The Château de Chenonceau in French
The Château de Chenonceau is a French château spanning the river Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire Valley.
The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556–1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l'Orme, and the gallery on the bridge, built from 1570 to 1576 to designs by Jean Bullant.
Thanks and credit to Google Earth Studio for this aerial video.
The estate of Chenonceau is first mentioned in writing in the 11th century. The current château was built in 1514–1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was later extended to span the river. The bridge over the river was built (1556–1559) to designs by the French Renaissance architect Philibert de l'Orme, and the gallery on the bridge, built from 1570 to 1576 to designs by Jean Bullant.
Thanks and credit to Google Earth Studio for this aerial video.
Transcript
00:00The Château de Chenonceau is a French château spanning the river Cher, near the small village
00:13of Chenonceau, Indre-et-Loire, centre-ville de Loire.
00:18It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire Valley.
00:21The estate of Chenonceau was first mentioned in writing in the 11th century.
00:26The current château was built in 1514-1522 on the foundations of an old mill and was
00:31later extended to span the river.
00:34The bridge over the river was built, 1556-1559, to designs by the French Renaissance architect
00:41Philibert de Lormé, and the gallery on the bridge, built from 1570-1576 to designs by
00:47Jean Boullant.
00:48An architectural mixture of late Gothic and early Renaissance, Château de Chenonceau
00:53and its gardens are open to the public.
00:56Larger than the Royal Palace of Versailles, it is the most visited château in France.
01:01The château has been designated as a Monument Historique since 1840 by the French Ministry
01:06of Culture.
01:07Today, Chenonceau is a major tourist attraction and in 2007 received around 800,000 visitors.
01:14In the 13th century, the fief of Chenonceau belonged to the Marcus family.
01:19The original château was torched in 1412 to punish the owner, Jean Marcus, for an act
01:24of sedition.
01:26He rebuilt the château and fortified mill on the site in the 1430s.
01:31Jean Marcus' indebted heir Pierre Marcus found it necessary to sell.
01:35Plan of the main block, engraved by Deucerceau, 1579, Thomas Bowyer Thomas Bowyer, Chamberlain
01:41to King Charles VIII of France.
01:44Purchased the castle from Pierre Marcus in 1513 and demolished most of it, resulting
01:49in 2013 being considered the 500th anniversary of the castle, though its 15th-century keep
01:55was left standing.
01:57Bowyer built an entirely new residence between 1515 and 1521.
02:02The work was overseen by his wife Catherine Briquenette, who delighted in hosting French
02:06nobility, including King Francis I on two occasions.
02:11The château with Delorme's bridge, before the addition of the gallery.
02:15Views from the west, top, and east, bottom, drawn by Jacques-André Deucerceau c. 1570
02:21and 1535 The château was seized from Bohier's son by King Francis I of France for unpaid
02:27debts to the crown.
02:29After Francis died in 1547, Henry II offered the château as a gift to his mistress, Diane
02:36de Poitiers, who became fervently attached to the château along the river.
02:41In 1555 she commissioned Philibert de Lormé to build the arched bridge joining the château
02:46to its opposite bank.
02:48Diane then oversaw the planting of extensive flower and vegetable gardens along with a
02:52variety of fruit trees, set along the banks of the river, but buttressed from flooding
02:57by stone terraces.
02:59The exquisite gardens were laid out in four triangles.
03:03Diane de Poitiers was the unquestioned mistress of the castle, but ownership remained with
03:07the crown until 1555 when years of delicate legal maneuvers finally yielded possession
03:12to her.
03:13Catherine de' Medici after King Henry II died in 1559.
03:18His strong-willed widow and regent Catherine de' Medici forced Diane to exchange it for
03:23the château Chaumont.
03:25Queen Catherine then made Chenonceau her favorite residence, adding a new series of gardens.
03:31View from the northeast showing the chapel and the library as regent of France, Catherine
03:35spent a fortune on the château and on spectacular night-time parties.
03:39In 1560, the first-ever fireworks display seen in France took place during the celebrations
03:45marking the ascension to the throne of Catherine's son Francis II.
03:49The Grand Gallery, which extended along the existing bridge to cross the entire river,
03:54was dedicated in 1577.
03:58Catherine also added rooms between the chapel and the library on the east side of the Cor de
04:02Logis, as well as a service wing on the west side of the entry courtyard.
04:07That is all.
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