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volume 1 • issue 4
HIDDE GEMS
CHATEAU
de Villandry INDRE-ET-LOIRE, FRANCE CHATEAU DES SABLONS, BOURGUEIL CHATEAU DE CHENONCEAU, FRANCE
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CHATEAUX & CASTLES QUARTERLY
Summer 2019 Volume 1 • Issue 4 editorial Editor & Publisher Nicolette Johnston
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contents
features
in every issue
The Most Beautiful Villages of France - Candes-Saint-Martin 12 Chinon, France 20 Chateau de Chenonceau 22 Pont-de-Ruan 36 Chateau des Sablons 42 Chateau de Villandry 48 Wilanรณw Palace 61 Craigdarroch Castle 64
CHATEAUX & CASTLES QUARTERLY is published quarterly by Colette Publications, P.O. Box 2775, Minden, NV 89423. (ISSN 2639-4154) The cover and contents of CHATEAUX & CASTLES QUARTERLY are fully protected by copyright and cannot be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission. All rights reserved in all countries. SUBSCRIPTION RATES: For the United States, $29.99 per year, 4 issues; add $15 for postage in Canada; add $30 elsewhere. Single issues $9.99, available at select newsstands and bookstores. Periodicals postage paid at Carson City, Nevada and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Colette Publications, P.O. Box 2775, Minden, NV 89423. NOTE: CHATEAUX & CASTLES QUARTERLY assumes no responsibility for unsolicited photographs and manuscripts; submissions cannot be returned without a self-addressed stamped envelope.
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Art History - Claude Monet 6 Royal Reign 22 Exquisite Gardens - Chateau de Villandry 48 A Finer Taste - French Crepes 60 Where Am I? 65
LETTER from
THE
Editor
T
Volume 1 • Issue 4
A SUMMER IN
Chateau Country
his issue draws more than a particular fondness to my heart. After spending a month in the French country too many years ago, and browsing through photos lost to a virus years ago and only recently recovered last year, I'm immediately thrust back into that month of May when I traveled in a little rental car from the heart of Paris, circling around the Arc de Triomphe and headed for Loire Valley, where I stayed a week at Chateau des Sablons, in Bourgueil in the Indre-et-Loire department of central France in the heart of chateau country. After a week in Paris, I yeared for a gentler countryside. But alas, although I was finally in the French country after pining for that moment for over a year while working the financial industry during the crash. However, the week presented its challenges, especially driving in France—getting my car stuck on a narrow village road—led me to spending a whole day locked up in my castle recuperating in my suite overlooking the grounds and binge watching episodes of "Will & Grace". I wrote about the trip and its comedy of errors in my book, Running Away to Europe and on my personal blog at the time, Simply Colette. Nearly a decade later, before the trip and even now, countless hours have been spent pouring over the internet surfing for quintessential historical bargain property in France, just daydreaming about saving an old dilapated stone manor house in the peaceful countryside. After reminiscing over photographs and researching for this issue, I'm reminded of all the places I still wish to see, to show my daughter the vast beauty that France possesses, and for the summers to come where we can explore and discover all those regions together.
Instagram: @colettepublications @chateauxcastlesquarterly @bedandbreakfastmagazine
Sincerely,
Nicolette Johnston
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Claude Monet
Claude Monet, Photograph taken by Nadar (retouched). Top Right: Jeanne-Marguerite Lecadre in the Garden Sainte-Adresse, 1867. Hermitage Musem. St. Petersburg. Bottom Right: Jardin à Sainte-Adresse, 1866-1867. Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
C
laude Monet was born November 14, 1840 on the fifth floor of 45 rue Laffitte, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. As a French painter, he was a founder of French Impressionist painting and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein air landscape painting. The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which was exhibited in 1874 in the first of the independent exhibitions mounted by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the Salon de Paris. Claude Monet. He was the second son of Claude Adolphe Monet and Louise Justine Aubrée Monet, both of them second-generation Parisians. On 20 May 1841, he was baptized in the local parish church, Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, as OscarClaude, but his parents called him simply Oscar. He signed his juvenilia "O. Monet". Despite being baptized Catholic, Monet later became an atheist.
became his mentor and taught him to use oil paints. Boudin taught Monet "en plein air" (outdoor) techniques for painting. Monet's ambition of documenting the French countryside led him to adopt a method of painting the same scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and the passing of the seasons. From 1883, Monet lived in Giverny, where he purchased a house and property and began a vast landscaping project which included lily ponds that would become the subjects of his best-known works. In 1899, he began painting the water lilies, first in vertical views with a Japanese bridge as a central feature and later in the series of large-scale paintings that was to occupy him continuously for the next 20 years of his life.
When Monet traveled to Paris to visit the Louvre, he witnessed painters copying from the old masters. Having brought his paints and other tools with him, he would instead go and sit by a window and paint what he saw. Monet was In 1845, his family moved to Le Havre in Normandy. His father in Paris for several years and met other young painters, wanted him to go into the family's ship-chandling and grocery including Édouard Manet and others who would become business, but Monet wanted to become an artist. With a love of friends and fellow Impressionists. the arts herself, his mother was a singer and supported Monet's In March 1861, Monet was drafted into the First Regiment dream to pursue a career in art. of African Light Cavalry (Chasseurs d'Afrique) in Algeria for On April 1, 1851, Monet entered Le Havre secondary school a seven-year period of military service. Although his father of the arts. Locals knew him well for his charcoal caricatures, could have bought Monet's exemption from conscription, he which he would sell for ten to twenty francs. On the beaches of declined to do so when his son refused to give up painting. Normandy around 1856 he met fellow artist Eugène Boudin, who While in Algeria, Monet painted only a few sketches of
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art history
The Artist's House at Argenteuil painted in 1873, in the collection at the art institute of chicago.
