The Louvre: France's Greatest Castle by McKenna Darby

Welcome back to History Undressed, McKenna Darby! Today she's written a great article on one of my favorite places in Paris, France -- The Louvre. Enjoy!

THE LOUVRE: FRANCE’S GREATEST CASTLE\

by McKenna Darby

We all know the Louvre as one of the world’s greatest art museums, but the building that houses the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa began, in every sense of the word, as a castle.

The Louvre was built in 1190 as a watchtower and fortress. Its location — on the right bank of the Seine, at the city’s western edge — was strategically chosen by Philip Augustus, last king of the Franks. His goal was to protect Paris from my ancestors, the English, whose territory included parts of what is now western France, just 60 kilometers from Paris.

The Louvre protected the city’s western flank, deterring an attack by land, and guarding traffic on the Seine, the city’s main commercial water route. A defensive wall starting at the Louvre was built around the city’s entire right bank. A second wall, built later, secured the city’s left bank. (Although largely demolished centuries ago, portions of this wall are still visible at spots in modern Paris.)

Philip Augustus’ cylindrical watch tower (known as the Grosse Tour and originally surrounded by a dry moat), was soon expanded with the addition of a courtyard surrounded by a square wall fitted with turrets. A water-filled moat was dug around the wall. The original tower became home to the city’s archives and the kingdom’s treasure. The fortress held the city’s arsenal.

In the centuries that followed, the Louvre grew and expanded, becoming the home of French rulers from Charles V in the 14^th century until Louis XIV moved the French court to Versailles in 1682. After the Revolution, Napoleon again used the Louvre as a home, sharing the space with the art museum begun when Louis XIV left the city.

Louvre from inside Pei's pyramid

At the start of the Renaissance, Philip Augustus’ Louvre was demolished, lost to history. Or so we thought until 1983, when excavations for a new underground visitor’s center beneath a glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei uncovered the foundations of the original castle. Today, visitors to the Louvre can walk around those remarkably preserved foundations, treading where the wet moat once protected the keep, and see the pediments that supported the drawbridge. Of all the Louvre’s wonders, this basement display is one of my favorites, almost like stepping into a time teleportation device.

 

Ancient Moat

Another favorite spot is the Cour Carrée, the last externally visible remnant of Francois I’s Louvre . For 100 years after the death of Charles VI, the Louvre was largely abandoned. That changed in 1527, when Francois decided to leave behind the Loire Valley and reside in Paris. He demolished Philip Augustus’ fortress and began an entirely new Louvre, which became the foundation for expansion and renovation by every ruler that followed.

 

Court Carree

Most of the Louvre’s facades are relatively modern, dating to the 1800s. But this one courtyard is exactly as Francois, the country’s first Renaissance king, planned it in the early 1500s. It was completed after the king’s death by his son, Henri II, who was married to Catherine de Medici. Catherine was devoted to her husband, whom she adored, but Henri was devoted to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Whenever I visit this courtyard, I imagine an echo of Catherine pacing, seething over some new defeat at the hands of her rival.

The other place I picture Catherine is in the Chambre de Parade du Roi, the room where the royal rising ceremony was held in the 16^th century during the reigns of Catherine’s sons, Charles IX and Henri III. The ornately carved wood paneling in this room, commissioned by Catherine’s husband Henri II and carved by Scibec de Carpi, is considered the finest Renaissance paneling that survives in Paris. In that room, I can almost hear the arguments between Catherine, a Catholic who fought most of her life for religious tolerance of the growing Protestant movement (although she is also widely blamed for sparking the largest massacre of Protestants in French history), and the Duc de Guise, Henri’s uncle and an avowed Protestant-hater. Pity the king caught between that irresistible force and immovable object.

 

Henri II woodwork

Ironically, it was not one of Catherine’s sons but her nephew, the Bourbon Protestant king Henri IV, who built the Grand Galerie (Grand Gallery) to link the Louvre with Catherine’s pet construction project, the Tuileries Palace. Henri IV was assassinated before he could finish the project; it was completed by Louis XIV. The Tuileries burned down in 1871, torched by an angry political mob, but the Louvre was saved. The Grand Gallery, home to most of the museum’s Leonardo da Vinci collection, features prominently in Dan Brown’s novel The Da Vinci Code, as the site of the murder that launches the story.

