beautiful chateau you never heard of it, it is an incredible jewel of the Renaissance and contains Diane’s bed and several belongings, including a love letter from the King, her hand mirror and all sorts of fabulous objects.
Read more about Chateau d’Anet here.
Catherine de Medici’s 30 year rule through her sons was at a time of turbulence, tarnished by the bloody turmoil of religious wars. It’s claimed that she would despatch teams of beautiful young women to calm down aggressive noblemen and to find out their secrets. The 1572 St Bartholomew massacre of thousands of Protestants happened on her watch. The infamous assassination of the Duke de Guise, leader of the Catholic League took place at the Chateau de Blois in 1588 while she lie sick in bed. She died a year later, aged 69, and was buried first at Blois before being re-interred at the Basilica of Saint-Denis with the husband she had loved.
During her time she became an influential patron of the arts, making a significant contribution to the French Renaissance for three decades. She spent vast amounts of money on monuments and chateaux, employed Italian artists and architects, patronised French artists and became a renowned collector. She was famous for her lavish parties, known as “magnificences” as well as championing the theatrical arts, ballet and opera.
VIVA LEONARDO DA VINCI
Viva Leonardo da Vinci, celebrating 500 years of the French Renaissance in the Loire Valley, sees around 500 events taking place all over the region. In this rich programme of arts and culture, the French Renaissance lives on…
For further inspiration visit:
www.loirevalley-france.co.uk; www.france.fr
Catherine de Medici 1519-1589