The paintings in this feature are courtesy of Wikipedia Commons for the public domain and education in its country of origin, and other countries, and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70-100 years. Claude Monet's impressionist painting of a poppy field completed in 1873.
casbah scenes, one landscape, and several portraits of officers, but all have since been lost. In a Le Temps interview of 1900, Monet confessed that the light and vivid colors of North Africa "contained the germ of my future researches". Monet contracted typhoid fever in Algiers after a year on duty, and briefly went absent without leave. Proceeding his illness, Monet's aunt intervened to remove him from the army if he agreed to complete a course at an art school. It is thought to be possible that Dutch painter, Johan Barthold Jongkind, whom Monet knew, may have helped persuade his aunt. Disillusioned with the traditional art taught at art schools, in 1862 Monet became a student of Charles Gleyre in Paris, where he met Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Frédéric Bazille and Alfred Sisley. Jean Monet on his Hobby Horse, 1872. Located at the Together they shared new approaches to art, painting the effects Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. of light en plein air with broken colour and rapid brushstrokes, the successful exhibition of some maritime paintings, and the in what later came to be known as Impressionism. winning of a silver medal at Le Havre. During January of 1865, Monet was working on a version After the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War (19 July 1870), of Le déjeuner sur l'herbe, aiming to present it for hanging at Monet and his family took refuge in England in September the Salon, which had had been rejected two years prior. The 1870, where he studied the works of John Constable and Joseph painting was very large and could not be completed in time. (It Mallord William Turner, both of whose landscapes would was later cut up, with parts now in different galleries.) Instead, serve to inspire Monet's innovations in the study of color. In Monet submitted a painting of Camille or The Woman in the the spring of 1871, Monet's works were refused authorisation Green Dress (La femme à la robe verte), one of many works for inclusion in the Royal Academy exhibition. using his future wife, Camille Doncieux, as his model. Both this painting and a small landscape were hung. The following year In May 1871, he left London to live in Zaandam, in the Monet used Camille for his model in Women in the Garden, and Netherlands, where he made twenty-five paintings (and the On the Bank of the Seine, Bennecourt in 1868. Camille became police suspected him of revolutionary activities). Later in the pregnant and gave birth to their first child, Jean, in 1867. Monet fall, he returned to France. For the next seven years, he lived and Camille married on 28 June 1870, just before the outbreak at Argenteuil, a village on the right bank of the Seine River of the Franco-Prussian War, and, after their excursion to London near Paris. That is where he painted some of his most famous and Zaandam, they moved to Argenteuil, in December 1871. creations. During this time Monet painted various works of modern life. He and Camille lived in poverty for most of this period. Following
In 1873, Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Chateaux & Castles
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and Alfred Sisley organized the Société anonyme des artistes peintres, sculpteurs et graveurs (Anonymous Society of Painters, Sculptors, and Engravers) to exhibit their artworks independently. At their first exhibition, held in April 1874, Monet exhibited the work that was to give the group its lasting name. He was inspired by the style and subject matter of previous modern painters Camille Pissarro and Edouard Manet. The first Impressionist exhibition was held in 1874 at 35 boulevard des Capucines, Paris, from 15 April to 15 May. The primary purpose of the participants was not so much to promote a new style, but to free themselves from the constraints of the Salon de Paris. The exhibition, open to anyone prepared to pay 60 francs, gave artists the opportunity to show their work without the interference of a jury.
living in the house, she helped Monet to raise his two sons, Jean and Michel. She later took them to Paris to live alongside her own six children, Blanche (who married Jean Monet), Germaine, Suzanne, Marthe, Jean-Pierre, and Jacques. In the spring of 1880, Alice Hoschedé and all the children left Paris and rejoined Monet at Vétheuil. In 1881, all of them moved to Poissy, which Monet hated. In April 1883, looking out the window of the little train between Vernon and Gasny, he discovered Giverny in Normandy. Monet, Alice Hoschedé and the children moved to Vernon, then to the house in Giverny, where he planted a large garden and where he painted for much of the rest of his life. Following the death of her estranged husband, Monet married Alice Hoschedé in 1892. Monet rented and then eventually purchased a house and gardens in Giverny. At the beginning of May 1883, Monet and his large family rented the home and 2 acres from a local landowner. The house was situated near the main road between the towns of Vernon and Gasny at Giverny. There was a barn that doubled as a painting studio, orchards and a small garden. The house was close enough to the local schools for the children to attend, and the surrounding landscape offered many suitable motifs for Monet's work.
In addition to Impression: Sunrise (pictured above), Monet presented four oil paintings and seven pastels. Among the paintings he displayed was The Luncheon (1868), which features Camille Doncieux and Jean Monet, and which had been rejected by the Paris Salon of 1870. Also in this exhibition was a painting titled Boulevard des Capucines, a painting of the boulevard done from the photographer Nadar's apartment at no. 35. Monet painted the subject twice, and it is uncertain which of the two pictures, that now in the Pushkin Museum in Moscow, or that The family worked and built up the gardens, and Monet's in the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, was the fortunes began to change for the better as his dealer, Paul painting that appeared in the groundbreaking 1874 exhibition, Durand-Ruel, had increasing success in selling his paintings. though more recently the Moscow picture has been favoured. By November 1890, Monet was prosperous enough to buy the In 1876, Camille Monet became ill with tuberculosis. Their house, the surrounding buildings and the land for his gardens. second son, Michel, was born on March 17, 1878. Their second During the 1890s, Monet built a greenhouse and a second child weakened her health even more. In the summer of that studio, a spacious building well lit with skylights. year, the family moved to the village of Vétheuil where they shared a house with the family of Ernest Hoschedé, a wealthy department store owner and patron of the arts. In 1878, Camille Monet was diagnosed with uterine cancer. She died on September 5, 1879, at the young age of thirty-two.
Monet wrote daily instructions to his gardener, precise designs and layouts for plantings, and invoices for his floral purchases and his collection of botany books. As Monet's wealth grew, his garden evolved. He remained its architect, even after he hired seven gardeners.
Monet made a study in oils of his dead wife. Many years later, Monet confessed to his friend Georges Clemenceau that his need to analyze colors was both the joy and torment of his life. He explained, I one day found myself looking at my beloved wife's dead face and just systematically noting the colors according to an automatic reflex.
