From the viewpoint located in front of the castle, there are many who think that the Chenonceau castle has an undoubted resemblance to the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, only in the land of the Loire. The arches of the Diana Bridge that support the prodigious gallery give the complex a fantastic seal. with which he manages to stand out in a valley lavish with castles and palaces. The Château de Chenonceau floats magically on its own reflection in the bed of the Cher River. An aesthetic beauty with an equally unique history. Not in vain, it is known as the “Castle of the Ladies”. And certainly, he owes everything to them, his majesty and his stories of love and jealousy.
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A STORY IN A FEMALE KEY
this castle appears in historical chronicles early in the 11th century as a feudal residence belonging to the Marquis family. It was like this until the beginning of the 15th century, when a royal order forced it to be destroyed because its original owners had participated in activities against the king. The square residential body was built between 1513 and 1521 by Thomas Bohier, secretary of the treasury of King Francis; but The man was so busy with the issue of finances that it was his wife, Katherine Briçonnet, who was in charge of directing the work of the castle.
However, after the death of Thomas Bohier there was a financial audit that revealed an ugly matter of embezzlement, which allowed Francis I to recover ownership of the castle, which would in turn become a real estate gift for his famous favorite. Diana of Poitiers, Duchess of Valentinois. She was this the one responsible for the construction of the beautiful gardens and the bridge. Thus embellished, the castle became the court of Francis I of France. Finally, Catherine de’ Medici, was the one who ended up giving it its current shape, devising the two galleries that flank the river. A long history that goes from the Middle Ages, to the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, reaching World War II, when the castle became a military hospital.
Catherine de’ Medici turned the place into a refined court and received such famous historical figures as Voltaire, Montesquieu, Buffon and Rousseau. And in it, she wrote one of the first known “Codes of Women’s Rights.” A true pioneer. The castle also houses an exceptional collection of paintings by the great masters, with pieces by Murillo, Tintoretto, Nicolas Poussin, Correggio, Rubens, Primaticcio, along with a unique selection of Flanders Tapestries from the 16th century.
