“The delighfully modest Château de Villesavin lies discreetly on the southern edge of Chambord's forest, near Bracieux. A chip off the old block of Chambord is the way the château is frequently described — it would be more apt to compare it to a little piece of the monster's [i.e. Chambord's] roof that might have miraculously blown off in the wind and landed in the middle of these charming woods close to the Beuvron river.”
That's a quote from the Cadogan guide to the Loire Valley.
That's a quote from the Cadogan guide to the Loire Valley.
D'une grande forêt un petit bois voisinIci vit autrefois naître Villesavin
Qui, bien qu'ayant subi des ans le long outrage
Orne encore du Beuvron le champêtre rivage
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Bâti en 1537 par N. Le Breton, sieur de Villandry
Secrétaire des finances du roy François 1er
Speaking of François 1er, here is his effigy displayed on the stone walls of the Château de Villesavin.
Jean Le Breton, a close aide to the king, also was behind the building of the Château de Villandry, 50 miles west.
Above and below, three more photos of Villesavin, which is privately owned.It's about 20 miles north of Saint-Aignan and just 6 miles south of Chambord by car.
I like your photos.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the Youtube link. The chateau is much more impressive viewed from the park. But I only saw it from the road. I was somewhat in a hurry because I was supposed to be in Amboise that evening and I had still to see the chateau de Fougères-sur-Bièvre and the Pagoda at Chanteloup. I had just a glimpse at Cheverny before "that" lunch aux Trois Marchands at Cour-Cheverny. That was in 1954!
The one time I was there, the gravel-covered space behind the château was being renovated and access was denied. I couldn't get to the park.
DeleteKen, I really enjoyed seeing this château. Your photos are impressive -- they take in so much. I liked the You Tube video--thanks for finding that for us!
ReplyDeleteThanks, judy.
DeleteWith the aged plaster, you can see the construction of the chateau. Looks like it is situated next to old growth forest.
ReplyDeleteSo, I imagine the private owners get some break on their taxes for making the chateau available for public tours?
ReplyDeleteI think that opening the chateau to the public is a private decision and you may have to pay for a tour. The money collected might be used for maintenance of a historical monument and the owner may not pay taxes on this revenue. But, I'm almost sure there is no rebate in taxes for just opening the chateau to the public.
DeleteYou really do live in "chateau" country! So many places to see so near to you, Saint-Aignan must have been a "heaven-sent" location that you and Walt couldn't refuse! I will now go to video!
ReplyDeleteThe video showed a much larger house than I was expecting! I had to look up Colmbier - it wasn't in either my Larousse or my Oxford Hachette larger dictionary. At least in the french sides - now I looked up dovecote and sure enough it had it in my smaller Larousse! Very nice chateau! Not extraorderinarily grande like Chambord, for sure.
ReplyDeleteMerci!
Mary, make sure you have the right spelling. It is colombier, or house of colombes. You must find it in Larousse and Oxford Hachette..
DeleteTypo, chm! I have just looked again at my Larousse Concise (130,000 GTranslations) and my Harper Collins Concise
ReplyDelete(200,000) and neither had colombier in the french side but my larger Osbord Hachette (no number given, but 2 1/2" thick!) did have it listed in the french side! Good catch and when I cannot find a word I go back to the original - in this case the video Ken sent the link to and I compare and, yes, sometimes it is my error.