Monet purchased additional land with a water meadow. In 1893 he began a vast landscaping project which included lily ponds that would become the subjects of his best-known works. White water lilies local to France were planted along with imported cultivars from South America and Egypt, resulting in a range of colors including yellow, blue and white lilies that John Berger describes the work as "a blizzard of white, grey, turned pink with age. purplish paint ... a terrible blizzard of loss which will forever In 1899, he began painting the water lilies, first in vertical views efface her features. In fact there can be very few death-bed with a Japanese bridge as a central feature, and later in the series paintings which have been so intensely felt or subjectively of large-scale paintings that was to occupy him continuously for expressive." the next 20 years of his life. This scenery, with its alternating After several difficult months following the death of Camille, light and mirror-like reflections, became an integral part of his Monet began to create some of his best paintings of the 19th work. By the mid-1910s Monet had achieved a completely new, century. During the early 1880s, Monet painted several groups fluid, and somewhat audacious style of painting in which the of landscapes and seascapes in what he considered to be water-lily pond became the point of departure for an almost campaigns to document the French countryside. These began to abstract art.
evolve into series of pictures in which he documented the same Monet's second wife, Alice, died in 1911. His oldest son Jean, scene many times in order to capture the changing of light and who had married Alice's daughter Blanche, died in 1914. After the passing of the seasons. Alice died, Blanche looked after and cared for Monet. It was Monet's friend Ernest Hoschedé became bankrupt, and left in during this time that Monet began to develop the first signs of 1878 for Belgium. After the death of Camille, Monet continued cataracts. to live in the house in Vétheuil. With Alice Hoschedé also still
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this time Monet painted a series of weeping willow trees as homage to the French fallen soldiers. In 1923, he underwent two operations to remove his cataracts. The paintings done while the cataracts affected his vision have more of a red undertones, which is a characteristic of the vision of cataract victims. It may also be that after surgery he was able to see certain ultraviolet wavelengths of light that are normally excluded by the lens of the eye; this may have had an effect on the colors he perceived. After his operations he even repainted some of these paintings, with bluer water lilies than before. On December 5, 1926 Monet died at the age of 86 of lung cancer. He is buried in the Giverny church cemetery. Monet wanted a simple ceremony; thus only about fifty people attended the ceremony. At his funeral, his long-time friend Georges Clemenceau removed the black cloth draped over the coffin, stating, "No black for Monet!" and replaced it with a flower-patterned cloth. His home, garden, and water lily pond were bequeathed by his son Michel, his only heir, to the French Academy of Fine Arts (part of the Institut de France) in 1966. Through the Foundation Claude Monet, the house and gardens were opened to visitors in 1980, following restoration. In addition to souvenirs of Monet and other objects of his life, the house contains his collection of Japanese woodcut prints. The house and garden, along with the Museum of Impressionism, are major attractions in Giverny, which hosts tourists from all over the world.During World War I, in which his younger son Michel served and his friend and admirer Georges Clemenceau led the French nation, Monet painted a series of weeping willow trees as homage to the French fallen soldiers. In 1923, he underwent two operations to remove his cataracts. The paintings done while the cataracts affected his vision have a general reddish tone, which is characteristic of the vision of cataract victims. It may also be that after surgery he was able to see certain ultraviolet wavelengths of light that are normally excluded by the lens of the eye; this may have had an effect on the colours he perceived. After his operations he even repainted some of these paintings, with bluer water lilies than before. Monet died of lung cancer on 5 December 5, 1926 at the age of 86 and is buried in the Giverny church cemetery. Monet had insisted that the occasion be simple; thus only about fifty people attended the ceremony. At his funeral, his long-time friend Georges Clemenceau removed the black cloth draped over the coffin, stating, "No black for Monet!" and replaced it with a flowerpatterned cloth. His home, garden, and waterlily pond were bequeathed by his son Michel, his only heir, to the French Academy of Fine Arts (part of the Institut de France) in 1966. Through the Fondation Claude Monet, the house and gardens were opened for visits in 1980, following restoration. In addition to souvenirs of Monet and other objects of his life, the house contains his collection of Japanese woodcut prints. The house and garden, along with the Museum of Impressionism, are major attractions in Giverny, which hosts tourists from all over the world.
Nadar - The Photographer
Self-portrait of Nadar, c. 1860.
Gaspard Felix Tournachon (1820-1910) worked under the pseudonym, Nadar. Originally studying medicine, he dropped out of medicial school due to economical reasons. He first worked as a caricaturist and novelist for many newspapers. His Parisian bohemian friends nicknamed him, Tournadar, which later became Nadar. He later transitioned to photography. His focus was on portraits. He was a proponent of manned flight. In 1858, he was the first person to take an aerial photograph while ballooning. He was also the first person to use altered lighting for photographs, as well as the first person to take photographs underground in the catacombs of Paris. He created a "Revolving" self-portrait in 1865. Nadar took Claude Monet's portrait featured on page 6 and drew Honore de Balzac's caricature on page 41.
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The Most Beautiful Villages of France Candes-Saint-Martin WRITTEN & PHOTOGRAPHED BY: NICOLETTE JOHNSTON
W
Gallo-Roman occupation was discovered near the Bishop's here the Vienne and Loire rivers meet is the village of Candes-Saint-Martin. It also marks the boundary of Palace at the top the hill from 19th century excavations. the Indre-et-Loire to the the east, and Maine-et-Loire to the Although the original church fell to ruins, it was later rebuilt between the 12th and 13th centuries. The cell where Saint west. It is listed as one of France's Most Beautiful Villages. Martin died was held in tact, although his grave is in the Wandering through the village, one will find centuries old nearby town of Tours. stone walls with grass-path alleys. From a steep hill, there are The population of the village has dwindled from about 750 views of vineyards and the confluence of the two rivers, where the town originally gets its name. Candes derives from the in the mid-1800s down to a little over 200 people present day. Gaelic term 'confluence' and Saint Martin was officially added Candes-Saint-Martin is located in the canton of Chinon, and to the name in 1949 where the village's main claim to fame is not far from Chateau de Chinon. To the west is also the came from the local church which succeeded the 4th century town of Saumur, where its 10th century Chateau de Saumur monastery where St. Martin, Bishop of Tours and 'Apostle to was built to protect the Loire river crossing from the Norman attacks. the Gauls' died in 397.
