders of the Château as it is now were Thomas Bohier, but especially his wife, Catherine Briçonnet, from 1513 to 1517.

In 1535, Francois I took possession of the Château from its owner due to unpaid debts to the crown.  Next, King Henry II offered it, not to the Queen, but to his favorite mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who became quite attached to the Château along the river.  In 1555, she commissioned Philibert de l’Orme to build the arched bridge joining the Château to its opposite bank on the river.  Diane also famously oversaw the planning of an extensive garden, complete with flower and vegetable gardens and fruit trees.

In 1559, following the death of her husband King Henry II, Catherine de’ Medici evicted Diane de Poitiers and made Chenonceau her own favorite residence.  While throwing lavish and decadent parties, she ruled France from her office at the Château, known as the “Cabinet Vert” (the Green Office). 

When Catherine died in 1589, her daughter-in-law, Louise de Lorraine, who was married to King Henry III, inherited the castle.  She was at Chenonceau when she learned of her husband’s assassination. As a widow, she spendt 11 years roaming the halls in mourning, amidst black tapestries stitched with skulls and crossbones.

In 1733, the estate was sold for 130,000 livres to a wealthy squire named Claude Dupin.  His wife, Louise Dupin, the “Dame des Lumières” (Lady of the Lights), attracted the most erudite of the Enlightenment, the French philosophers and academics, in her literary salon.  This exceptional woman was the first to write the “Code des Droits de la Femme” (Declaration of the Rights of Women) with the help of Jean Jacques Rousseau.

In 1864, Madame Pelouze, born Margaret Wilson, a wealthy heiress, acquired the Château.  She commissioned the architect Felix Roguet to restore it, including removing several of Catherine de’ Medici’s additions. Unfortunately for Madame Pelouze, between the cost of her extensive renovations and the extravagant parties she threw, her finances were exhausted and the Château was seized and sold.

Finally, in 1913, Henri Menier, part of a family famous for their chocolates, purchased the Château and the family still owns it to this day.  During WWI, the gallery was used as a hospital ward.  During WWII, the Château was bombed by the Germans in June 1940.  The gallery was the only way to access the free zone and the Menier family facilitated clandestine passage for those escaping Nazi tyranny.  Harry Truman visited the castle during his first visit to France. 

The château has been open to visitors since 1913 thanks to the family that owns it. And, faithful to its lineage, it still receives royalty, state officials and celebrities to this day.

Interiors of the Château de Chenonceau

Based on plans from a Venetian palace, Catherine de’ Medici, queen of Florentine origins, built the two galleries on the Cher river, making a sort of Ponte Vecchio. From the kitchens to the bedrooms to the living rooms, passing through two majestic galleries, wandering through the château allows visitors to understand the history of the place.

The chateau is an architectural collection composed of three distinct parts:

1. The main two-story building built on the foundations of what was once a medieval mill.
2. The long gallery which rests on the 5 arches that cross the Cher river
3. The “Tour des Marques”, the remnant of the medieval, original chateau

There are 20 wonderfully preserved rooms which are open to the public.  I was astonished at the incredible old furniture, paintings, and rare tapestries.

Among the most notable aspects of the visit were the Chapel, the Cabinet Vert (Catherine de’ Medici’s “Green Office”), the bedrooms of Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de’ Medici, the Gallery, the salons of Francois I and Louis XIV.

I especially loved the kitchen. All the tools and accessories are perfectly preserved and on display, giving visitors a real opportunity to experience life in the 16th century.

Gardens of the Château de Chenonceau

The Diane de Poitiers Garden is quite impressive.  It borders the river and is designed in true Renaissance style.  Two perpendicular alleys and two other diagonal alleys border 8 large triangles of grass decorated with delicate flowers.  The original water feature is still there, just as in the time of Diane de Poitiers.  The terraced garden is raised, so as to avoid damage from when the Cher river overflows.  All around are shrubs, yews, boxwood, laurels, all perfectly manicured.  Hibiscus bloom in the summer and flowers bordering the pathways reinforce the rigorous geometry of the garden, while roses climb the walls, giving the Château a romantic feel.

Meanwhile, the Catherine de’ Medici garden is where there is the best view of the west façade of the Château.  It is laid out in 5 panels of lawn around an elegant circular water fountain, punctuated with perfectly round boxwoods.  To the East, the garden is full of roses and lavender.

Practical Information

In terms of amenities, the château today has an upscale restaurant, L’Orangerie (reservations definitely recommended), as well as a casual restaurant and “creperie”.  In addition, it has a lovely wine cave where you can taste local wines in a vaulted cellar dating back to the 16^th century.  Many visitors enjoy picnicking along the moat at the entrance of the château.  There is parking nearby and a charming gift shop.  For the most part, the château opens at 9am all throughout the year and closing times depend on the time of year.

I end this post with a quote that I read in the gallery of the Château de Chenonceau, which I found quite beautiful:

Let’s look at it from a new perspective, leaving aside these very well-known figures, these silhouettes on the magic lantern of French history.  Let’s give a thought to some other successive occupants of the Château, anonymous inhabitants who are far more numerous than those we know or believe we know…
Let’s take a few steps back:  let’s think about the countless generations of birds that have flocked around these walls, the skillful architecture of their nests, the royal genealogies of the animals in the forest and their dens or their unadorned shelters, their hidden life, their almost always-tragic death, so often at the hand of man.
Take another step along the paths:  let’s dream about the great race of trees, with different species taking over in succession, compared to whose age four or five hundred years means nothing.
Another step further on, far from any human concerns, here is the water in the river, water that is both older and newer than any other form, and which has for centuries washed the cast-offs of history.  Visiting old residences can lead us to see things in a rather unexpected way.

–       Marguerite Yourcenar, de l’Académie Française (1903-1987), « Sous bénéfice d’inventaire » 1962

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