The man who took the name Louis XII was born in the château at Blois in 1462 and reigned over France from 1498 until 1515. He was known as le père du peuple. He had his own brick wing of the old château built starting in 1499 in, basically, gothic style.
King François Ier reigned from Blois from 1515 to 1547, the period known as the French Renaissance. He in turn had his own wing added to the château at Blois, with the spiral stone staircase you see in the two photos just above.
François Ier's royal symbol was the salamander, an animal that was believed to have magical powers and be able to live through fires and other catastrophes.
An elegant chateau for sure. I love the salamander. We are protecting salamader habitat near here and have a salamander festival (small event) every year.
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ReplyDeleteIt's always great to see the François Ier salamander :) That's one symbol that my French-4 students definitely took away from my class -- ha!
ReplyDeleteJudy (Sorry, I'm logged into my blog, working on a new post, so that's the account I keep having to comment with :) )
Somehow in all the trips I've done, I haven't made it to Blois. I have to correct that. It certainly one of the majors to see.
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