LES PLUS BEAUX VILLAGES DE FRANCE (THE MOST BEAUTIFUL VILLAGES OF FRANCE) is an association developed by Charles Ceyrac, mayor (at the time) of Collonges-la-Rouge, Corrèze. Inspired by a Reader's Digest book entitled "Les Plus Beaux Villages de France" which included pictures of Collonges. Ceyrac wrote to 100 mayors featured in the book, informing them of his intent to launch an association uniting villages to give them a public face and revitalize their economies. Sixty-six mayors responded and the association was officially founded on March 6, 1982.
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Stroll through narrow pathways
Enjoying a stroll on foot gives visitors the opportunity to appreciate the history and beauty this town has to offer. Travelers will have an easier time parking vehicles on the outskirts of the village, the narrow roads can be difficult to navigate for those not accustomed to driving in such conditions.
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"Welford sits within a bend on the Avon on the south bank of the river.."
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"I parked the car in Candes-Saint-Martin to explore the town by foot and discovered charming neighborhoods and gardens. Dilapidated walls led up to a path in the woods, which made my curious mind wonder where these paths went. I walked through neighborhoods of homes made of old French stone with painted shutters. I stumbled upon a charming French country style brocante and cafe but the gates were half open, I peaked in to see if they were open, but no one was around. It was around those infamous afternoon hours when shops close in Europe, usually around the time I was about famished from putting off eating all morning. A white Shih Tzu lazily walked up to me panting lightly and plopped down next to my feet, as if my presence was nothing unusual to him, but nothing to be excited about either. I leaned down to pet him, disappointed that I wouldn't be able to eat at this bistro-style French cafe. I made my way back meandering through town, past an old church and down to the river. I walked down an alley way where I saw a man doing renovation work outside with a saw. A few moments later, I was down by the riverfront about ten yard from the gravel road when a little green car approached me and slowed down. The driver rolled down the passenger window. "Miss," he said. Excerpt from "Running Away to Europe" - Nicolette Johnston Available on Amazon and www.colettepublications.com.
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Chinon
loire valley, france
On the east bank of the Vienne River, Chinon is a town in the Indre-etLoire in the Touraine region, which is known as the "garden of France". Chinon and its fortress have played an integral historical role to both French and English history. It is well known for its castle. There are many wine caves and wineries nearby not to be missed.
Chateau de Chinon is an 11th-century castle founded by Theobald I of Count of Blois. In the second half of the 16th-century, it became a prison, but then was left to decay. In the early 21st-century it was restored for â‚Ź14.5 million. Today it operates as a museum. www.forteressechinon.fr
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If you love old books, Librairie ancienne Lacoste sells used, old, and rare books located in a medieval house on Voltaire street in Chinon.
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royal reign
Château de Chenonceau Written & Photographed by: Nicolette Johnston
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estled in the heart of the château region, Chenconceau has a deep historical past. One can only imagine what its walls and gardens have witnessed throughout the decades. Each year, about 800,000 visitors come to Château de Chenonceau near the village of Chenonceaux to see the breathtaking 16th century beauty which expands across the River Cher. Set in the Indre-et-Loire department of the Loire Valley in France, Château de Chenonceau has come to be one of the most popular chateau of the region. The present château was constructed between the years 1514-1522, although early writings show it to be dated back to the 11th century. It was built upon an old mill and later expanded across the river. It has a unique late Gothic and early Renaissance architectural mixed design. The bridge was designed by Philibert de l'Orme, a French Renaissance architect. It was built between 1556-1559, a gallery on the bridge was later added by Jean Bullant between 1570-1576.
King Henry II's mistress, Diane de Poitiers first brought the gardens to life at Chenonceau around 1955, but Queen Catherine de' Medici enhanced them when Diane was forced out of the chateau, upon King Henry II's death.
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loire valley, france The original castle from the 13th century belonged to the Marques family, but it was burned down in 1412 as a punishment to the owner, Jean Marques, for sedition. Jean rebuilt a chateau and mill in the 1430s. However, his heir Pierre Marques sold it to Thomas Bohier (Chamberlin to King Charles VIII of France) in 1513. He tore down the castle and had a new one constructed. However, it was seized from Bohier's son, by King Francis I of France for unpaid debts. After he died, Henry II bestowed the chateau as a gift to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers in 1547. She took legal possession of the chateau in 1555. That same year, she then commissioned Philibert de l'Orme to build the arched bridge extending across the river. She also developed the beginnings of extensive flower and vegetable gardens. Once King Henry II died in 1559, his wife Catherine de' Medici forced Diane de Poitiers to exchange Chateau de Chenonceau for Chateau Chaumont. Queen Catherine then further developed the gardens to put her own personal stamp on the grounds. In 1560, she organized the first fireworks display to ever be seen in France, which celebrated her son, Francis II as he took the throne.
