French-writer Honoré de Balzac described the Château of Azay-le-Rideau as “a faceted diamond set within the Indre.” A gem among the many quite a few châteaux of the Loire Valley, it is usually one of many earliest examples of French Renaissance structure.
The first construction was constructed between 1518 and 1528 by Gilles Berthelot, a financier of King Francis I. This distinctive web site conveys all of the attraction of the early Renaissance, mixing each French custom and progressive Italian decor. It quickly turned consultant of a brand new method of constructing buildings within the Loire Valley, a popular place of residence for the French courtroom.
Financiers of the crown akin to Berthelot began to construct magnificent houses to determine their social standing, incorporating Italian architectural improvements (influenced by their navy campaigns in Italy) with the French Renaissance fashion.
The Château of Azay-le-Rideau represents this transition, and the grand central staircase is a key component of this shift. It’s embellished with Italian Renaissance options akin to half columns, pillars, pilasters, carved shells, and a coffered vault that includes profile medallions. One other spotlight is the constructing’s façade, with its turrets and sharply pointed roofs, harking back to the gothic fashion.
Sadly, Berthelot couldn’t full his undertaking, as Francis I confiscated the château in 1535 after Berthelot’s exile. Some architects consider that Berthelot initially deliberate so as to add a wing to type a symmetrical U-shaped ground plan following Italian designs, as an alternative of the present L-shaped ground plan.
Within the Nineteenth century, the Biencourt household restored the property within the Neo-Renaissance fashion. At the moment, the château is assessed as a historic monument, and a latest restoration undertaking restored it to its former glory, renovating each its exterior and inside with unique Renaissance furnishings.
The northern façade of Azay-le-Rideau is the primary to greet the attention upon arriving on the château. Whereas the outside seems like a typical French Renaissance fortress with its limestone façade, turrets, and pointed roof, the grand staircase on the heart of the constructing provides it an Italian aptitude. (Viacheslav Lopatin/Shutterstock)The château is legendary for its staircase, to the appropriate of the primary constructing. Though its architect is unknown, the grand staircase is essentially the most progressive component of Azay-le-Rideau, demonstrating the significance of Italian influences in Sixteenth-century France. Till then, French châteaux had spiral staircases, whereas this one is straight with banisters on both aspect. Different key components of this monumental staircase embody the open bay home windows and carved portraits of kings and queens of France. (EQRoy/Shutterstock)An in depth-up of the château’s roof and its elaborate finishings. As with the remainder of the château’s structure, the sculpted decorations mix each French and Italian traditions. Right here, the pillars framing the window are finely ornate with vegetable scrolls, medallions, putti, and shells. (Kiev.Victor/Shutterstock)The château’s two-story limestone façade, made from native tuffeau stone, and its steep slate roof provides it a particular French look. Turrets have been added within the Nineteenth century by the Biencourt household to create the phantasm of a accomplished Renaissance château, within the spirit of historicism. (Antoine2K/Shutterstock)The stately flats are richly embellished within the Neo-Renaissance fashion, a Nineteenth-century architectural revival of the Renaissance interval. Right here, the Biencourt salon illustrates the style of the château’s previous house owners. The big fire is the centerpiece of this room, together with the picket paneling. The partitions are coated in leather-patterned wallpaper and portraits from the Renaissance, acquired by the Biencourt household within the spirit of authenticity. Total, the luxurious but snug environment was faithfully reproduced, with unique furnishings from Mobilier Nationwide. (Viacheslav Lopatin/Shutterstock)A better take a look at the hearth of the Biencourt salon. Constructed by Edmond Lechevallier-Chevignard within the Nineteenth-century Neo-Renaissance fashion, it represents the work undertaken by the Biencourt household to offer the château stylistic unity. The mantelpiece of the hearth incorporates a carved salamander, the image of Francis I, discovered all through the château. (Viacheslav/Shutterstock)One other spotlight of the château: the bed room of Philippe Lesbahy, the spouse of Gilles Berthelot. The point of interest of the bed room is the elevated mattress, recreated within the Nineteenth-century Neo-Renaissance fashion. Purple damask curtains, silk velvet trimmings, embroideries, and elaborate woodwork illustrate the richness of Renaissance beds and the status of their house owners. On the finish of the mattress, the trunk is within the Neo-Renaissance fashion. (Steve Allen/Shutterstock)
