Description of the attraction
The Azay-le-Rideau castle is located in the French department of Indre-et-Loire. The castle is located in the city of the same name and was built on an island in the middle of the Indre River. Built from 1518 to 1527, the castle is a masterpiece of the French Renaissance and one of the most popular castles in the Loire Valley.
The first building of the castle was built in the XII century by a local lord and one of the knights of King Philip II Rideau d'Aze. The built fortress guarded the path from Tours to Chinon. This castle was destroyed during the Hundred Years War, when the future King Charles VII fled from Paris occupied by the Burgundian troops. Aze-le-Rideau was also occupied by the Burgundians, and, unable to bear their insults, the angry Dauphin ordered the execution of all those in the castle - 350 people, and the castle itself be burned down. In memory of this event, the city bore the name Aze-le-Brule until the 18th century, which literally translates as “burned”.
The castle of Azay-le-Rideau lay in ruins until 1518, when the land was acquired by Gilles Berthelot, the mayor of the city of Tours, who also serves as the royal treasurer. Berthelot decided to build himself a castle in the then popular Italian Renaissance style. However, for greater prestige, he wanted the defensive elements inherent in medieval architecture to be present in his future residence.
The owner of the castle, due to his court duties, was not present at its construction, which proceeded very slowly - it was still necessary to lay the foundation on an island in the Indre River. In 1527, the castle was not yet completed when Gilles Berthelot fell into disgrace and was forced to leave the country. Francis I confiscated its territory and in 1535 transferred the castle to his vassal Antoine Raffen. The castle was never completed - it consisted only of the south and west wings.
In the XVI-XVII centuries, the Azay-le-Rideau castle still belonged to the descendants of Raffin, in 1583 it underwent a slight reconstruction, and on June 27, 1619, the king was first received here - Louis XIII spent the night in this castle on the way to his mother, Marie de Medici. Later, Louis XIV also stayed in the castle.
In 1787, the castle of Azay-le-Rideau was sold for 300 thousand French livres to the Marquis Charles de Biencourt, marshal of the royal troops. For many years, the castle was in desolation, but since the 1820s, its new owner began large-scale restoration work. In 1824, the "Chinese Study" appeared on the first floor of the south wing, destroyed in the 1860s, and in 1825-1826, Biencourt decorated the library with carved wooden panels. The reconstruction of the castle was continued by the son of Biencourt, the guardsman of King Louis XVI, who participated in the defense of the Tuileries Palace in 1792. The royal insignia on the stairs, damaged during the French Revolution, were restored, the courtyard was expanded, and a new, eastern tower was added. Thus, the castle of Azay-le-Rideau was finally completed, but almost all elements of medieval defensive architecture were lost. The work was supervised by the Swiss architect Dusilien, who also restored the nearby castle of Yusse.
During the Franco-Prussian War, the headquarters of the Prussian troops was located in the castle of Aze-le-Rideau. Once upon a dinner table, at which was present the commander-in-chief of the army, Prince of Prussia Friedrich Karl, a huge candelabrum fell. The Prince of Prussia considered that an assassination attempt was being prepared in the castle and was about to order the building to be burned down, but the officers managed to dissuade him.
When the Prussian army left Azay-le-Rideau, the castle returned to the hands of the descendants of Biencourt. The castle became famous for its collection of over 300 portraits, which were often exhibited to the public. But in 1899, the last owner of the castle from the Biencourt family faced financial difficulties and sold it with all the furniture and 540 hectares of land to a successful businessman from Tours, who, in turn, sold everything that was in the castle for greater profit.
The deserted castle of Aze-le-Rideau was redeemed by the state in 1905 for 250 thousand francs and became part of the monuments of history and culture. In the early years of World War II, representatives of the French Ministry of Education took refuge in the castle. Now the Azay-le-Rideau castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Azay-le-Rideau château, described by French writer Honore de Balzac as “a cut diamond reflecting in the waters of the Indre”, is a masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, expressed in exquisite sculptural decorations. It is also possible to trace partially preserved elements of the medieval defensive structure, for example, covered passages along the outer wall of the castle and covered loopholes under the roof itself. Many details also testify to the typical French architectural style, for example, gabled turrets, dormers, steep roof slopes.
The most notable detail of the castle's structure is the main central staircase, influenced by the staircase at Chateaudun Castle. Surprisingly, this staircase is not spiral, and is the oldest example of a staircase of its kind in France. A staircase connects the four floors of the castle, each of which has double windows overlooking the courtyard. The entrance to the staircase resembles ancient Roman triumphal arches, it is decorated with the initials of the first owner of the castle - Gilles Berthelot and his wife. The gables above the windows depict a salamander, a symbol of King Francis I. Inside, the staircase is decorated with various elaborate carvings and medallions with images of all French kings from Louis XI to Henry IV.
Inside, the Azay-le-Rideau castle is also decorated in the Italian Renaissance style, while the more modern living rooms and bedrooms of the 19th century are in the neo-Renaissance style. The rooms contain Flemish tapestries of the 16th-17th centuries, including "Scenes from the Old Testament" from Oudenaarde and "Legend of Psyche" from Brussels. The castle also houses a collection of portraits of French monarchs and a painting by François Clouet "The Lady's Toilet", which supposedly depicts Diane de Poitiers.
Aze-le-Rideau castle is surrounded by a 19th century English park.
