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120:. Angered by the insults of the Burgundian troops occupying the town, the dauphin ordered his own army to storm the castle. The 350 soldiers inside were all executed and the castle itself burnt to the ground. For centuries, this fate was commemorated in the town's name of Azay-le-Brûlé (literally Azay the Burnt), which remained in use until the 18th century.
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266:), extending the courtyard façade and adding a new tower at the east corner. These developments destroyed the last vestiges of the old medieval fortress and meant that the château at last achieved a finished appearance. For these renovations, he employed the Swiss architect Pierre-Charles Dusillon, who was also working on the neighbouring château of
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Following the
Prussian troops' retreat, Azay-le-Rideau returned to the Biencourts. In this period, the château became well known for the collection of more than 300 historical portraits which the owners displayed there and which, unusually for a private collection, could be visited by the public. In
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confiscated the unfinished château and, in 1535, gave it to
Antoine Raffin, one of his knights-at-arms. Raffin undertook only minor renovations in the château, and so the building works remained incomplete, with only the south and west wings of the planned quadrilateral ever being built. Thus, the
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The
Raffins, and their relations by marriage, the Vassés, retained ownership of the château until 1787, when it was sold for 300,000 livres to the Marquis Charles de Biencourt, field marshal of the king's armies. The château was in poor condition, though, and from the 1820s, Biencourt undertook
934:(G. Touchard-Lafosse, 'La Touraine historique, pittoresque et biographique', Tours, Lescene, 1856, p.289) "M. le marquis de Biencourt entretient avec beaucoup de soin son château (...) on y visite surtout vec intérêt une collection de portraits historiques attribuée aux meilleurs maîtres"
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The château was still incomplete in 1527, when the execution of
Jacques de Beaune, (the chief minister in charge of royal finances and cousin to Berthelot) forced Gilles to flee the country. Possibly fearing the exposure of his own financial misdemeanours, he went into exile first in
459:. 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
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Berthelot's duties meant that he was frequently absent from the château, so the responsibility for supervising the building works fell to his wife, Philippa
Lesbahy. These took time, since it was difficult to lay solid foundations in the damp ground of this island in the
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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.
396:, 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.
214:, took up residence in the château and, with the help of her husband ppGuy de Saint-Gelais|the seigneur de Lanssac]], began modernising the décor. Azay-le-Rideau was then inherited by their son Arthur and his wife Françoise de Souvre, a future governess to
289:, was dining, he suspected an assassination attempt and ordered his soldiers to set fire to the building. Only his officers' assurances that the lamp had dropped by accident persuaded him to stay his hand and thus saved the château from a second burning.
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and
Treasurer-General of the King's finances. Desiring a residence to reflect his wealth and status, Berthelot set about reconstructing the building in a way that would incorporate its medieval past alongside the latest architectural styles of the
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extensive alteration work. In 1824, he added a 'Chinese room' (destroyed in the 1860s) to the ground floor in the south wing, and in 1825 or 1826 decorated the library with carved wood panelling to match the drawing room on the opposite side.
353:, who lived nearby and was occasionally a guest at the château, deeply admired the building, describing it as 'a faceted diamond, set in the Indre'. This striking setting has helped Azay-le-Rideau to become one of the most famous of the
149:, by an exaggerated description of the many 'public thieves, footpads and other vagabonds, evildoers committing affray, disputes, thefts, larcenies, outrages, extortions and sundry other evils' which threatened unfortified towns such as
313:, 1939–1940, the château provided a home for the Education Ministry when they, like many other French ministries, withdrew from Paris. The château d'Azay-le-Rideau is now one of many national monuments under the protection of the
145:. Although the château's purpose was to be largely residential, defensive fortifications remained important symbols of prestige, and so Berthelot was keen to have them for his new castle. He justified his request to the King,
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is clear in its long proportions and ornate sculptural decorations. Alongside these
Italianate elements are vestiges of medieval defensive architecture, such as the traces of the covered walkway on the external walls or the
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1899, financial difficulties forced the young widower
Charles-Marie-Christian de Biencourt to sell the château, along with its furniture and 540 hectares of land, to the businessman Achille Arteau, a former lawyer from
285:, the château was once again threatened with destruction. It served as the headquarters for the Prussian troops in the area, but when one night a chandelier fell from the ceiling onto the table where their leader,
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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
501:(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.
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on 10 August 1792, who began the first extensive restoration of the château. This included restoring the old medallions and royal insignia on the staircase (which had been covered up during the
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under 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
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349:, 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
439:, 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.
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The current château of Azay-le-Rideau occupies the site of a former feudal castle. During the 12th century, the local seigneur Ridel (or Rideau) d'Azay, a knight in the service of
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quarry, which was famous for its hard-wearing rock but was also around 100 km (62 mi) away, meaning that the heavy blocks had to be transported to
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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
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who wanted to sell its contents for profit. As a result, the château was emptied and its artwork and furniture dispersed.
