13 October 2020

Le Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire

Cadogan again, in the words of author Philippe Barbour: “The Château de Chaumont boasts one of the best locations of all the châteaux along the Loire, looking dramatically down onto the river. You can best appreciate the place, standing proudly on its hillside, from the north bank... [there's] a medieval chivalric feel to [Chaumont], even if in fact it's another of those transitional Loire châteaux, built in the period when Italian Renaissance features were merging with French late Gothic forms. Construction began at the start of the 1470s...”



This was the château that the queen Catherine de Médicis gave to Diane de Poitiers, her husband's long time favorite, in exchange for the Château de Chnonceau. Her husband the king had died in a jousting tournament in Paris in 1559, at the age of 40. Catherine was the same age — she outlived her husband by 30 years — and Diane was 20 years older than they were. Catherine wanted Chenonceau, and she had the power as ex-queen and the queen mother to take it. According to one legend, the astrologer Nostradamus (or maybe it was another astrologer, Ruggieri) accompanied Catherine to Chaumont one day and shared his vision that her sons would die early and their Valois dynasty would end. Henri de Navarre, of the Bourbon line, would be crowned king as Henri IV. It all came true. Neither Catherine nor Diane ever actually spent much time at Chaumont.

In my slideshow, there are photos from my first visit (I believe) to Chaumont in October 2000, including a picture of a Renaissance-era tile floor and views out over the river and valley. Other photos of the château from the grounds or from the opposite bank of the Loire date back to 2007, 2009, and 2018. You used to be able to enter the grounds at Chaumont without paying an admission fee, but that era ended a decade ago. Now you can only enter the grounds after you buy a ticket, so you can't just stop by for a few minutes and snap a few pictures. Once when I was there, hot-air balloons were lifting off just down the hill and flying over at low altitude. That was pretty exciting. If I can find photos, I'll include a link to them.

14 comments:

  1. Chaumont seems to have everything- classic castle look, beautiful tiles and stained glass windows. The second photo is my favorite with the castle above the village houses. I don't think I've ever seen it.

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  2. Completely off topic, do you know the Franco-Japanese Assa restaurant in Blois, quai Ulysse Besnard (formerly L'Espérance). It gets five stars on TripAdvisor!

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    1. I've seen a TV show about it. We never go to restaurants any more. The new lockdown is coming, so they'll all be closed again soon.

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    2. I had to look that place up, Assa Restaurant. It looks beautiful. 5 stars, and 4 $$$$ signs, lol.

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    3. Before my accident, I used to go at least once a week to a Japanese restaurant, in Arlington as well as in Paris, so I'm intrigued about the combination French and Japanese cooking. Must be good to get five stars!

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    4. One problem for us with going to Blois for dinner is the 50-mile round trip. And driving at night is something I seldom do now. Too dangerous on narrow, curvy roads.

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    5. Thank you for the link.

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  3. What is that "thing", at 1:06, partly hiding an extreme left tower of the chateau, that looks like a black crab or spider?

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  4. This chateau has an amazing garden event every year. Many gardening organizations apply for a plot but only about 25 are chosen to create their interpretation of the theme for the year. I attended this event, which lasts from April through October, I believe, in 2008 or 2009 and it was magical! If you are a gardener, please put this on your bucket list. When I was there, the chateau was closed for restoration so I must go again.

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    1. Sorry to say, I've never been to Chaumont for the garden event...

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