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After Queen Catherine died in 1589, Chenonceau went to her daughter-in-law, Louise de LorraineVaudemont, wife of King Henry III. That same year, her husband was killed and she fell into a depression wandering the chateau in mourning clothes of black tapestries stitched with skulls and crossbones. The chateau trickled down the line of descendants for over a hundred years. In 1720, it was purchased by the Duke of Bourbon. He sold off a majority of the castle contents, where many statues ended up at Versailles. In 1733, Claude and Louise Dupin purchased the estate for 130,000 livres. Louise was the daughter of financier Samuel Bernard and actress Manon Dancourt. Louise loved to entertain, and the literary salon attracted many Enlightenment leaders, such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, and Fontenelle. As a widow, Louise saved the chateau from destruction by the Revolutionary Guard during the French Revolution because it was the only bridge
across the river for many miles. Chenonceau was purchased by Marguerite Pelouze in 1864, and in 1875 she hired architech Felix Roguet to restore the palace. He removed many of Catherine de' Medici's additions. Marguerite spent most of her money on the remodeling and extravagant parties. The castle was thus seized and sold yet again. Jose-Emilio Terry, a millionaire from Cuba acquired Chenonceau in 1891 from Madame Pelouze. He later sold it to family member, Francisco Terry in 1896. In 1913, it was purchased by Henri Menier. Today, it is still owned by the Menier family, who is famous for their chocolate. The gallery was set up as a hospital ward during World War I. In World War II, the chateau was bombed by the Germans in June of 1940. It was also a means of escaping from the Nazi occupied zone on one side of the River Cher to
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the "free" zone on the other side of the river bank. When it was occupied by the Germans, the chateau was bombed again by the Allies on June 7, 1944. The bombings and Cher River flood in 1940 left the chateau in a poor state. Bernard Voisin was hired by the Menier family in 1951 to restore the estate to its earlier glorious days.
In 1955, Diane de Poitiers commissioned Philibert de l'Orme to build the arched bridge which extends across the River Cher. During the French Revolution, Louise Dupin helped spare the chateau from destruction by the Revolutionary Guard, as it was the only bridge across the river for many miles. The bridge was also a means of escape from the Nazi occupied zone During World War II, as the "free" zone was across the river on the other side of the bank, although the chateau was later occupied by the Germans.
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On the Indre River
Pont-de-Ruan, France
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his charming village just 19 kilometers southwest of Tours in the Center-Val de Loire region, is known for its picturesque water mills and goat cheese. It inspired novelist Honore de Balzac, as he wrote about it in The Lily of the Valley.
The peaceful park like setting along the river where lily pads thrive along the clear Indre river, make it a great place to have an afternoon picnic while visting the nearby famous chateau in the valley of kings, where nobles and French kings went to hunt. The chateaux of Chenonceaux, Chinon, Azay-le-Rideau, Villandry, Montpoupon, MontrĂŠsor and Loches are all within an hour away. There are many other chateaux, 1,000-year-old churches, cave-villages, old stone manor houses, and wineries also nearby to explore.
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Written & photographed by: nicolette johnston
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charming village
Those who enjoy fishing can relax from the bridge fishing for zander, carp, and pike.
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"The mills... gave voice to this beautiful valley simmering; I breathing air laden with happiness." Balzac - 'Lilies of the Valley'
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Honore de Balzac Honoré de Balzac (May 20, 1799 – August 18, 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. La Comédie Humaine, is a novel sequence about post-Napoleonic French life. It is viewed as his masterpiece. Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature, due to his fine detail and literary capturing of society in its truest form. He is renowned for creating characters with many layers of depth and flaws; displaying them neither as good nor evil, instead rather truly human. His writing influenced many famous writers, such as Émile Zola, Charles Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Jack Kerouac, and Henry James, filmmakers Akira Kurosawa, Eric Rohmer and François Truffaut; as well as philosophers such as Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx. Many of Balzac's works have been turned into films, and they continue to inspire other writers. As a child he was an enthusiastic reader and independent thinker. When he finished school, Balzac started an apprenticeship in a law office, but disregarded law after believing it to be inhumane with a banal routine. Before and during his career as a writer, he attempted to be a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician; although he was not successful in those endeavors. La Comédie Humaine reflects his real-life difficulties, and includes scenes from his own experience. Balzac's work habits were a cause for serious health problems due to his rigorous writing schedule. He wrote from 1 am to 8 am every morning and sometimes even longer. Some of his novels were written with a quill. He wrote very quickly and were composed at a pace equal to thirty words per minute on a modern typewriter. His preferred writing habit was to eat a light meal at five or six in the afternoon, then sleep until midnight, then consumed innumerable cups of black coffee to begin writing. Often he would work for fifteen hours or more at a stretch; and claimed to have once worked for 48 hours with only three hours of rest in the middle. His relationship with his family was often strained by financial and personal drama, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In the late 1820s, Balzac dabbled in several business ventures. His first enterprise was in publishing which turned out cheap one-volume editions of French classics including the works of Molière. This business failed miserably, with many of the books "sold as waste paper". Balzac had better luck publishing the Memoirs of the Duchess of Abrantès, with whom he also had a love affair. Balzac borrowed money from his family and friends and tried to build a printing business, then a ‘typefounder’ business. His inexperience and lack of capital caused financial ruin in these trades. He gave the businesses to a friend (who made
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Daguerreotype photograph taken by 19th-century photographer, Louis-Auguste Bisson (1814-1876). This early photographic process was used with an iodine-sensitized silvered plate and mercury vapor.
them successful) but Balzac continued to carry the debts for many years. As of April 1828, Balzac owed 50,000 francs to his mother. Balzac's first project was a libretto for a comic opera called Le Corsaire, based on Lord Byron's The Corsair. Realizing he would have trouble finding a composer, however, he turned to other pursuits. In 1820, Balzac completed the five-act verse tragedy Cromwell. Although it pales by comparison with his later works, some critics consider it a good-quality text. When he finished, Balzac went to Villeparisis and read the entire work to his family; they were unimpressed. He followed this effort by starting (but never finishing) three novels: Sténie, Falthurne, and Corsino. In 1821, Balzac met Auguste Le Poitevin, who convinced the author to write short stories, which Le Poitevin would then sell to publishers. Balzac quickly turned to longer works, and by 1826 he had written nine novels, all published under pseudonyms and often produced in collaboration with other writers. For example, the scandalous novel Vicaire des Ardennes was banned for its writings of incestuous. The books were designed to sell quickly and titillate audiences. Balzac revised obsessively, covering printer's proofs with changes and additions to be reset. He sometimes repeated this process during the publication of a book, causing significant expense both for himself and the publisher. As a result, the finished product quite often was different from the original text. Although some of his books never reached completion, such as Les employés (The Government Clerks, 1841)—are still noted by critics. Representations of the city, countryside, and building interiors are essential to Balzac's realism. Intricate details about locations sometimes stretch for fifteen or twenty pages. As he did with the people around him, Balzac studied these places in depth, traveling to remote locations and comparing notes that he had made on previous visits. Balzac managed to stay within the proper social circles in order to help his writing flourish, although he was a hermit by nature. He opted not to spend much time in salons and clubs of Paris like many of his characters, as he was too busy. He chose to create society, not frequent it. He spent a great deal of time at Château de Saché, near Tours, the home of his friend Jean de Margonne, his mother's lover and father to her youngest child. Many of Balzac's tormented characters were conceived in the chateau's small second-floor bedroom. Today, the chateau is a museum dedicated to the author's life.
