Catherine de Médicis and the châteaux of the Loire: the legacy of a queen

Catherine de Medici A queen with an exceptional destiny

“I had the girl naked!” So lamented Francis I when Pope Paul III refused to pay the dowry promised by his predecessor Clement VII for the marriage uniting Catherine de Medici and Francis I’s second son, Henry of Orleans (the future Henry II).

From Florence to the French court

Heiress of the Medici line, at the helm of Florence, Catherine was a strategic choice for Franco-Italian rapprochement in the context of the Italian Wars and the rivalries between Francis I and Charles V. Her commoner (non-noble) origin did not predestine her to the future King of France, the first son of Francis I. She married the second son, becoming Duchess of Orléans in 1533. Three years later, there was a new twist: the dauphin François de France died! Henri d’Orléans was given the title of Dauphin and Duke of Brittany, before becoming King of France in 1547. Catherine de Médicis was crowned Queen of France in 1549, at the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Chaumont, then Chenonceau!

Alongside her active role in the life of the Court (political, but also cultural, alongside Marguerite de Navarre in particular) and the birth of her children (François II, Elizabeth de France, Claude de France, Louis de France, but also Charles IX, Henri III, Marguerite de France…), the Queen Catherine also administered the rich estate of Chaumont-sur-Loire from 1550. On the death of the King, she exchanged it for the château of Chenonceau, at the expense of her great rival, Diane de Poitiers.

The rivalry with Diane de Poitiers

A power game is being played out at the château de Chenonceau between two exceptional women. On one side, Catherine de Médicis, legitimate queen. On the other, Diane de Poitiers, favourite of the king. The latter received the estate as a gift from Henry II and created her famous garden there, while Catherine had to wait in the shadows.

On the king’s sudden death in 1559, Catherine regained her rights to Chenonceau, forcing Diane to exchange the château for that of Chaumont-sur-Loire. The queen mother then marked her territory by creating her own garden, opposite that of her former rival, as a final thumbing of her nose at the woman who had reigned over the king’s heart for so long.

Visiting the château today

The gallery and royal apartments

Push open the doors to the majestic gallery, a true architectural feat where every step echoes on the black and white checkerboard. The mullioned windows reveal striking views of the Cher, which flows peacefully beneath your feet. In the royal flats, admire Louise de Lorraine’s bedroom, with its delicately carved woodwork and original coffered ceiling. The Cabinet Vert transports you into the intimacy of power, where Katherine Briçonnet once orchestrated the life of the château. Don’t miss the library, a haven for Jean-Jacques Rousseau when he was Claude Dupin’s guest in the 18th century.

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The gardens through the seasons

As the seasons change, the gardens of Chenonceau are decked out in a thousand colours. From the very first days of spring, daffodils and tulips burst through the still-cold earth, heralding nature’s awakening. Come summer, the flowerbeds light up with a floral symphony of old roses and multicoloured perennials.

When autumn comes, the blushing foliage of the Virginia creeper sets the tufa walls ablaze, while chrysanthemums and dahlias prolong the magic of the blooms. Even in winter, the green garden retains its splendour thanks to the pruned boxwood and century-old yew trees that create elegant perspectives in the morning mist.

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Night-time events and tours

Get together at dusk for an enchanting experience in the château’s illuminated gardens. On Thursdays in summer, the music of the great Italian composers of the Renaissance accompanies your steps along the glittering flowerbeds.

The gallery overlooking the Cher is transformed into a case of light, its reflections dancing on the peaceful waters. During the festive season, an exceptional night-time opening allows you to discover the enchantment of the Christmas decorations, sublimated by carefully studied lighting that highlights every architectural detail

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©Jardins du Château de Chenonceau|Château de Chenonceau - L de Serres

©Noel Chateau Noël au pays des châteaux. Château de Chenonceau, en Touraine.|ADT Touraine / Jean-Christophe Coutand

Offers at the Château de Chenonceau

Catherine's architectural legacy

The construction of the gallery over the Cher

Behold the majestic double-decker gallery spanning the Cher, an architectural masterpiece by Philibert Delorme. At 60 metres long and 6 metres wide, this unique feat of engineering houses a splendid ballroom lit by 18 windows.
Built in 1576 on the bridge built by Diane de Poitiers, the gallery reveals all the boldness of Catherine de Médicis. Its floor, paved with a black and white checkerboard of tufa and slate, recalls the Florentine palaces of her childhood. The ceiling’s exposed joists bear witness to the refinement of the period.
This monumental gallery quickly became the setting for sumptuous royal festivities, including the famous “topless ball” in 1577, when the Queen Mother asserted her political power at the heart of the Wars of Religion.

The castle’s interior design

Cross the threshold into the royal flats, where the refinement of the Valois household is expressed in every detail. Carved woodwork and Flanders tapestries majestically adorn the Queen Mother’s bedroom. In her private study, the coffered ceiling proudly displays the intertwined initials of Henry II and Catherine, while the period furniture testifies to the luxury of the court.

Stop off in the library, where Catherine had an impressive collection of precious manuscripts arranged. Further on, discover the reconstructed apothecary, the realm of remedies and perfumes so dear to the sovereign. The kitchens, veritable culinary cathedrals, reveal the importance of fine dining at the Valois court.

The Queen’s study

Enter the intimacy of the Green Cabinet, a veritable nerve centre of royal power. It was from this room that Catherine de Médicis ruled France during her regency. Note her intertwined initials on the ceiling, two “Cs” that testify to her authority. A magnificent 15th-century Brussels tapestry adorns the walls, while the window offers a strategic view of the Cher.

