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Top 9 Facts about the Chateau de Chenonceau

There are several Chateaux in Loire Valley in France and Chateau de Chenonceau is one of them.

This Chateau boasts of the most impressive architectures with historical significance.

Hundreds of thousands of tourists from all the four corners of the world visit this castle.

This Castle goes by another name, the Ladies Castle.

It is because some great women influenced the architecture and development of the Chateau over the years.

Standing proudly on the shores of River Cher, this castle and bridge were the only one for miles that could get one across to the other side.

For this reason, one of the women that owned the Chateau defended it from destruction during the war.

The Chateau is surrounded by beautiful landscape and well-manicured parks.

Inside the Chateau are rare art pieces painted by great artists like Rubens, Van Loo, Rigaud and Nattier.

It was established as a historic monument in 1840 by the French Ministry of Culture.

Here are more facts about Chateau de Chenonceau.

1. Several families have called the Chateau home

This chateau has a long and rich history of its previous owners.

The ownership has been passed through several monarchs since it was built. Through the many owners, came several changes and renovations of the Chateau.

The first owners of the Chateau were the Marques family. Their stay here was short-lived when the Chateau was burnt down.

Mr Marques had been accused of sedition. They rebuilt the Chateau together with its fortified mills.

Later on his son, Pierre Marques sold the Chateau after he got into debt.

He sold it to King Charles VIII manager in the 16^th century. They again made renovations of the Chateau to their liking.

The manager known as Bohier built a new residence from 1515 to 1521. His wife supervised the construction work.

They hosted King Francis I in this castle twice.

2. The Chateau was seized twice because of debt

By Yvan Lastes – Wikimedia

A few years after the main residence was completed, the Chateau was seized by King Francis I of France.

He took over the castle from Bohier’s son who failed to pay the crown its debt.

King Francis died in 1547 and Henry II offered the Chateau to his mistress as a gift.

Diane de Poitiers became attached to the Chateau that she extended it along the river.

She commissioned Philibert de l’Orme to build arched bridge joining the Chateau to its opposite bank.

In 1864, the castle had a new owner, Marguerite Pelouze. She was a rich heiress, acquired the château.

She also embarked on renovating the Chateau undoing most of the work done by Catherine de’ Medici the previous owner.

Marguerite spent so much on the renovations and hosting flamboyant parties.

She soon fell into debt and the castle was seized and sold.

3. The architecture of the Chateau is both Gothic and Renaissance

This Chateau has a beautiful blend of two architectural styles; Gothic and Renaissance.

The interiors of the guards’ room and the royalties’ bedroom have elements of late Gothic and early Renaissance designs.

This can be seen through the chests that decorate the rooms. These two designs can also be seen on the doors, chimneys and ceilings of each room.

Its beautiful gardens are open to the public and are one of the most visited castles in France.

The blend of architecture tells the story of its previous owners. Three previous owners contributed to the current design of the castle.

There are several Renaissance furniture in the castle, there is also a tapestry collection from the 16^th and 17^th century.

Masterpieces from Le Primatice, Rubens, Le Tintoret, Rigaud, Nattier can be found in the castle.

Rib vaults with detached keystones have been used to decorate the entrance hall.

The baskets have been decked with foliage, roses, cherubs, chimaera and cornucopia; they were made in 1515.

This is a true testament of the French Renaissance period.

4. The Chateau was turned into a military hospital during WWI

By Dennis Jarvis – Wikimedia

Between 1914 to 1918, Château de Chenonceau was transformed into a military hospital.

Gaston Menier, who owned the Chateau at the time offered space for a temporary military hospital at the castle.

Two galleries were turned into hospital rooms that had the capacity of 120 beds. There was an operating room with X-ray machines.

His wife, son and daughter volunteered to work at the hospital together with qualified doctors, nurses and surgeons.

Over 2,200 injured and disabled soldiers were treated here during the four years of World War I.

The Gallery of Domes pays homage to the memory of the health care providers that treated the wounded soldiers.

5. The Chateau was destroyed during WWII

The Chateau suffered damage during the Second World War when it was bombed by the Germans in1940.

This was the German’s tactic of avoiding other Nazi-occupied zones on the opposite side of River Cher.

Later in 1944, it got bombed by the Allied forces who attempted to get rid of the Germans.

The Chapel was hit leaving its windows destroyed. In 1951, the Menier family entrusted Bernard Voisin with the renovation of the château.

Other than the War, the flooded river had damaged the garden and other structures in the complex.

6. The Duke of Bourbon neglected the Chateau

The ownership of the Chateau was handed over to the Duke of Burbon who bought it in 1720.

He did not take good care of the castle and it soon fell apart. Several statues and art pieces were sold.

A restoration campaign of the chateau was started by Claude Dupin. He bought the castle for his wife who supervised its renovation.

Madame Dupin loved to entertain intellectuals such as Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Buffon, Montesquieu and several others.

Bernard Voisin is credited with the full restoration of the Chateau in 1951. He was an agronomist who reclaimed the land by the river.

7. Women influenced the changes in the architecture of the chateau

By Spsergio – Wikimedia

Chateau de Chenonceau is also known as the Ladies castle.

This is partly because it was owned by more women than men and the women commissioned or supervised renovations of the castle.

Katherine, Bohier’s wife, oversaw most of the construction work at the Chateau because her husband was away fighting wars.

Another woman that developed the castle further was Diane de Poitiers.

She was Henri II mistress, her contribution to the castle was adding the bridge over River Cher as well as the gardens.

Queen Catherine forced Diane out after King Henri II death.

Catherine built a gallery and an impressive ballroom on top of the bridge constructed by Diane.

8. Louise Dupin was one of the women that owned the Chateau

By Jean-Marc Nattier – Wikimedia

Another woman who owned the Chateau was Louise Dupin who inherited it from her father, Claude Dupin.

Unlike all the women that preceded her, she did not renovate or add anything to the castle.

Instead, she is remembered as the first woman who drafted a code for women’s rights.

She also hosted several great writers of the Enlightenment like Fortenelle, Rousseau, Condillac, and Voltaire at her literary salon.

Louise is responsible for saving the chateau from destruction during the French Revolution, stating that it was the only means of crossing the river for many miles.

9. The chapel in the Chateau was damaged

The small lovely chapel in Chenonceau had its original windows destroyed in 1944 during WWII.

They were not replaced until 1954 when the new stained-glass windows were designed by a master glassworker Max Ingrand.

The chapel was saved from destruction during the French Revolution when Miss Dupin used it to store firewood.