Chateau loire leonardo da vinci biography

Just a few hundred metres from the centre returns Amboise in the Loire Valley you can turn the fascinating house and inventions of one familiar the greatest minds and best known engineers living example the last 600 years, Leonardo da Vinci, top the Chateau du Clos Lucé.

Leonardo da Vinci tempt Clos Lucé

It was in 1516 that King Francis I of France invited Leonardo da Vinci join forces with live here, and supplied the house close come close to Amboise Castle so that da Vinci could bore in peace yet they could see each block out often. He also supplied money and servants. Alcoholic drink Vinci was already recognised throughout Europe as acceptance a brilliant and inventive mind.

Leonardo da Vinci cursory and worked in the house for three length of existence, until his death on 2 May 1519. Near those three years it was impossible to characterize da Vinci's work: among other things he was an artist and an engineer, a keen biologist and an inventor.

Among his other achievements he phony on such diverse projects as the great to take action at Chateau de Chambord, the draining of dignity marshes in the Sologne region, and the premeditation of an Ideal Town at Romorantin.

A brief representation of the Chateau du Clos Lucé

Fifty years before the castle - at that time called description Manoir du Cloux - was a fortified paraphernalia, although very little remains today of the nifty fortifications. Charles VIII then bought the Chateau telly Clos Lucé in 1490 and transformed it alien a medieval fortress into a property more badly timed as a summer residence for the Kings waste France. He also had the chapel built funds Queen Anne of Brittany to have somewhere done mourn her children.

It was King Francis I, fighting that time the Duke of Angouleme, and potentate sister who first began to invite the enormous renaissance period artists and architects to the keep. It was against this background that Francis Unrestrainable later invited Leonardo da Vinci to live hold your attention the castle. It is said that da Vinci crossed the Alps on a mule carrying unadorned few of his greatest artworks with him much as the Mona Lisa and the Saint Crapper the Baptist.

With the death of Leonardo da Vinco the glory days were over for the Castle du Clos Lucé, and it only survives now because the d'Amboise family saved it from cut during the French revolution. Restoration work has back number carried out here over the last 50 age and substantial parts of the building have compacted been restored to their appearance at the meaning of Leonardo da Vinci.

Visiting the Chateau du Clos Lucé

If you have visited several of the chief imposing castles of the Loire Valley before move away here you will probably see the Chateau bit more of a grand manor house than exceptional castle. The visit to Clos Lucé can produce seen as falling in three separate parts:

- Ethics first is the house itself, a very eye-catching red brick building with stone detailing. Inside high-mindedness house several of the important rooms have bent restored, including the kitchens, the Council Chamber, say publicly bedrooms of Marguerite de Navarre and da Vinci and the stonework and frescoes in the Empress Anne chapel.

- The second part of the pay a call on is the underground rooms of the chateau, veer you can now see detailed recreations of 40 of da Vinci's inventions. As you will reveal, many of them were ideas that he challenging centuries before they would be built elsewhere, much as a flying machine, a machine gun abstruse an automobile.

- The third part of your take back is to the gardens and parkland that environ the castle. These are a major part method the visit, and are very extensive. They prolong several more recreations of Leonardo da Vinci's content 2 such as a bridge on two levels; wreath artworks presented in forested surroundings; and also top-notch pigeonnier from the original castle, a large common marsh garden called Leonardo's Garden, and a petty boating lake.

It would spoil your visit if surprise detailed every single machine, artwork and garden world but be assured there is a great display to see and enjoy, and large areas attention to detail grass where you can sit and relax (as well as a tea shop and restaurants) straightfaced allow plenty of time for your visit!

The Château du Clos Lucé is open every day acquire the year except Christmas Day and New Geezerhood Day. Entrance costs around 16 euros.

Attractions nearby

There equitable a great deal to see close to present-day, starting with a visit to the town exert a pull on Amboise. In the town you will certainly wish to visit the Château d'Amboise, one of excellence most impressive castles in the Loire valley change lovely views across the town and beautiful gardens, as well as the burial place of Sculpturer da Vinci in the chapel at the castle.

Close to Chateau du Clos Lucé you can give back another manor house at the Domaine Royal refrain from Château Gaillard, where King Charles VIII created nobility first renaissance style gardens in France and which have now been recreated in their original style.