Photo 1: The castle of Chambord. Main facade even if at the back of the entrance.
The castle of Chambord is the largest, the most majestic, the most beautiful, but it is also the castle that has been least used and for this reason has little or nothing influenced the history of France. Its construction began, by the will of King Francesco I, great patron, father of the French Renaissance, in 1519. Francesco wanted the greatest Italian artists to build this magnificent castle at his court.
Photo 2: The entrance to the castle of Chambord
Photo 3: The roofs and chimneys of Chambord recall the Gothic style
Photo 4: Still roofs and chimneys of Chambord that recall the Gothic style
Legend has it that even Leonardo Da Vinci, perhaps the most illustrious Italic genius, contributed in whole or in part to the design and construction of the castle. In particular, the double central spiral staircase is attributed to Leonardo who perhaps had seen the one that Bramante was building in Rome for Pope Julius II in the Vatican.
Photo 5: The double helical staircase attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci on the ground floor
Photo 6: The double helical staircase attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci on one of the upper floors
Photo 7: The double helical staircase attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci to another upper floor
Photo 8: A lady from the 1500s posing on the double helical staircase attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci
Photo 9: The internal structure of the double helical staircase attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci, unequivocally recalls the Well of San Patrizio in Orvieto (Italy)
The castle was little used, mainly for hunting, given the grandiose estate it was surrounded by. He experienced periods of neglect and the construction was finished at the end of 1600 by the Sun King, Louis XIV, who was also the king who used the castle the most, and very often he was accompanied by the playwright Moliere who staged his plays for the king’s delight. But the distance from Paris, the lack of a nearby town for the logistical needs of the castle, but above all the construction of the palace of Versailles, led to the complete abandonment of the castle, which passed into the hands of gentlemen and various generals of France, who they made a barracks.
Photo 10: The original ceiling of the wing made by Francesco I. Note the F to indicate the name of the sovereign, which will then be flanked by an H when the construction of the castle was continued by his son Henry II
Photo 11: A bedroom in Chambord
Photo 12: Queen’s Bedroom
During the French Revolution the castle was completely robbed of everything and even in the current exhibition, nothing or almost nothing remains of the original.
Photo 13 : Louvre Paris “La Gioconda”. Attention is the painting behind in the background by Leonardo Da Vinci, practically impossible to approach the museum to take a picture! And to think that behind there is a fantastic painting by Paolo Caliari known as Veronese, “The Wedding at Cana” which in my opinion is an incredible spectacle, much more than the Mona Lisa (personal opinion)
During the Second World War, Chambord served as a refuge for the works of the Louvre, including “La Gioconda” by Leonardo Da Vinci, perhaps the most famous painting in the world. Here the works remained hidden in secret, thus preventing them from being stolen by the Nazi hierarchs.
Photo 14: Louis XIV’s “Sun King” apartment
Now the castle is placed on the Unesco World Heritage List and was visited by over 1.3000.000 people in 2019.
Photo 15: The courtyard of the castle
Photo 16: The lantern covering the double helix staircase
Photo 17: Part of the estate and gardens (now fully restored) of the Château de Chambord
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