Another beautiful Louvre spot is the Salle des Caryatids, named for the four female figures sculpted by Jean Goujon in 1550 to support the musician’s gallery above. 

Salle des Caryatids

When visiting the Louvre, it’s difficult to tear your attention away from the magnificent paintings on the walls and the sculptures lining the halls, but don’t forget to look up. The Louvre’s breathtaking ceilings tell much of its history as a castle.

The Denon Room, named for the Louvre’s first director under Napoleon I, features a ceiling created for Napoleon III’s legislative assemblies. It was painted by Charles-Louis Müller to glorify state patronage in France. Flooded with light from the third story windows that circle it, the ceiling is one of the castle’s most impressive works of art.

Denon Ceiling

Perhaps the most fitting piece of art in a castle that has seen so much change and strife is in the former study of Louis XIV. Beginning in 1722, it was used as a meeting room for the Académie Royal, protectors of French culture. The ceiling painting in this room is by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse. Created in 1821, ostensibly to celebrate discovery of the Venus de Milo, the painting has a title that roughly translates: Time Lays Low All Things of Man.

Time Lays Low

McKenna Darby writes romantic historical novels set during the French Renaissance and the American Civil War. Visit her at http://mckennadarby.com

Castle of the Week: Chenonceau: The ladies’ chateau

Welcome back to another castle of the week! This week's castle is Chenonceau (also written as Chenonceaux), in France! Enjoy!

Chenonceau: The ladies’ chateau

by McKenna Darby

 Chateau de Chenonceau as seen from Catherine de Medici's garden. It is
widely considered the most beautiful chateau in France and one of the most
beautiful in the world

Chenonceau is one of France’s smaller castles. What it lacks in size, however, Chenonceau more than makes up for in history – and in beauty. As Laure Menier, curator of Chenonceau writes in her introduction to one the chateau’s many guidebooks: “The very name of this site evokes music; the vision of it, pure enchantment. Here charm transcends beauty. The majesty and simplicity of Chenonceau touches the heart and the soul.” Poetic, yes, but Chenonceau is every bit of this and more.

The chateau is distinctive in part for being constructed in the middle of the Cher River. The river, placid as a lake on fair days, reflects the castle’s white stone and dainty turrets like a noble lady’s looking glass. Which is appropriate, for Chenonceau is popularly known as “the ladies’ chateau.” Through the centuries, six strong and memorable women built Chenonceau, maintained it, expanded it, loved it, fought over it, and made its place in history.

The first was Katherine Briçonnet. Katherine’s husband, Thomas Bohier, acquired the property from the debt-ridden Marques family in 1496, and proceeded to tear down both the medieval castle and mill that stood there. Only the Marques tower, which Katherine renovated in Renaissance style, still stands near the castle’s front entrance. On the foundations of the previous castle and mill, Katherine and Thomas built a new castle, almost perfectly square. With Thomas was away for long periods, tending to the king’s finances, Katherine supervised most of the construction. The castle’s ornate double doors and an Italian-style coffered-oak ceiling, the oldest surviving example in France, are widely attributed to Katherine’s influence.

Shortly after Thomas died, King Francis I seized the chateau as part of a lawsuit against his financiers; Chenonceau became a royal castle. Men were not destined to control the castle, however. Francis died soon after he gained control of the property, and control passed to his son, Henri II.

Henri had two important women in his life: his wife, Catherine de Medici, and his mistress, Diane de Poitiers. Although Catherine assumed she would control the castle, Henri awarded it to Diane instead. The decisions enraged the queen, but Catherine was 20 years younger than her rival. In keeping with her famous motto, “Hate and wait,” Catherine bided her time, expecting that Diane would soon die. Instead, the notoriously athletic and healthy Diane applied her talent for business management to develop a thriving farm at the chateau. She then used the farm’s proceeds and the estate’s rents to renovate and enlarge Chenonceau, constructing some of the most spectacular gardens of the era and adding a scenic bridge that connected the chateau to the far bank of the Cher.

