Château de Blois

The Royal Château de Blois is located in the Loir-et-Cher département in the Loire Valley, in France. The residence of several French kings, it is also the place where Joan of Arc went in 1429 to be blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orléans.

Built in the middle of the town, the château of Blois comprises several buildings constructed from the 13th to the 17th century around the main courtyard. Its most famous piece of architecture is the magnificent spiral staircase in the François I wing.

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History

Louis XII

The medieval castle became a royal residence and the political capital of the kingdom under King Louis XII. At the beginning of the 1500’s, the king initiated a reconstruction of the castle and the creation of a renaissance garden. (In 1890 the construction of the Avenue Victor Hugo destroyed the gardens.)

This wing, built of red brick and grey stone, forms the main entrance to the château, and features a statue of the mounted king above the entrance. Although the style is principally gothic, there are elements of Renaissance architecture present, such as a small chandelier.

François I

When François I took power, his wife Queen Claude had him refurbish Blois with the intention of moving to it from the Château d'Amboise. King François I initiated the construction of a new wing and created one of the period’s most important libraries in the castle. But, after the death of his wife in 1524, he spent very little time at Blois and the massive library was moved to the Royal Château de Fontainebleau where it was used to form the “Bibliothèque Nationale” (National Library).

In this wing, the architecture and ornamentation are marked by Italian influence. At the centre is the monumental spiral staircase, covered by fine sculptures and looking out onto the Château's central court. Behind this wing is the façade of the Loges, characterised by a series of disconnected niches.

Henri III

King Henri III, driven from Paris during the French Wars of Religion, lived at Blois and held the Estates-General convention there in 1576 and 1588. It was during this convention that the king had his arch-enemy, the Duke of Guise, executed.

Henri IV

After this, the castle was occupied by King Henri IV, the first Bourbon monarch. On Henri’s death, it became the place of exile for his widow, Marie de Medici.

Gaston d'Orléans

In 1626, King Louis XIII gave the Château of Blois to his brother Gaston d'Orléans as a wedding gift. In 1635 there was another attempt to develop the castle but on Gaston's death in 1660, it was abandoned. The task of developing this wing was given to François Mansart, a well-known architect of the time. This wing makes up the rear wall of the court, directly opposite the Louis XII wing. The central section is composed of three horizontal layers where the superposition of Doric, Ionic and Corinthian orders can be seen.

By the time of the French Revolution the immense castle had been neglected for more than one hundred and thirty years, and the revolutionaries, determined to wipe out any symbol of the old nobility while enriching themselves, ransacked the castle and stole many of its statues, royal emblems and coats of arms. In a state of near total disrepair it was scheduled to be demolished but was given a reprieve as the residence of the military.

Preservation as a monument

In 1841, under the direction of King Louis-Philippe, the Château de Blois was classified as an historic monument. It was restored and turned into a museum. On view for visitors to the castle, are the supposed poison cabinets of Catherine de Medici. Most likely this room, the "chamber of secrets" had a much more banal purpose: exhibiting precious objects for guests.

Today, the château is owned by the town of Blois, a major tourist attraction.

Châteaux of the Loire Valley | Castles in France | World Heritage Sites in France | Loir-et-Cher