XAVIER PRESTIGE TOUR

NORMANDY, FRENCH CASTLES
By Xavier Danet, Xavier Prestige Tour

Normandy

A journey through the Norman bocage that takes you from Honfleur harbour, cradle of the impressionist painters, to the landing beaches, which vividly recall the events of D Day. You can also discover Deauville, the famous coastal resort, the cliffs of Etretat that became famous thanks to Monet and Courbet.

Chateau Fontainebleau

The castle of Fontainebleau is located an hour away from Paris. Occupied by the kings of France, as early as the12th century, it is a unique place, since all the monarchs lived there until Napoleon III. Francois I, then his son, Henri II, are the mainarchitects. With the help of the Italian school, Le Rosso and Le Primatice, they will build a “renaissance” style castle. Fontainebleau is also Napoleon’s “farewell to arms” that took place in the white horse courtyard in 1814.

Barbozon
You may also visit Barbizon, a charming village, located at the edge of the forest of Fontainebleau. Jean-François Millet and Théodore Rousseau chose to live there. With Corot and Daubigny, they are at the origin of the “school of Barbizon”. Today, numerous galleries of paintings attest the artistic activity of this village. Some excellent restaurants will add to the pleasure of the visit.

Castle of Azay le Rideau

The current appearance of the castle of Azay le Rideau goes back to this formidable period of architectural creativity which was the beginning of the reign of François 1st. Until this period, the castle of Azay le Rideau had a defensive object and look like all the fortresses of the area: drawbridge and machicolation. Moreover its architecture returned the image of the power of the lord who was the Master of the place.

The initial fortress was subjected to several events, and in particular the fire caused by Charles VII during the One hundred Year old war.

The castle of Azay le Rideau To the end of XVth century, architecture and the decoration of the French residences seigneuriales will evolve. The builders are helped by Italian artists and the castle of Azay le Rideau is in this paramount evolution of our royal architecture.

Château des Dames

Built on the river Cher, where the unique beauty of its architecture reflects in the water, the Château de Chenonceau is the Val de Loire’s finial.

Château des Dames as recorded in the French history books, Chenonceau owes a large part of its charm to women: it was built in 1513 by Katherine Briçonnet, then made even more attractive by Diane de Poitiers and Catherine de Médicis, and saved from the rigours of the French Revolution by Mrs Dupin.

The lovely surroundings, the formal garden and the park surrounding it add to the impression of delicate grace emanating from the castle.

Chenonceau is not only remarkable for its architecture and history but also for the fine quality of its collections as can be seen from the inside visit: Renaissance furniture, a vast ensemble of XVI th and XVII th centuries tapestries and a great number of masterpieces.

Le Primatice, Rubens, Le Tintoret, Rigaud, Nattier, Van Loo are among the most famous names that can be found there. 

Château Cheverny

The lands were purchased by Henri Hurault, comte de Cheverny, a lieutenant-general and military treasurer for Louis XI, whose descendent the marquis de Vibraye is the present owner.

Lost to the Crown because of fraud to the State, it was donated by King Henri II to his mistress Diane de Poitiers. However, she preferred Château de Chenonceau and sold the property to the former owner's son, Philippe Hurault, who built the château between 1624 and 1630, to designs by the sculptor-architect of Blois, Jacques Bougier, who was trained in the atelier of Salomon de Brosse, and whose design at Cheverny recalls features of the Palais du Luxembourg. The interiors were completed by the daughter of Henri Hurault and Marguerite, marquise de Montglas, by 1650, employing craftsmen from Blois.

During the next 150 years ownership passed to many owners, and in 1768 a major interior renovation was undertaken. Required to forfeit much of the Hurault wealth at the time of the French Revolution, the family sold it in 1802, at the height of the Empire but bought it back in 1824, during the Restauration under Charles X. The aristocracy was once again in a very strong political and economic position.

In 1914, the owner opened the chateau to the public, one of the first to do so. The family still operates it, and Château Cheverny remains a top tourist attraction to this day, renowned for magnificent interiors and its collection of furniture, tapestries, and objets d'art. A pack of some seventy dogs are also kept on the grounds and are taken out for hunts twice weekly. A video of their feeding can be viewed.

Only a portion of the original fortified castle possibly remains in existence today. It is somewhat of a mystery, because to date there is no reliable way to prove whether or not a certain section is part of the original building. An ancient travelling artist captured the original castle in a drawing, but it contains no reliable landmarks, so the drawing offers no proof one way or the other.

See Château Chambord!
A dream that has long been shared by each and every one of us finally comes true: as a truly extravagant Château in every way and masterpiece of the French Renaissance, Chambord is yours to explore at will.

Take the double spiral staircase, which two people can go up or down without ever meeting, and head to the royal apartments of François I and Louis XIV. The floor above immerses you in the world of royal hunts. Continue up to the terraces and you’ll find yourself surrounded by roofing and chimneys forming a fairytale village, as if suspended in the sky. Look down towards the grand canal and … beyond to the wild game reserve.

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