When King Henri died in a tragic jousting accident, Catherine no longer had to wait. She seized Chenonceau, evicted Diane, and set about to put her own mark on the castle. On the opposite side of the chateau from Diane’s garden, Catherine built her own, complete with lemon and orange trees. She also built two galleries on top of Diane’s bridge, a project Diane had planned but never had a chance to execute.

The dowager queen also built on Diane’s other accomplishments, transforming her rival’s vineyard into one of France’s finest, importing silkworms, and launching silk production that produced a fabric so fine it was known as “the Queen’s cloth.” She then set about to stage the most elaborate parties in the history of France, including lavish entertainments, sumptuous food, and nation’s first fireworks display, given in honor of her son, the newly crowned King Francis II, and his wife Mary Stuart. For nearly 30 years, for three sons in turn (Catherine survived all but the last), she ruled France as regent from the Thomas Bonier’s Green Study at Chenonceau.

When Catherine’s third son, Henri III, was assassinated on Aug. 1, 1589, Chenonceau passed to his widow, Louise de Lorraine. She transformed Chenonceau into a tomb, painting her bedchamber black and roaming the halls in white, the color of royal mourning. With her death in 1501, Chenonceau lost its last royal resident.

The next important woman in Chenonceau’s history was Louise Dupin, who hosted the Enlightenment’s most famous thinkers, from Voltaire to Rousseau, at the chateau. When the French Revolution broke out and rioters threatened to destroy Chenonceau as a symbol of royal excess, Mme. Dupin saved the chateau by reminding the revolutionary mob of the castle’s hospitality to their Enlightenment heroes.

Early in the 20^th century, Chenonceau was again touched by war. The chateau, now owned by the Menier family, a dynasty built on chocolate, became a hospital for soldiers wounded in World War I, with a 120-bed ward and a surgical facility set up in Catherine de Medici’s two galleries. The family paid all of the expenses, treating 2,254 soldiers before the war ended. Simone Menier, chief nurse, ran the hospital with her husband, George.

In World War II, Chenonceau played an important role in the French Resistance. On June 22, 1940, France lost a decisive battle that cut the country in two. The line of demarcation between Nazi-controlled France and free France ran along the Cher River. The far side of the bridge was Nazi controlled. The chateau side was free. Although German guards patrolled the river, Simone Meunier unlocked the doors to the gallery whenever the patrols were out of sight, helping hundreds of Jews and French villagers to escape.

Catherine de Medici's garden reflects her flamboyant style. To the left is

Diane's bridge, topped by Catherine's two-story gallery.

 Some of the original Delft tiles at Chenonceau. Except around the edges of

the room, the tiles are worn down to the red clay underneath. 

Chenonceau, as shown on my admission ticket. Diane de Poitiers built the

bridge over the River Cher. Diane's lifelong rival, Catherine de Medici, topped it with a double gallery when she seized the castle from her husband's mistress after the death of Catherine's husband, King Henri II. During WWII, the castle side of the bridge was free France, while the opposite sidewas Nazi occupied. Hundreds escaped Nazi control by slipping across the bridge with assistance from Simone Menier, heir to the Menier chocolatefortune, who worked with the French Resistance.

A stunning view of the Cher and a corner of Diane's garden from Catherine

de Medici's study

  Intertwined H and Cs on the ceiling in Catherine de Medici's bedroom officially stand for Henri and

Catherine, but are arranged so they also form an intertwined H and two Ds, for

Henri and his mistress Diane de Poitiers.

Ceiling in Catherine de Medici's study, from which she ruled France as

regent to her sons for almost THIRTY years. Still in its original state, it

features the crest of Thomas Bohier and his wife, Katherine Briconnet, who

demolished the fortified castle and mill that once stood on the site to

build CHENONCEAU. 