In 1833, he revealed in a letter to his sister, that he had an affair with fellow writer Maria Du Fresnay, who was 24-yearsold at the time. She was married to Charles du Fresnay, Mayor of Sartrouville, who was much older than herself. The marriage had not been great since the beginning. In this letter, Balzac also expressed that Maria told him she was pregnant with his child. Eight months later in 1834, Maria Du Fresnay's daughter by Balzac, Marie-Caroline Du Fresnay, was born. In 1955, French journalist Roger Pierrot confirmed what many historians believed: the dedicatee of the novel Eugénie Grandet, was dedicated to "Maria” (Maria Du Fresnay).
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In February 1832, Balzac received a letter with no return address and signed simply "L'Étrangère" ("The Foreigner")— expressing sadness at the cynicism and atheism in La Peau de Chagrin and how she felt that it portrayed women negatively. He placed an ad in the classified section of the “Gazette de France”, hoping his anonymous critic would see it. This began the fifteen-year pen pal relationship between Balzac and Ewelina Hańska. Ewelina (née Rzewuska) was married to a nobleman twenty years her senior, Marshal Wacław Hański, a wealthy Polish landowner living near Kiev, although it was a marriage designed to preserve her family's fortune. Countess Ewelina felt connected to Balzac emotionally and socially to Balzac; plus she was attracted to the fact that he was connected to the glamorous capital of France. Their letters portray a balance of passion, propriety and patience. When Marshal Hański died in 1841, Ewelina and Balzac finally had the chance to pursue their love. Balzac visited Countess Hańska two years later in St. Petersburg in 1843 and won her heart.
First page of first proofs of Balzac's Béatrix. From the Library in Tours.
After a series of financial setbacks, health problems and objections from Tsar Nicholas I, the couple finally received permission to wed. On March 14, 1850, with Balzac's health in serious decline, they journeyed by carriage from her Verhivnya Park in Volhynia to St. Barbara's Catholic Church in Berdychiv (Russia's former banking city in present-day Ukraine), where they were married. The ten-hour journey to and from the ceremony cam with its own set of challenges though: Ewelina’s feet were too swollen to walk, and Balzac endured severe heart trouble. Although he married late in life, Balzac had already written two treatises on marriage: Physiologie du Mariage and Scènes de la Vie Conjugale. However, these works lacked firsthand knowledge. In late April, the newly-weds set off for Paris. His health deteriorated on the way, and Ewelina wrote to her daughter about Balzac being "in a state of extreme weakness" and "sweating profusely". They arrived in France on May 20, also his fifty-first birthday. Five months after marrying his love, Balzac died on Sunday, August 18, 1850. He was buried at Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. His funeral was attended by almost every writer in Paris. Later, the Monument à Balzac, was created by the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin. Cast in bronze, the Balzac Monument has stood since 1939 near the intersection of Boulevard Raspail and Boulevard Montparnasse at Place Pablo-Picasso. Balzac was featured in several other of his smaller sculptures as well.
Balzac caricature illustrated by Nadar in 1850.
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Chateau des Sablons Bourgueil, France
Written & Photography by: Nicolette Johnston
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hateau des Sablons is a wonderful place for those who want to spend a week in a modest 18th-century chateau at a very reasonable price. I had the pleasure of staying in their Arbor View Suite for a week while exploring the surrounding Indreet-Loire. Ran by HistoricRentals.com, the owners (English speaking) welcome guests with a tour and glass of wine. There are thirteen suites within the chateau. Chateau des Sablons, formerly the Museum Van Oeveren, was ran as a fencing museum for sixteen years, before the owner (Rudi van Oeeveren) moved the museum closer to Paris.
Nestled in the town of Bourgueil, Chateau des Sablons offers a sense of peace with a touch of royalty set on an enchanting courtyard. One evening when I needed a little R&R, I purchased a bottle of Domaine Godefroy JĂŠrĂ´me (wine from Bourgueil), the sweetest little red strawberries, delicious local cheese, crackers and a chocolate croissant to enjoy outside. It was the perfect peaceful evening listening to the birds. Nothing was better than evening time at the property after long days spent venturing out in the area visiting countless chateau, wineries, gardens, villages, and more. What I craved the most after spending a week in the noisy city of Paris just prior to my stay was to open the window during spring, and listen to the leaves rustling on the trees in the quiet country rather than the sound of a noisy street or sirens. When I visited it was just the right mix of other guests, some were out exploring, while some were on-site also enjoying the outside area. Many memories were made with others who spoke English like myself. Visitors from all over come to enjoy the chateau and Bourgueil, although it is difficult to notice because the area is not overcrowded.
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The grounds of Chateau des Sablon offer
guests a sanctuary to enjoy a dip in the pool, or simply listen to the birds while sampling regional wine and cheeses... www.historicrentals.com
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Around The Village of Bourgueil BOURGUEIL is a great place to stay and visit neighboring chateaux or vineyards in Loire Valley. Within a few days time visitors will feel like they are part of the community, with weekly market and quaint local restaurants. Don't forget to visit the Bourgueil Abbey, a Benedictine monastry, which comprises a mixure of 13th and 18th century buildings and 10th century ruins.
