Guarding Chenonceau

by Lainie Wrightson

Title

Guarding Chenonceau

Artist

Lainie Wrightson

Medium

Photograph - Photography-digital

Description

Sphinxes act as guards to the entrance of Chenonceau -----
The Ch�teau de Chenonceau ( also spelled Chenonceaux) is a French ch�teau spanning the River Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux in the Indre-et-Loire d�partement of the Loire Valley in France. It is one of the best-known ch�teaux of the Loire valley. Thomas Bohier (fr), Chamberlain to King Charles VIII of France, purchased the castle from Pierre Marques in 1513 (this leads to 2013 being considered the 500th anniversary of the castle: MDXIII�MMXIII.) Bohier demolished the castle, though its 15th-century keep was left standing, and built an entirely new residence between 1515 and 1521. The work was sometimes overseen by his wife Katherine Bri�onnet, who delighted in hosting French nobility, including King Francis I on two occasions. In 1535 the ch�teau was seized from Bohier's son by King Francis I of France for unpaid debts to the Crown; after Francis' death in 1547, Henry II offered the ch�teau as a gift to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, who became fervently attached to the ch�teau along the river. In 1555 she commissioned Philibert de l'Orme to build the arched bridge joining the ch�teau to its opposite bank. Diane then oversaw the planting of extensive flower and vegetable gardens along with a variety of fruit trees. Set along the banks of the river, but buttressed from flooding by stone terraces, the exquisite gardens were laid out in four triangles.

Diane de Poitiers was the unquestioned mistress of the castle, but ownership remained with the crown until 1555, when years of delicate legal maneuvers finally yielded possession to her. After King Henry II died in 1559, his strong-willed widow and regent Catherine de' Medici forced Diane to exchange it for the Ch�teau Chaumont. Queen Catherine then made Chenonceau her own favorite residence, adding a new series of gardens. As Regent of France, Catherine spent a fortune on the ch�teau and on spectacular nighttime parties. In 1560, the first ever fireworks display seen in France took place during the celebrations marking the ascension to the throne of Catherine's son Francis II. The grand gallery, which extended along the existing bridge to cross the entire river, was dedicated in 1577. Catherine also added rooms between the chapel and the library on the east side of the corps de logis, as well as a service wing on the west side of the entry courtyard. From Wikipedia

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May 30th, 2016

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