Diane's garden is far more formal than Catherine's, reflecting her strict

upbringing and formal mannerisms. The retaining wall in the distance

protects the garden from the Cher's floods.

A modern portrait of Catherine, as she looked in her later years,

displayed over a spectacular fireplace emblazoned with H for Henri and

back-to-back Cs for Catherine. It is said that Coco Chanel was inspired to

create the logo for her company after seeing Catherine's double-C symbol at

Chenonceau.

Catherine built this gallery, one of two, atop Diane's bridge, completing

her rival's project.

This elaborate cabinet was a wedding gift from Catherine and Henri to

their oldest son, Francis II, and his wife, Mary Queen of Scots. 

Diane's farm was a money-maker, a testament to her business skills. It

still grows the flowers displayed in Chenonceau's gardens and the

vegetables served in Chenonceau's restaurant.

The Cher flows directly under Diane's bridge, topped by Catherine's

gallery. Except for the foundations, the Marques tower in the foreground,

restored in the Renaissance style by Thomas Bohier and Katherine Briconnet,

is all that remains of the original castle and mill.

A romanticized portrait of Diane de Poitiers as Diana the Huntress. An

extremely athletic woman, Diane is believed to have taken swims in the Cher

on days that she was AT the castle, from a landing on one of the piers of

her bridge.

McKenna Darby writes romantic historical novels set during the French Renaissance and the American Civil War. Visit her at http://mckennadarby.com

Castle of the Week: Chateau de Chambord

Today's castle of the week has been provided to us by historical romance writer, McKenna Darby. Having grown up visiting my grandparents in Paris, I have an immense love of France, so I'm delighted for today's castle! Enjoy a taste of Chateau de Chambord!

Chambord: The first Renaissance castle of France

by McKenna Darby

Chambord from the East corner. Francis I turret is at far left.

Paris is a historical novelist’s dream. If you’re a novelist interested in French royalty during the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, however, you can’t follow their trail far without making a trip east to the Loire Valley. France’s kings retreated to the region during the Hundred Years’ War, when England’s control of western France made Paris vulnerable to attack. They stayed long after the war ended, though, and it’s easy to understand why.

The foot print of Chambord. Note the central keep with four turrets, typical of medieval castles, and the low curtain wall that outlines the courtyard. The two turrets at the far right, top and bottom, were never completed, rising only as high as the curtain wall. The turret at top left housed Francis' apartments, which were accessed by the external spiral staircase shown below.

Few places on earth can rival the abundant forests, scenic rivers and fertile farmlands of the Loire Valley. The numerous castles left behind by its royal visitors – nearly 70 scattered across just three provinces – only add to the region’s beauty. And so it was that, on a recent trip to Paris, I spent a chunk of my weekend on a tour bus bound for Loir-et-Cher and the largest of the Loire Valley’s castles: Chateau de Chambord, which features 440 rooms, 282 fireplaces, and 84 staircases.

This bust of Francis I in armor is believed to be the most accurate portrayal of the king in his prime.

Chambord drew me to the Loire Valley because it was built by Francis I, who was the father-in-law of Catherine de Medici, the Italian noble who helped rule France for more than 40 years, first as queen and then as regent to her three sons. Although most of the court loathed Catherine – ostensibly because she was the daughter of Italian merchants (horrors!) but primarily because she wasn’t French – the king adored his intelligent, witty, and cultured Italian daughter-in-law.

Catherine shared Francis’ dream – never achieved – of uniting France and Italy under French rule, as well as her father-in-law’s love of art, books, and architecture. No one knows for certain how long it took for Catherine to recognize their shared interests after she arrived in France to marry the king’s second son, Henri, when they were both just 14. I like to imagine, however, that the discovery occurred the first time Catherine saw Chambord.

View f the courtyard and the staircase that serves the North turret, which housed the personal apartments of Francis I.

Francis built Chambord in celebration of his love of Italian Renaissance art and architecture. At the king’s invitation, Leonardo da Vinci visited the site and consulted on the castle’s design. Several historians actually attribute the castle’s distinctive double-helix staircase – two sets of stairs that twine around one another without ever meeting – to the great Italian artist (although the idea is hotly contested and may never be proved).