PIZZERIAS IN BOURGUEIL La Trattoria and Pizza GĂŠgĂŠ offer delicious and unique toppings that are atypical in the U.S., but quite creative and worth the culinary adventure. Bon appetit!
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CAFE DE LA PROMENADE Dine alfresco bistro-style in the front yard of this one-of-a-kind restaurant. Don't pass on the opportunity to enjoy a bottle of local wine recommended by staff, where it is customary to walk each guest into the basement to hand select their own bottle of wine.
Red poppies bloom throughout many regions of France in late spring...
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Chateau de Villandry
Written & Photographed by: Nicolette Johnston
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hateau de Villandry is one of the most underplayed tourist destinations as far as chateau gardens go in the Loire Valley. It was only by chance that I discovered the masterpiece gardens as I was on my way out of Loire and headed by car to the Dordogne region of France. I was so glad I stopped, because it is a place and a day that I hold near to my heart. The variety of gardens are spectacularly laid out. Villandry is not far from Bourgueil where I stayed at Chateau des Sablons, but there not much about it in the tour guide books I held in my possession. I could have spent all day there and would have gone earlier during my stay if I would have known of its beauty and how easy it was to get to. The uniformity of the various gardens were picturesque as seen from above its surrounding borders of elevated gardens and wooded area. As I began to leisurely stroll through the colorful kitchen garden, making my way through symmetrical boxwood hedges and rose trees, followed by wandering through the halls of grape vines and trees, I plopped down on the grass with misty eyes to appreciate the beauty of the sunny late spring day. It was the kind of morning, I had been craving. The preceeding days had taken their toll. After being pickpocketed, having a man expose himself to me, and scraping the bumper of my rental car on a narrow village road, I had holed myself up in the chateau to recuperate, and had been a little more than intimidated to venture out again. I realized that morning at Villandry that perhaps changing my airline to an earlier departure back to the States may have been premature. That morning at Chateau de Villandry was the turning point, and the reason I truly fell in love 48
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Head Gardener, Laurent Portuguez and his team of ten gardeners maintain the gardens of Villandry throughout the year.
with the French countryside. For lunch, I grabbed a crepe at a charming peach color stand, Oh La Belle Crepe. For a souvenir, I purchased a little box of seeds from the garden sold in the onsite gift shop. They included: lettuce, rhubarb, and cinderella pumpkins. Two years later I planted those seeds in my own garden of my first home. Whenever I think of the promise of spring and my love of rural France, I'm immediately thrust back to that morning I spent in the gardens of Chateau de Villandry and hear the chirping of the birds like it was yesterday.
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Chateau de Villandry
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he Chateau de Villandry is known as the last of the great chateaux built during the Renaissance in the Loire Valley. It was built in 1532.
Once a medieval fortress, Jean Le Breton remodeled the castle to open it up enhancing the originally defensive structure and to incorporate elements of Renassiance dÊcor. With its unique furnishings, dÊcor and atmosphere, the Chateau de Villandry is a living testimony of French heritage. When Jean Le Breton acquired the Villandry estate, the building was a medieval fortress. In the 18th century, the Marquis de Castellane moved into Villandry and made some major changes to transform the building into a warm, bright and comfortable home that reflected the art of living at that time. By the end of the 19th century the estate had fallen into disuse and was saved from dereliction by Joachim Carvallo and Ann Coleman, who in turn restored it to return it to its Renaissance state. Henri Carvallo, the current owner of Villandry, is following in the footsteps of his ancestors by both preserving this unique heritage site and opening it up for visitors to enjoy. Drastic improvements and recreations to the garden have occured in the last century since Joachim Carvallo acquired the estate with a goal to return to their roots already known for their beauty in the Renaissance, of which different owners had successively transformed them. With a scientist’s meticulousness, Carvallo recreated gardens that were worthy of the restored chateau. The herb garden was later developed in the 1970s and the sun garden was only recently inaugurated in 2008. Since joining Villandry in 2009, head gardener, Laurent Portuguez, has worked diligently to make the gardens of Villandry organic.
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exquisite gardens
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The Ornamental Kitchen Garden is a high-point of interest amongst visitors. It consists of blue leek, red cabbage, beetroot and jade green carrot tops giving the impression of a multi-colored chessboard.
At the far south of the estate, is the Water Garden. This boulingrin (sunken garden) has a border of grassy banks known as glacis. In the middle, there is an ornamental pond at the center in the form of a Louis XV mirror. There are square parterres of lawn, amongst perpendicular avenues and four secondary ornamental ponds. The present-day Water Garden dates from the early 20th century.
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a finer taste
FRENCH Crepes Fine foods needn't always be served with white linens and fine china. Nothing could be finer than enjoying a French crepe served with locally crafted preserves made out of a confit of rose petals, homegrown rhubarb and strawberry, or Villandry's Surprise. All straight from the gardens of Chateau de Villandry. And of course, nothing could be more charming than ordering from the Oh La Belle Crepe stand!
