5/5 Andrey N. 3 years ago on Google
The
loveliest
of
the
châteaux
on
the
Loire
and,
after
Versailles,
the
most
visited
of
all
French
castles.
Standing
slightly
apart
from
the
main
body
of
the
château,
a
15th-century
circular
tower
is
the
only
surviving
remnant
of
a
fortified
manor
house,
which
in
1513
passed
to
Thomas
Bohier,
a
royal
chamberlain.
His
wife,
Katherine
Briçonnet,
rebuilt
the
manor
into
the
château
seen
today.
The
Ladies’
Castle.
Chenonceau
is
known
as
the
Ladies’
Castle
because
women
played
a
major
role
in
its
construction
and
preservation.
Diane
de
Poitiers
(1500–1566),
the
mistress
of
Henri
II,
had
the
greatest
impact.
In
the
1550s,
she
commissioned
architect
Philibert
de
l’Orme
to
build
the
fine,
arched
bridge
and
long
gallery
spanning
the
Cher
River;
she
also
oversaw
the
creation
of
the
magnificent
gardens.
Queen
Catherine
de’
Medici,
Henri’s
widow,
later
forced
Diane
to
exchange
Chenonceau
for
another
château,
and
under
her
the
upper
floor
of
the
gallery
was
added
by
architect
Jean
Bullant
in
1576–1578.
Mary,
Queen
of
Scots,
stayed
at
the
château
briefly,
but
the
most
tragic
inhabitant
was
Louise
de
Lorraine.
After
the
assassination
of
her
husband,
Henri
III,
she
became
a
recluse
here,
surrounding
herself
with
somber
tapestries
decorated
with
skulls,
crosses,
and
burial
shovels.
The
château
is
currently
owned
by
the
Meniers,
a
famous
family
of
chocolatiers.