A visit to Château de Chenonceau, with its magnificent setting straddling the River Cher in the village of Chenonceaux, about 200km southwest of Paris, is like stepping backward in time to the Renaissance, when a series of aristocratic and historically important women shaped the development of the Chateau, hosting opulent parties with illustrious guests amidst the background of court intrigue.VR photographer Laurent Thion brings the Château to life in his exquisite virtual tour featuring 30 fullscreen panoramas of Chenonceau's many bedrooms, kitchen, salon, galleries, staircase, gardens and surroundings. The virtual tour is in French but so simple and intuitive to navigate that language isn’t an issue, begins with three overview graphics of the chateau, each from a different perspective. The panoramas are listed around the graphic and when you mouse over any one of them, the corresponding area is highlighted in red on the graphic; click on it and a second window opens with the fullscreen pano.
Chenonceau (shen-ohn-soh') is sometimes referred to as "Le Château des Dames" for the five aristocratic women who shaped it and who each left their distinctive marks. As such, Chenonceau is highly feminine, light and practical in structure, and perhaps smaller than one would imagine. It is remarkable not only for its architecture and history, but also for the fine quality of its collections: Renaissance furniture, 16th and 17th century tapestries, and a number of masterpieces by Rubens, Rigaud, Nattier and Van Loo, amongst others. It is reputed to be the second largest tourist attraction in France, after Versailles.
The Women of Chenonceau
Catherine Briçonnet, wife of the first owner, built the turreted pavilion and one of the first straight staircases in France, at a time when circular staircases were in vogue. She was followed by Henry II's favorite mistress, the much older Diane de Poitiers, who added the formal gardens and bridge across the Cher. Catherine de Medici, wife of Henry II, evicted de Poitiers following her husband's death in 1559 and transformed the bridge into an Italian-style gallery. Louise de Lorraine, bereaved wife of Henri III (the third son of Catherine de Medici), inherited the château and lived as a hermit, painting her bedroom black. Madame Dupin, a cultured 18th century hostess, gave it fresh fame by the brilliant society she gathered and saved Chenonceaux from destruction during the Revolution (Rousseau tutored her son and wrote “Emile” for the boy). A sixth woman, Margeruite Wilson-Pelouze, a British millionaire, bought the castle in 1864 and spent her fortune on lavish parties. The castle was then sold at auction in 1889 and purchased by the Menier family, well known chocolate makers, who still own it today. In 1951, the Menier family entrusted the château's restoration to Bernard Voisin, who brought the dilapidated structure and the gardens (ravaged in the Cher River flood in 1940) back to a reflection of its former glory.
Catherine de Médicis’ Bedroom
The accompanying panorama shows the bedroom of Catherine de Médicis (1519-89), who was born into a life of high drama an intrigue as the daughter of Florentine ruler Lorenzo de’ Medici, or Lorenzo the Magnificent.
In 1533 she went to France as the bride of the future king Henry II, who became heir apparent in 1536 and king in 1547. Seven of her children survived infancy, and three of her sons were successively kings of France. Until her husband's death in 1559 she had little power and endured the domination of his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Upon the death of her first son, Francis II in 1560, the government fell entirely into her hands because of the young age of her second son, Charles IX.
Far from Paris, Chenonceau became her haven of peace and a symbol of her victory over her bitter rival Diane de Poitiers. The website France Monthly describes how “she lavished the castle in architectural and ornamental details that remain today, and enlarged the Italian gardens. She built the gallery above the river that Diane de Poitiers dreamed of, but she enhanced the design into a two-story gallery to adequately welcome all the kings, princes, courtiers, and over 300 damsels that made up her excessive entourage. For nearly a quarter of a century Catherine did not tire of her revenge, and her sumptuous galas and dubious moral standards within the castle become famous.”
Catherine’s bedroom at Chenonceau contains beautiful 16th century sculpted furniture and Flemish tapestries retracing Samson’s life. One illustrates the fable of “The Crayfish and the Oyster” or “Skill is greater than Cunning”. To the right of the bed hangs “The Teaching of Love” by Correggio, painted on wood (the London National Gallery has a version painted on canvas).
click here to view full tourVisiting Chenonceau
The Castle is located in Touraine on the Cher River’s bank and is 214 kms from Paris and 34 kms from Tours. There are no guided tours of the Castle but a brochure and iPod audio-guided tour
are available in eleven languages.
Chenonceau is open every day of the year.
From Paris, the duration of the trip is:
- two hours by car via motorway A10 known as the Aquitaine (exit Blois or Amboise)
- one hour by TGV from Paris-Montparnasse to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Tours)
- one hour and 35 minutes by TGV from Paris-CDG Airport to Saint-Pierre-des-Corps (Tours)
The virtual tour was produced for the briq agency for the Château de Chenonceau Official Website. Project direction by Brieuc Segalen.
Related Links:
- Château de Chenonceau Official Website
- Read France Monthly for an interesting summary on the history and women of Chenonceau