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The trees is the gardens of the chateau are impressive. Compare the size of the people to that of the trees
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The chateau at Azay le Rideau is not the largest in the Loire region but is probably the most elegant.
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The castle remained in ruins until 1518, when the land was acquired by Gilles
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The chateau of Azay Le Rideau is built on an island in the River Indre near the Loire in France
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The château's richly sculpted interior decoration once again reflects the influence of the
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château preserved the distinctive, but accidental, L-shape which it retains to this day.
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which looks out over the courtyard. The entryway, which resembles a Roman
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river, this picturesque château has become one of the most popular of the
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The château's most prominent feature is the grand central staircase, the
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The staircase has three floors, each with a double bay window forming a
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In 1583, Raffin's granddaughter Antoinette, a former lady-in-waiting to
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View of the escalier d'honneur from the inner courtyard, Azay-le-Rideau
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The site of the chateau was originally occupied by a medieval fortress
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corners with their pointed conical turrets, the vertically stacked
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with his device, Nutrisco et extinguo, from the pediment at Azay
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However, this original medieval castle fell victim to
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the rivalry between Burgundian and Armagnac factions
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1080:Official website for the Chateau d'Azay-le-Rideau
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922:La véritable histoire des châteaux de la Loire
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860:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
647:View of the château and surrounding water
132:View of the façade from the southern side
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1032:Pérouse de Montclos, Jean-Marie (1997).
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56:. Set on an island in the middle of the
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1003:. Paris: Editions Declic. p. 73.
738:List of World Heritage Sites in France
345:Set on an island in the middle of the
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1051:. Paris: Editions Declic. p. 73.
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948:. Paris: Editions Declic. p. 74.
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894:. Paris: Editions Declic. p. 74.
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965:, Ministère français de la Culture.
611:View of the château from the gardens
116:to the loyal Armagnac stronghold of
112:as he fled from Burgundian occupied
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364:. The influence of the fashionable
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1092:Lot picture by night ( in French )
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238:. Later in the century, his son
23:The Château and surrounding water
1087:UNESCO site for the Loire Valley
979:"CMN website for Azay-le-Rideau"
924:. Paris: Plon. pp. 158–159.
835:. Paris: Plon. pp. 152–153.
775:. Paris: Plon. pp. 150–151.
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40:) is located in the town of
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909:. Paris: Plon. p. 158.
879:. Paris: Plon. p. 156.
820:. Paris: Plon. p. 152.
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760:. Paris: Plon. p. 150.
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1408:Water castles in France
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104:. In 1418, the future
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37:[azɛləʁido]
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675:'s salamander
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599:The west wing
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982:. Retrieved
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959:Base Mérimée
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163:Saint-Aignan
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28:
26:
1367: /
984:3 September
967:(in French)
281:During the
106:Charles VII
100:during the
46:département
1382:Categories
1355:0°28′0.9″E
1352:47°15′36″N
1324:Villesavin
1249:Montsoreau
1239:Montpoupon
1189:Châteaudun
1184:Chenonceau
1154:Beauregard
963:PA00097546
413:salamander
264:Revolution
232:Louis XIII
33:pronounced
1319:Villandry
1244:Montrésor
856:cite book
687:Carpentry
673:Francis I
498:charpente
486:Henry III
482:Francis I
461:Audenarde
437:pilasters
421:Francis I
409:pediments
401:mezzanine
260:Tuileries
256:Louis XVI
240:Louis XIV
216:Louis XIV
199:Francis I
178:Francis I
169:by boat.
147:Francis I
1314:Valençay
1304:Troussay
1269:Le Rivau
1209:Langeais
1194:Cheverny
1179:Chaumont
1174:Chambord
850:. Paris.
717:See also
469:Brussels
451:Interior
433:Henry IV
429:Louis XI
333:Exterior
191:Lorraine
1284:Serrant
1169:Brissac
1139:Amboise
514:Gallery
375:bastion
195:Cambrai
118:Bourges
68:History
1274:Saumur
1224:Menars
1214:Loches
1204:Gizeux
1199:Chinon
1144:Angers
465:Psyche
417:ermine
379:dormer
351:Balzac
87:Chinon
1299:Tours
1294:Talcy
1289:Sully
1264:Réaux
1159:Blois
744:Notes
476:) by
355:Loire
347:Indre
295:Tours
228:Blois
226:, in
220:Paris
159:Indre
138:Tours
114:Paris
91:Indre
83:Tours
58:Indre
1309:Ussé
1219:Lude
986:2012
862:link
488:and
415:and
268:Ussé
187:Metz
27:The
431:to
419:of
189:in
85:to
48:of
1384::
961::
858:}}
854:{{
492:.
484:,
324:.
270:.
230:,
153:.
93:.
64:.
1120:e
1113:t
1106:v
988:.
864:)
31:(
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