In the precious garland of the Loire castles, where the art of the Renaissance found its most beautiful French expression, served by landscapes sung by all the poets, Chenonceau is probably the most admired jewel, the most appreciated. The human scale of the chāteau's proportions, the ingenuity of its arrangements, the unique poetry of the place, a river that a castle seems to cross with great strides to pass from one bank to another... so much beauty attracts lovers from all over the world.
Forward : A Mirror of Eternity
Introduction : A halcyons nest
I. A chāteau born on water
II. The Bohiers chāteau
III. Diane de Poitiers, the kings favorite, at Chenonceau
IV. Queen Catherines most excellent edifice
V. A haven in a troubled age
VI. Madame Dupins realm
VII. Return to the French Renaissance :two centuries of Restoration
Annexes
Jean-Pierre Babelon (1931 - 2024) was member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres, inspector general of the Archives de France and then director of the Palace of Versailles and its gardens. Jean-Pierre is a historian specialising in Henri IV, the history of Paris, the history of architecture of the 16th and 17th centuries, and more particularly that of castles and gardens; his many reference works that earned him the Grand National Heritage Award in 1989. Benjamin Chelly is an architecture and design photographer and portrait artist.