Built as France entered the Renaissance, Chambord’s distinctive architecture blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Italian Renaissance structures. The central keep, for example, is consistent with medieval design, featuring turrets at each corner, an extensive curtain wall and a moat. Inside, however, the building is pure Renaissance.

The "da Vinci" double-helix staircase. Note the wooden beams of the ceiling in one of the four apartments that surround the staircase in   a Green cross design on each floor.

The “da Vinci” staircase, located at the keep’s center, is built around a column of open air topped by an elaborate spire. The spire, which is pierced by intricate leaded windows, floods all four floors with light. On each of its four stories, the stairs open onto four Greek-cross landings with arched ceilings. Each landing is a complete apartment, a break with the medieval tradition of arranging bedrooms along corridors. Additional suites are housed in each of the turrets, for a total of eight apartments on each floor.

Looking up, inside the da Vinci staircase, toward the decorative tower atop the attic.

Chambord’s Italian influence is most evident from the outside, however. Arched pillars, superimposed across the front of the façade, give it a beautiful symmetry that is purely decorative. Double-banded friezes separate the three floors, with each story shorter than the one below it. The towers, steeples, chimneys and lanterns that decorate the keep’s attic, when viewed from the chateau’s front lawn, form the outline of a fantastical town; Francis reportedly commissioned the design to replicate the skyline of Constantinople. (I wasn’t able to snap that picture myself, but you can get a sense of it here, especially in the reflection.)

Atop the third floor, a terrace surrounds this entire “city.” At every turn, decorative black slate tiles applied to the white stone give the castle a flamboyant Italian harlequin design. It is easy to imagine the servants, sent to Chambord in advance of the court’s arrival, watching for the approaching royal procession from these ramparts, or craning for a glimpse of the king’s hunting party as it thundered through the nearby forests.

The decorative tower that tops the da Vinci staircase. Note the black slate used to give the building an Italian harlequin design.

Because Chambord was rarely occupied (Francis reportedly spent fewer than seventeen weeks there during his lifetime), the castle was never furnished. With no village nearby, the 2,000-member court had to bring everything it needed – furniture, bedding, tapestries, cooking supplies, food – each time it visited. Today, with the exception of a few apartments outfitted with relatively modern furnishings, visitors to Chambord experience the chateau just as it was between Francis’ visits: utterly empty.

The carved Fs stand for Francis. The salamanders were the personal symbol of Francis I, chosen for their mythological ability to regenerate through fire.

Even so, evidence of Francis is everywhere, from the FRF initials formed in black slate to the salamanders carved into fireplaces, doors and coffered ceilings. As king, Francis took the salamander as his personal symbol, reflecting the ancient belief that the salamander, like the phoenix, could regenerate through fire – a worthy aspiration for a king who spent most of his reign at war with Spain.

A closer view of some of the black slate decorations, plus an engraved shell design, on the fantastical roofline of Chambord.

After Francis’ death, his son Henri and daughter-in-law Catherine continued to visit Chambord with their ten children until Henri’s death in a tragic jousting accident. Many years later, when their youngest son’s assassination during the Wars of Religion ended the Valois dynasty, the castle was abandoned. It was rescued by Louis XIV, who used it regularly from 1668 to 1675. Moliere’s famous play “Bourgeois Gentilhomme” had its premiere at Chambord during Louis’ reign.

After the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte gave the chateau to a member of his entourage. In 1939, shortly before the outbreak of World War II, the art collections of the Louvre and Compiègne museums (including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo) were hidden at Chambord, where they remained safe until the war ended. In 1991, the chateau became the inspiration for the Beast’s castle in the Walt Disney animated film “Beauty and the Beast.”

Now owned by the French government and open to the public, the chateau receives about 700,000 visitors annually.

McKenna Darby writes romantic historical novels set during the French Renaissance and the American Civil War. Visit her at http://mckennadarby.com