Chambord in the Loire Valley

When we went to the Loire valley we took the time to see two castles thoroughly the first was Chenonceau which I blogged earlier and the second was Chambord.


Chambord is the largest of all the Loire castles. In terms of sheer scale, it foreshadows Versailles. It appears suddenly at the edge of a path, and the sight of its white massive structure that widens and takes shape little by little, produces a dramatic impression, which we were told is even more striking at sunset. Adding to that - the building’s construction, the richness of its Renaissance decor and, finally, its two wonders: the grand stairway and the roof terrace.


Chambord was commissioned by Francis I and plans for Chambord were drawn up in 1518-1519. A wooden model, which disappeared without trace in the 17th century, was created by Dominique de Cortone, “the Boccador”. In 1519, the king named François de Pontbriant superintendant of the construction of Chambord, and work began that same year.The work would continue into the 1560s with just one brief interruption when the king was held captive in Madrid. This was the project’s only interruption during the reign of Francis I. Even when the treasury dried up, when the king needed money to pay Spain the ransom for his two sons who came to “replace” him, when he was reduced to pillaging the church treasuries or melting the silver of his subjects, the work at Chambord continued at full throttle. Francis, in his zeal, even wanted divert the Loire and bring it to the foot of the castle but faced with the enormity of the task, diverted the Cosson instead. In 1544, the work continued with the construction of the wing which housed the royal apartments. In 1559, upon the death of King Henry II, the castle was unfinished. Its construction stopped, and it was not until the 17th century that the wing got a roof.



The layout of Chambord is feudal with a central donjon (keep) with 4 towers and an enclosure. But its Renaissance construction evokes no war-like impressions and indeed Chambord was primarily used as a leisure residence for royalty. In its architectural planning Chambord combined the most in-vogue Italian ideas of the time with the most traditional French architectural styles. It was built according to the same conceptual principals as Italian churches and is reminiscent of the work of Leonardo da Vinci in the chancel of the Cathedral of Pavia in the 1490s. With Chambord, the use of coffered vaulted ceilings was employed for the first time in France. This Italian inspired innovation links Chambord to the architecture of St. Paul’s Cathedral in Rome.


Other aspects of Chambord’s architecture are, however, typically of the French traditional style – notably the central donjon confined by 4 round towers and encircled by an enclosure. The “double spiral” stairway (two parallel stairways wrapped around one another) is the most remarkable feature of the castle and is written into the lineage of French architecture. The donjon is found in the center of the edifice. Its construction began in 1519 and was completed in 1540. In its center we find the “double spiral” stairway, which was most likely designed by Leonardo da Vinci but no one is entirely certain. Its structure is very unusual. The parallel stairways ascend in such a way that two people can go up and down them without ever meeting. The casing has an openwork design so that one can see through the entire structure. The columns are decorated with unusual corner figurines like cherubs, lizards, a wingless Pegasus coming out of Mars’ temple. At the top of the donjon, a lantern crowns the grand stairway. This lantern is topped by a narrow turret and then by a skylight.

Jerome, my driver, claimed that the double staircase was so that the King could keep his mistresses in one wing and the Queen in the opposite wing and they would never have to see one another. Not sure this is true but it is a logical reason since there sure were a lot of mistresses.


The terraced roof was inspired directly from Italy, it provides a unique sight: lanterns, gables, dormer windows, 800 columns and 365 chimneys, spires and pinnacles intermingled together, all detailed by the sculpter’s chisel. Under the kings, the court spent most of their time on the terrace. From there, they watched the coming and going of the hunts, military exercises and reviews, tournaments, parties. The thousand nooks and crannies of the terrace lent themselves to private little secrets, intrigues, romantic exchanges, which played a major role in the life of this dazzling society. An unusual decorative feature is the slate tiles which run along the chimneys, cut in circular, square and diamond shapes, create a kind of mosaic reminiscent of and a less expensive version of Italian marble facing.

Long exterior galleries link the wings and the donjon. On the south side, two towers were orginally planned, but were never built. Just like the moat, which was supposed to go around the entire castle, only the northern and eastern sides were excavated.


More about the interior in my next post.

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