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Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau

Worth visiting

Added on 11 Mar 2014,

last edited by »biroto-Redaktion« on 14 Jun 2023

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Type of sights

Castle/palace / World heritage site

 
 

Name and address

Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau

22 Rue Balzac

FR-37190 Azay-le-Rideau

GEO-data

Geodetic coordinates

47.259200 0.466100

Elevation

37 m

Communication

Phone

+33 ∎∎∎ ∎∎∎∎∎∎

Internet

∎∎∎.∎∎∎∎-∎∎-∎∎∎∎∎∎.∎∎/

Parkside of the Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau
Parkside of the Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau
Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau, access road
Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau, access road
Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau, view from the court yard
Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau, view from the court yard
Salon Biencourt in the Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau
Salon Biencourt in the Château dʹAzay-le-Rideau

The Château d'Azay-le-Rideau (pronounced: [azɛ lə ʁido]) is located in the town of Azay-le-Rideau Wikipedia Icon in the French département of Indre-et-Loire. Built between 1518 and 1527, this château is considered one of the foremost examples of early French renaissance architecture. Set on an island in the middle of the Indre river, this picturesque château has become one of the most popular of the châteaux of the Loire valley.

The château d'Azay-le-Rideau is one of many national monuments under the protection of the Centre des monuments nationaux, and also forms part of the Loire valley UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Architecture and Decoration

Exterior

Set on an island in the middle of the Indre, the château of Azay-le-Rideau seems to rise straight out of the waters of the river, which reflect the castle's façades so that the château appears to float in its own image. The writer Balzac, who lived nearby and was occasionally a guest at the château, deeply admired the building, describing it as 'a facetted diamond, set in the Indre'. This striking setting has helped Azay-le-Rideau to become one of the most famous of the Loire Wikipedia Icon's many châteaux.

This relatively small château is divided into two sections, the main central body and a wing at right angles to it, and displays a blend of architectural styles. The influence of the fashionable Italian renaissance style is clear in its long proportions and ornate sculptural decorations. Alongside these Italiante elements are vestiges of medieval defensive architecture, such as the traces of the covered walkway on the external walls or the machicolationsunder the roof, which were no longer necessary for defence but were incorporated in the château's design because of their symbolic prestige. Finally, other architectural features, such as the bastion corners with their pointed conical turrets, the vertically stacked dormer windows separated by astring course, and the high, steeply sloping slate roof, help to give Azay-le-Rideau its unmistakably French appearance.

The château's most prominent feature is the grand central staircase, the escalier d'honneur. Its design is thought to have been inspired by the staircase of the Château de Châteaudun Wikipedia Icon, which it resembles from the outside, though its internal structure is very different. Azay-le-Rideau's staircase rises in straight flights rather than in a spiral, as was more usual at this time, and is the oldest surviving staircase of this kind in France.

The staircase has three floors, each with a double bay window forming a mezzanine which looks out over the courtyard. The entryway, which resembles a Roman triumphal arch, is decorated with the initials of Gilles Berthelot and his wife, while the pedimentsoverhanging each window bay are carved with the salamander and ermine of Francis I and his wife, Claude of France, in honour to the monarch of the time. Inside, the ceiling of the staircase is made up of medallions sculpted with the profiles of the kings and queens of France from Louis XI to Henry IV. With its columns and pilasters, and ornate carvings of shells, medallions and other symbols, this impressive staircase provides a clear example of the influence of Italian renaissance style in the château's design.

Interior

The château's richly sculpted interior decoration once again reflects the influence of the Italian renaissance. It is made up of several drawing rooms and stately apartments, most of which are decorated in the neo-renaissance style popular during the 19th century. Many of these rooms display 16th- and 17th-century Flemish tapestries, most notably the 'Scenes from the Old Testament' woven in Audenarde, and the 'Story of Psyche', which was created in Brussels and which, in 2009, provided the inspiration for the château's exhibition dedicated to the Greek myth. The château also houses a significant collection of artwork, including a 'Dame au Bain' (possibly depicting Diane de Poitiers) by François Clouet, and several portraits of French monarchs, including Francis I, Henry III and Catherine de Medici.

Also of note are the attics, where the charpente (in French), or the hand-crafted wooden frame supporting the roof, has been recently restored (2010–11) and can be viewed alongside an exhibition explaining the complex techniques of its construction.

Park and Gardens

The current gardens were designed in the 19th century by the Biencourts, who created a large landscaped park in the English style. To the south and west, the river creates a water mirror for the château, reflecting the façades and creating an attractive tableau.

Information about copyright

Rights characteristic / license

by-sa: CREATIVE COMMONS Attribution-ShareAlike

Link to the description of the license

creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Input taken over from:

Wikipedia contributors, 'Château d'Azay-le-Rideau', Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 September 2013, 14:54 UTC, http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ch%C3%A2teau_d%27Azay-le-Rideau&oldid=573651839 Wikipedia Icon [accessed 11 March 2014]

taken over / edited on

11 Mar 2014 - 14 Jun 2023

taken over / edited by

biroto-Redaktion

Hours of opening:

From April1st to June 30th
9h30 - 18h

From July1st to August 31st
9:30am - 7pm

October1 to March 31
10:00 am - 5:15 pm

September1 to 30
9:30 am - 6 pm

Added on 11 Mar 2014,

last edited by »biroto-Redaktion« on 14 Jun 2023