The châteaux of the Loire Valley () are part of the architectural heritage of the historic towns of Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Montsoreau, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours along the river Loire in France. They illustrate Renaissance ideals of design in France.
The châteaux of the Loire Valley number over three hundred, ranging from practical fortified castles from the 10th century to splendid residences built half a millennium later. When the French kings began constructing their huge châteaux in the Loire Valley, the nobility, drawn to the seat of power, followed suit, attracting the finest architects and landscape designers. The châteaux and their surrounding gardens are cultural monuments which embody the ideals of the Renaissance and Enlightenment. Many of the châteaux were built on hilltops, such as the Château d'Amboise, while the only one built in the riverbed is the Château de Montsoreau. Many had exquisite churches on the grounds or within the château.
History With the Hundred Years' War concluded, Charles VII, Louis XI, and their successors preferred to spend the bulk of their time in the "garden of France" along the banks of the Loire. In the late 15th century Tours, then Blois, and later Amboise became the preferred locations of the French royal court. Many courtiers bought dilapidated castles built by the medieval Counts of Blois and of Anjou, and they had them reconstructed in the latest Italianate fashion. Leonardo da Vinci and other Italian artists arrived to design and beautify these residences.
In the 16th century, Francis I moved his main residence back to the Louvre, in Paris. With him went the great architects, but the Loire Valley continued to be the place where French royalty preferred to spend their time when not in the capital. Toward the end of the 17th century, Louis XIV made the Île-de-France the permanent locale for great royal residences when he built the Palace of Versailles. Nonetheless, those who gained the king's favour, as well as the wealthy bourgeoisie, continued to renovate existing châteaux or build lavish new ones in the Loire Valley as summer residences.
The French Revolution saw a number of the great châteaux destroyed and many ransacked, their treasures stolen. The overnight impoverishment of many French noble families, usually after one of their members lost his or her head to the guillotine, saw many châteaux demolished. During World War I and World War II, various chateaux were commandeered as military headquarters. Some of these continued to be so used after the end of World War II.
Today, the remaining privately owned châteaux serve as homes and some of them open their doors to tourists, while others operate as hotels or bed-and-breakfasts. Many others have been taken over by local governments, and the grandest, like those at Chambord, are owned and operated by the national government and are major tourist sites, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.
List of châteaux of the Loire Though there may be no universally accepted definition for the designation, the main criterion is that the château must be situated close to the Loire or one of its tributaries (such as the Maine, Cher, Indre, Creuse or Loir). Châteaux further upstream than Gien are generally not included, with the possible exception of the Bastie d'Urfé for its historical significance.
Royal châteaux Château Commune Département Coordinates Historic Events Image Amboise Amboise Indre-et-Loire Accidental death of Charles VIII (1498) Amboise conspiracy (1560) Edict of Amboise with the Calvinists (1563) Angers Angers Maine-et-Loire Location of the Apocalypse Tapestry BloisBloisLoir-et-CherAssassination of Henry I, Duke of Guise (1588) Chambord Chambord Loir-et-Cher Considered the most magnificent Loire château Treaty of Chambord (1552) Chenonceau Chenonceaux Indre-et-Loire Owned by Diane de Poitiers (1547–1559) and Catherine de Médicis (1559–1589) Chinon Chinon Indre-et-Loire Meeting between Charles VII and Joan of Arc (1429) Langeais Langeais Indre-et-Loire Marriage of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany (1491) Loches Loches Indre-et-Loire Captured by Richard the Lionheart (1194) Residence of Agnès Sorel (1443–1450) Plessis-lez-ToursLa RicheIndre-et-LoireTreaty of Tours (1444)