In this personal refuge, the Queen Mother received her advisers and wrote her diplomatic correspondence. Period documents recount that Nostradamus himself was received in this cabinet for astrology sessions, a secret passion of the sovereign.

Catherine’s garden facing Diana’s

Facing her rival’s parterre, Catherine brings to life a more intimate but equally refined garden. You’ll appreciate its perfect geometric structure, symmetrical paths lined with santoline and elegant central pond. Let yourself be charmed by this subtle dialogue between the two gardens, where every detail reveals the personality of its creator.

Smaller but exquisite, Catherine’s garden offers an incomparable view of the west facade of the château. Its carefully composed beds are now home to more than 11,000 plants renewed twice a year, continuing the floral tradition initiated by the Queen Mother. A show that changes with the seasons, between delicate roses and colourful perennials.

Rare plants and the Florentine influence

Wander the paths where botanical treasures brought back from Tuscany by Catherine de Médicis flourish. Here, the queen acclimatised species little known in France: artichokes, fragrant basil and other aromatic herbs that transformed the gardens of Chenonceau into a veritable experimental garden.

In her trial kitchen garden, the sovereign also cultivated mulberry trees for rearing silkworms, thus perpetuating the Florentine tradition of sericulture. The aviaries are home to rare birds, while the flowerbeds are adorned with medicinal plants for her apothecary. A living heritage that is perpetuated today by the estate’s unique collection of Renaissance plants.

The art of parterres à la française

Discover Catherine de Médicis’ major innovation: her geometric parterres inspired by Tuscan villas. On the advice of Bernard Palissy, the queen imagined a garden where each bed became a living work of art. Pruned boxwoods draw elegant arabesques, while the pathways are adorned with coloured sand reminiscent of Florentine mosaics.

The queen had raised terraces laid out to admire these plant tableaux from the windows of the château. A technical feat for the time: complex hydraulic systems supplied fountains and water jets, creating an aquatic symphony unique in the Loire Valley. These innovations were to have a lasting impact on the art of French gardens.

Court life at Chenonceau

Katherine’s sumptuous feasts

The Queen Mother organises sumptuous feasts. In the grand gallery on the Cher, masked balls followed one another to the rhythm of the violins. In 1563, Catherine organised a grandiose reception for Charles IX: mermaids swam in the moat while nymphs danced in the torch-lit gardens.

The “bal des seins nus” of 1577 marked the high point of these celebrations. The queen invited the most beautiful ladies of the court, dressed simply in transparent veils, in an attempt to seduce her son Henry III. The party cost an astronomical 100,000 pounds, financed by the king’s richest servants and a few Italian bankers.

Political intrigue at the château

In the Cabinet Vert, the veritable headquarters of the regency, Catherine orchestrates her politics with the help of her “flying squadron“. These young women of the nobility, chosen for their beauty and intelligence, weave a unique network of influence. During the Amboise Conjuring, the château became a strategic fortress where the Queen Mother received the Prince of Condé, leader of the Protestants.

The walls of the gallery bear witness to the secret dealings. Here, Catherine negotiated marriages and alliances, using her diplomatic skills to maintain the balance between Catholics and Protestants. The Domes building housed her closest advisers, while the Marques Tower served as an observation post over the Cher.

The royal bedroom and its secrets

Cross the threshold of this majestic room where the fragrance of bouquets mingles with the scent of beeswax. The coffered ceiling, decorated with the intertwined initials of Catherine and Henry II, overlooks a carved 16th-century bed. Admire the Flanders tapestries that adorn the walls, narrating the life of Samson through finely woven scenes.

To your right, a Venetian mirror reflects the light of the Cher, while a hidden door leads to the cabinet of secrets. This is where the queen kept her precious astrology manuscripts and private correspondence. On the tufa mantelpiece, Catherine’s portrait watches over you, enigmatic, a reminder of the presence of the woman who made this room her personal refuge.

A heritage that spans the centuries

The Menier family and preservation

Since 1913, the renaissance of the Château de Chenonceau has been written under the aegis of the Menier family. Passionate owners, they transformed the gallery into a military hospital during the Great War, covering all running costs. In 1951, Bernard Voisin, commissioned by the Meniers, undertook a masterful restoration that restored the château to its former glory. More recently, an ambitious €4.8 million renovation programme bears witness to the family’s ongoing commitment to preserving its heritage. Now listed as a historic monument, the château continues its role as an architectural gem thanks to this meticulous preservation.

The collections and period furniture

Let yourself be dazzled by the splendour of the Galerie Médicis, a veritable museum displaying the finest treasures of the château. Paintings by the great European masters of the 16th century tell the story of the place: a majestic Tintoretto dialogues with a portrait of a Venetian doge, while Murillo’s Virgin and Child watches over the collection.

In the Chambre des Cinq Reines, the Renaissance period furniture reveals all its refinement: the four-poster bed with finely carved woodwork sits alongside chests in precious marquetry. The tapisseries des Flandres adorn the walls with their shimmering hues, recounting the ancient myths that so fascinated the Valois court.

The reconstructed apothecary

In the Domes building, a unique room transports you back to the 16th century. Nearly 300 apothecary jars, bronze mortars and precious herbariums line the burr walnut shelves. This meticulous reconstruction, the fruit of 14 months’ work by skilled cabinetmakers, brings to life the space where Catherine de Médicis developed her remedies with the help of Nostradamus.

The blown glass flasks and precision balances bear witness to the queen’s interest in science and medicine. Smell the subtle aromas of medicinal plants that still perfume this Renaissance dispensary today, a veritable treasure trove of France’s pharmaceutical heritage.