Amboise Things to Do

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“You cannot believe what lovely gardens I have seen in this town; for, on my word, it seems as though only Adam and Eve were wanting to make an Earthly Paradise, so full are they of rare and beautiful things.”
— Charles VIII, writing from Naples in a letter to Pierre, Duc de Bourbon

BEAUTIFUL THINGS In 1494, Charles took an army of 30,000 men to Italy with the idea of conquering the peninsula. The Italian Renaissance was in full flower. Charles’s natural taste for luxury was stoked by the art, architecture and decorative arts he found there. Charles brought back to Amboise a team of architects, sculptors, decorators, gardeners, tailors, as well as a chicken breeder, who introduced the incubator to France.

The château has held some well-known prisoners. Nicolas Fouquet, Louis XIV’s Superintendent of Finance and lord of the wonderful Château Vaux le Vicomte outside Paris, was one of them.

The Emir of Algers, Abd al-Qadir was another. Following the French invasion of Algeria in 1830, al-Qadir called for jihad against the invaders, who would colonize the country in 1843. In November 1848, Abd al-Qadir was placed under house arrest in the Château d’Amboise along with an entourage of 88. The Emir spent four years at the château until 1852 when he was released by Napoleon III after pledging never to disturb Algeria.

In 2002, a memorial to the members of the Emir’s household who died at Château d’Amboise was laid out within château’s garden (see photos #1 to #3).

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Down the rue Victor-Hugo a little over 600m south of the chateau is the manor “Clos Luce”, which Francois I inherited. He installed the ageing Leonardo da Vinci here as a haven for his old age. Francois enjoyed frequent conversations with the Master, who with his assistants worked on various projects such as the double staircase at the Chambord (but no longer any paintings). He died after 4 years with Francois holding his hand.For his kindness Francois and the Louvre received the Mona Lisa and the Virgin of the Rocks. The mansion with some additions is now restored to that time and is also a museum housing over 40 models made by IBM from Leonardo’s papers and diagrams. These are devices that he imagined utilizing existing and non-exsting power sources. There are supportive materials too.

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The Chapel of St.-Hubert, finished in1493, is the gem of Amboise. The stonework of the interior is by Flemish masters in Flamboyant style. The masterpiece is the lintel of the double-door portal (the tympanum is a dull moden replacement), with the story of St.-Hubert and the Blessed Stag. The realization of him (kneeling right) and St. Christopher (at the left) are considered masterpieces. Inside in the left transept is a tomb reputed to cover the remains of Leonardo da Vinci (presumably found at another part of the terrace in 1869). The whole chapel was relocated to this spot as well at that time

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On the first (main) floor after entering the castle one encounters the gracefully vaulted hall of the Estates General. On the floor above is the bedroom of Henri II (the last to use it in the 16C), with a fine fireplace.More interesting is the broad ramp that scends the Tour des Minimes which is wide enough to accomodate a horse and carriage or more frequently carts to provision the chateau.

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A ramp leads up from the town below onto a broad terrace (platform) where the royal residence (Logis du Roi) , the chateau, rises parallel to the Loire. This much restored wing has survived the destructions of the early 19C along with another wing at right angles to it added by Francois I. At the west end along the Loire is a rectangular structure, the ancient keep. At the east, on the Loire, is the very wide Tour des Minimes (Chevaliers). Much further south along the west edge is the Chapel of St.-Hubert

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“Amboise, an old and languid town of 4,600 inhabitants, stands on the left banks of the Loire, here divided by an island, upon which the two bridges which cross the river rest.”
— from “A Handbook for Travelers in France,” 1854 by John Murray

The rock on which the castle is built has been part of a stronghold since before the Romans conquered Gaul. After a bridge had been built over the river, the military importance of Amboise grew. During the 11th century the counts d’Amboise held the castle on the headland; they remained there until it was confiscated by Charles VII.

Louis XI made Château d’Amboise the residence of his queen, Charlotte de Savoie. Their son, the future Charles VIII, was born here. He was only 13 years old when he became king. From the very start of Charles’ reign, in 1491, he undertook important construction work that would transform this feudal fortress at Amboise into a royal residence. Work proceeded without interruption for six years; by the light of torches work was carried on at night. In the winter, the building stones were heated so they could be cut and chiseled.

Poor Charles, he did not have much time to enjoy his finished castle. On the afternoon of the 7th of April 1498, Charles VIII was leaving Queen Anne’s bedroom to go watch a tennis match. The door through which he passed was low. The king hit his head against the door’s lintel. Although the immediate shock had no effect, nine hours later he suddenly fell to the floor and lost consciousness. The king was laid on a straw mattress and remained there until 11 pm, when he died.

Before his untimely death, Charles VIII of France made a selfish contribution to men’s 15th century fashion. He popularized men’s shoes with square toes. Why? Because he hoped to hide the six toes on one of his feet.

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“Love works in miracles every day: such as weakening the strong, and strengthening the weak; making fools of the wise, and wise men of fools; favoring the passions, destroying reason, and in a word, turning everything topsy-turvy.”
— Marguerite d’Angoulême (1492-1549)

LOVE IS IN THE AIR Marguerite d’Angoulême, her younger brother François and their widowed mother, Louise of Savoy, arrived at Chateau d’Amboise in 1500. This royal castle was their new home because François was now heir presumptive of his cousin, Louis XII, who had not sired sons with any one his of three wives.

Marguerite and François were educated at Château d’Amboise in the humanist traditions of the Renaissance. Marguerite would become one of the most learned women of her generation, an authoress and a skilled diplomat. She negotiated her brother’s release from captivity at the hands of his rival, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who held François for two years in Spain once he had defeated the French king at the Battle of Pavia in Italy.

François I began his reign in 1515, after being crowned in the cathedral at Reims. Château d’Amboise became the primary focus for his court over the first three years of his reign. It’s at this time that Amboise shone. Court life was organized around splendid festivals, balls, tournaments, and masquerades. Many of the decorations for these festivities were designed by Leonardo da Vinci, whom the young French king invited to Amboise in 1516 on the advice of his sister, Marguerite d’Angoulême. François I was mad for art, and especially art of the Italian Renaissance. He completed building the wing of the castle, which had been started by his predecessor, Louis XII.

The personal emblem of François I is the salamander (see photo #1). There are some examples of this curious creature around this castle.

A lovely tapestry hangs in the Cupbearers’ Room (see photo #2), so named for the officers who served drinks at the king’s table.

There are two fireplaces at opposite ends of the Council Room (see photos #3 and #4), where the sovereign received guests and met with advisors. Angels hold the coat-of-arms of France and Brittany above one of them.

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“No being disappears into the void.”
— Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

While Chateau d’Amboise was an active royal residence, at this Chapel of St. Hubert a hunting Mass was held before the lords went out on their horses with their hounds. The noble and powerful assisted with the Mass but were usually impatient to get on with their favorite sport.

Part of the chapel’s exterior Flamboyant style are gargoyles (see photo #5).

Louis-Philippe, King of the French, restored the chapel during his reign in the 1830s and 1840s.

Entry to the chapel is included with general admission to Chateau d’Amboise and its grounds.

For more photos and information about this wonderful chapel, see my Part 1 entry for la chapelle de St-Hubert.