Death of Louis XI (1483)
Death of Francis of Paola (1507), founder of the Order of Minims
Treaty of Plessis-les-Tours (1580)
Meeting between Henry III and the king of Navarre, future Henry IV, who allied against the Catholic League (1589) Saumur Saumur Maine-et-Loire "Château d'amour" of the king René of Anjou (1454–1472) Place of sanctuary for Protestants (1589) Tours Tours Indre-et-Loire Marriage of the future Louis XI and Margaret of Scotland (1436) Imprisonment of Charles, Duke of Guise (1588–1591)
Châteaux of the nobility Château Commune Département Coordinates Notes Image Azay-le-Rideau Azay-le-Rideau Indre-et-Loire Masterpiece of the first French Renaissance Armaillé Loches Indre-et-Loire Loches Château of Count Arthur de Marsay Beauregard Cellettes Loir-et-Cher Art gallery Brézé Brézé Maine-et-Loire Artifacts of Troglodytes under the château Deepest moats in France Brissac Brissac Loire Aubance Maine-et-Loire Seat of the Dukes of Brissac Chanteloup Amboise Indre-et-Loire Property of Duke of Choiseul (1760–1785) Châteaudun Châteaudun Eure-et-Loir Property of Jean de Dunois (1439–1468) Chaumont-sur-Loire Chaumont-sur-Loire Loir-et-Cher Property of Catherine de' Medici (1550–1559) et Diane de Poitiers (1559–1566) Cheverny Cheverny Loir-et-Cher Inspiration for Hergé's Marlinspike Hall Clos-Lucé Amboise Indre-et-Loire Home to Leonardo da Vinci (1516–1519) Meillant Meillant Cher Contains the famous Tour du Lion Montsoreau Montsoreau Maine-et-Loire Only Château in the Loire Valley constructed in the Loire riverbed Château de Montsoreau-Museum of Contemporary Art has the world's largest holding of Art & Language works Richelieu Richelieu Indre-et-Loire Property of Cardinal Richelieu (1621-1642) Sully-sur-Loire Sully-sur-Loire Loiret Property of Maximilien de Béthune, Duke of Sully (1602–1641) Ussé Rigny-Ussé Indre-et-Loire Inspiration for Charles Perrault's Sleeping Beauty Valençay Valençay Indre Property of Talleyrand (1803–1838) Villandry Villandry Indre-et-Loire Famous for its French formal gardens
Other châteaux Château Commune Département Coordinates Image Argy Argy Indre Azay-le-Ferron Azay-le-Ferron Indre Baugé Baugé Maine-et-Loire Beaugency Beaugency Loiret Boisgibault Ardon Loiret Boumois Saint-Martin-de-la-Place Maine-et-Loire Briare Briare Loiret Candé Monts Indre-et-Loire Chamerolles Chilleurs-aux-Bois Loiret Châteauneuf-sur-Loire Châteauneuf-sur-Loire Loiret Chémery Chémery Loir-et-Cher Chissay Chissay-en-Touraine Loir-et-Cher Courtalain Courtalain Eure-et-Loir Fougères-sur-Bièvre Fougères-sur-Bièvre Loir-et-Cher Gaillard Amboise Indre-et-Loire Gien Gien Loiret Gizeux Gizeux Indre-et-Loire Gué-Péan Monthou-sur-Cher Loir-et-Cher La Bourdaisière Montlouis-sur-Loire Indre-et-Loire La Bussière La Bussière Loiret La Farinière Cinq-Mars-la-Pile Indre-et-Loire La Ferté-Saint-Aubin La Ferté-Saint-Aubin Loiret La Possonnière Couture-sur-Loir Loir-et-Cher Lavardin Lavardin Loir-et-Cher Le Lude Le Lude Sarthe Le Moulin Lassay-sur-Croisne Loir-et-Cher Nevers Nevers Nièvre Le Plessis-Bourré Écuillé Maine-et-Loire Le Rivau Lemere Indre-et-Loire Le Roujoux Fresnes Loir-et-Cher Les Réaux Chouzé-sur-Loire Indre-et-Loire Luynes Luynes Indre-et-Loire Menars Menars Loir-et-Cher Meung-sur-Loire Meung-sur-Loire Loiret Montgeoffroy Mazé Maine-et-Loire Montigny-le-Gannelon Montigny-le-Gannelon Eure-et-Loir Montpoupon Céré-la-Ronde Indre-et-Loire Montrésor Montrésor Indre-et-Loire Montreuil-Bellay Montreuil-Bellay Maine-et-Loire Montrichard Montrichard Loir-et-Cher Saché Saché Indre-et-Loire Saint-Aignan Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher Loir-et-Cher Saint-Brisson Saint-Brisson-sur-Loire Loiret Selles-sur-Cher Selles-sur-Cher Loir-et-Cher Serrant Saint-Georges-sur-Loire Maine-et-Loire Talcy Talcy Loir-et-Cher Troussay Cheverny Loir-et-Cher Valmer Chançay Indre-et-Loire Vendôme Vendôme Loir-et-Cher Villesavin Tour-en-Sologne Loir-et-Cher
Map
See also
List of châteaux in France Tuffeau, principal building material of the Loire Valley Château de la Gaudinière
References
External links
Châteaux de la Loire, Finest France