Above, on the left and on the right, are two photos showing Diane de Poitiers' garden at Chenonceau. I gave it short shrift yesterday. It is twice a big as Catherine de Médicis' garden nearby. In the middle photo, a photo I took from inside the château showing visitors arriving at the front door of the castle.
In the Cadogan Loire guidebook, there's what seems to me a good summary of the Diane and Catherine story. It's too long for me to post, but I can give you the gist. Diane was king Henri II's lover. When he became king, he gave Chononceau not to his wife, queen Catherine, but to Diane. Then Henri II was killed in a jousting accident in 1559. Catherine wanted Chenonceau for herself so she told Diane to pack her things and move into the Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire. Diane had spent very little time at Chenonceau anyway. The had a castle up near Paris that she seems to have preferred. Voilà.
Above right is a detail of Chenonceau's stonework. The photo in the middle shows the tile floors inside the château. And finally, on the left is another shot of Chenonceau reflected in the waters of the Cher. I took all these pictures 20 years ago. It's hard to believe...
Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire looks pretty nice too. Catherine and Diane - like Real Housewives of the Loire.
ReplyDeleteCatherine was 40 years old in 1559 when she moved Diane out of Chenonceau and into Chaumont. Diane was 20 years older.
DeleteLOL Diogenes!
ReplyDeleteThat's what my students always said about Château de Chaumont, Diogenes! To our eyes, it looks like a not-too-bad compromise :)
ReplyDeleteKen, do you have the name of the castle up near Paris, that Diane preferred?
It's the château d'Anet. It's on Wikipédia. I've never been to Anet myself.
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