Le Château de Valençay is actually two châteaux, or even three if you count the 12th century castle that was torn down during the French Renaissance (in the mid-1500s) to make way for a Chambord-like (but smaller) palace. The third château — the "west wing" — was built in the 1600s and significantly modified in the 1700s.
The town of Valençay (pop. 2,350) is not really in the Loire Valley. It's not even in the Cher Valley, as are Saint-Aignan, Montrichard, and Chenonceaux. It's certainly not in the historical Touraine province — it's at the northern limit of the old province called the Berry. Still, it's less than an hour south of Chambord, Blois, and Cheverny, and less than 30 minutes from Saint-Aignan.
The photos in this post are some that I took in September 2003, when we first moved here from California. I believe that was the first time I ever went into the Château de Valençay. I can think of at least four other times I've visited since, usually to see the château with friends from the U.S. and once with a friend from Normandy. I've been to the town of Valençay many other times to shop in the Tuesday morning farmer's market there or in the Intermarché supermarket.
In addition to the château, Valençay has three other claims to fame. Two of them are great historical figures — Napoléon Bonaparte and his minister Talleyrand. The other is the pyramid-shaped A.O.C. goat cheese (le valençay) that carries its name. It's also known for its wines, which come in red, white and rosé styles. Valençay wines were promoted to A.O.C. status only recently (2004) even though grapes have been grown and made into wines in the area for more than a thousand years.
Below is a photo of the 17th-century aile ouest or "west wing" of the château, which is obviously of a completely different style compared to the Renaissance building in the photo just above it. I have photos of the gardens, the château's animal park, and both the exteriors and interiors of the two wings of the château that I'll be posting over the next few days.
It looks as though this chateau was never completed. If it had been, it would have been enormous! As it is, it is still very beautiful as are your photos. We've been there together, probably in 2006.
ReplyDeleteDid Monsieur Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord sleep in a different room every night?
DeleteIs it Cheryl on the fourth photo?
ReplyDeleteI was wondering that too, chm.
DeleteYes, CHM and BettyAnn, that is Cheryl.
DeleteBeautiful photos of a beautiful chateau. A friend and I visited here in 2008 thanks to your recommendation and I’m really looking forward to reading more about it over the coming days. Merci!
ReplyDeleteHave never seen this one. It looks elegant despite the different time periods of construction - the uniformity of the stone helps.
ReplyDeleteThis chateau is the setting for a part of my upcoming novel, "The Boy With The Star Tattoo." (HarperCollins, February 2024). I visited the chateau and was granted a tour of sections closed to the pubic. (In fact, for a good reason, because there are collapsed back staircases and rotten floors one could fall through....)
ReplyDelete