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Wilanów Palace
warsaw, poland
Photo by: Przemyslaw Jahr
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ilanów Palace or Wilanowski Palace is a royal palace located in the Wilanów district, Warsaw. Wilanów Palace survived Poland's partitions and both World Wars. It serves as a reminder of the culture of the Polish state as it was before the misfortunes of the 18th century. The Palace's museum, established in 1805, is one of Poland's most important monuments displaying the country's royal and artistic heritage. The palace designated on September 16, 1994, together with other elements of Warsaw Old Town, is one of Poland's official national Historic Monuments. Its listing is maintained by the National Heritage Board of Poland. Since 2006, the palace has been a member of the international association of European Royal Residences. Built for King John III Sobieski towards the end of 17th century, it was later expanded by other owners. After his death in 1696, the palace was owned by his sons and later by the famous magnate families Sieniawskis, Czartoryskis, Lubomirskis, Potockis and Branicki family of the Korczak coat of arms. In 1720, the property was purchased by Polish stateswoman Elżbieta Sieniawska. Between 1730 and 1733 it was a residence of Augustus II the Strong, and after his death the property came to Sieniawska's daughter Maria Zofia Czartoryska. Every owner changed the interiors of the palace, as well as the gardens and grounds, according to the current style. In 1778, the estate was inherited by Izabela Lubomirska, also named The Blue Marquise. She refurbished some of the interiors in the neoclassical style
between 1792–1793. The palace was damaged by German forces in World War II, but it was not demolished after the 1944 Warsaw Uprising. After the war, the palace was renovated, and most of the collection stolen by Germany was repatriated. In 1962 it was reopened to the public. Originally designed by Augustyn Wincenty Locci, the architecture of the palace is a unique blend of Polish, Italian and French architectural styles. During the first stage of construction, between 1677 and 1680 it was a typical Polish manor house with four alcove towers attached to the one-storeyed square building. Between 1681-1688, the building was enhanced and two gallery wings ending with towers were added. This new appearance was probably inspired by Palladio's Villa Montagnana. Shortly after the king's death the third stage of the reconstruction was accomplished. Between 1688-1696 the pavilion above the main building was constructed and the towers were covered with baroque spires. The side wings, were built long after the King's death by Elżbieta Sieniawska. She was concerned in maintaining the substantial historical residence of the Rex victoriossimus (Victorious King). However, she nonetheless transformed the palace into a French style 'palais enchanté', with two new wings. She employed the most reputable architects and artists. The most prominent Polish and foreign artists participated in the decoration of the palace interiors. It was entrusted to Chateaux & Castles
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painters Martino Altomonte, Jan Rayzner of Lviv, Michelangelo Palloni, sculptor Stefan Szwaner and stucco decorators Szymon Józef Bellotti, Antoni of Wilanów and Abraham Paris. Internal decoration was also superintended by Adam Kochański, a great admirer of China, who supported closer economic relations of the Commonwealth with the "Central nation". Due to his influence, Wilanów and other residencies were full of luxury Chinese imports. The 17th-century palace inventories included the works of the greatest contemporary and ancient masters. Among the artists appointed for decoration of the palace's interiors in the 18th century were Giuseppe Rossi, an Italian fresco painter, who adorned the chambers with trompe-l'œil paintings and stucco decorators Francesco
Painting by: Bernardo Bellotto (1777).
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Fumo and Pietro Innocente Comparetti. Following the example of Queen Marie Casimire, who ordered a painting of herself as a goddess on the palace plafonds, Elżbieta Sieniawska embellished the Lower Vestibule with a fresco of Flora. She had the walls in the royal chambers covered with Genoan velvet. The walls of the second floor, the Great Dining Room, were covered with frescoes of Apollo, Minerva and Hercules as an allegory of Virtus Heroica. Sieniawska's daughter, Maria Zofia Czartoryska, installed new white-cherry marble fireplaces in the palace crowned with mirrors and rococo frames. The palace gardens were initially a baroque Italian garden in a semicircular form surrounding the palace on the east. This geometric garden fit in well with the ancient patterns and the palace arrangement. It consisted of an upper garden located on a terrace with two arbors in the form of lanterns in each corner, and a lower garden. During the third stage of the reconstruction of the palace the geometric garden parterres were replaced with embroidered parterres. The garden was expanded in the beginning of the 18th century and the late baroque parterre ornamentation was replaced with régence motives completed with Sieniawska's coat of arms Szreniawa in the northern parts and her monogram in the southern part. In 1784, Izabela Lubomirska transformed neighboring territories of Wilanów folwark into a garden with an Anglo-Chinese touch.
© wikipedia: creative commons - Gardens -Geociekawostki.
Craigdarroch Castle
Victoria, british columbia
If you guessed the Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia for last issue's "Where am I?" — you were correct!
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he Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia was completed in 1890. It was built for coal baron, Robert Dunsmuir. The 25,572 sq ft castle was lavishly finished with Victorian-era furnishings and possesses stained glass windows and detailed woodwork. When visitors first step into the castle the are greeted by a docent who tells you to look up and see the beautiful staircase (though only recently added in 1994). The staircase leads to four different floors where Robert's wife, Joan, raised their three daughters and two orphaned grandchildren on their 28-acre estate. Unfortunately, Robert passed away before the castle was completed. After the death of Joan Dunsmuir in 1908, the castle was used as the Craigdarroch Military Hospital. It was one of Canada's three hospitals to house "long treatment cases and incurables". It was opened by his royal highness, The Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII) on September 25, 1919. In 1921, it went from a military hospital to Victoria College (the predecessor of the University of Victoria). Over the course of twenty-five years, more than 5,000 students attended the college until it moved in 1946 when 64
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Where am I?
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lthough this unique work of art has undergone many restorations and renovations, it was originally built between 1218-1220 and is now a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. It is home to a country that has perfected its craft. Visitors can tour the inside to witness the inner workings of the masterpiece, and where viewers also gather outside to see its hourly display. Submit your guess to editorial@colettepublications.com or enter on our social media pages. Correct answers will be submitted in a drawing to win a free one-year subscription! We will share the answer in our next issue.
enrollment rose that year to 600 students with the return of WWII veterans. There was a quick need to relocate the college with the jump in enrollment. It moved to what is now Lansdowne Campus of Camosun College. For the next 22 years, the castle functioned as the offices for the Victoria School Board, and in 1969 it opened as the Victoria Conservatory of Music until 1979. Presently, the Craigdarroch Castle Historic House Museum is owned by The Craigdarroch Castle Historical Museum Society. The not-for-profit charity is funded almost exclusively from revenues contributed from approximately 100,000 visitors each year. In Gaelic, Craigdarroch means "rocky oak place". From the tower, visitors enjoy panaromic views of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Mount Baker and the Olympic Mountains in Washington State. The castle has 17 fire places. The walls are brick construction and faced with sandstone from Robert Dunsmuir's own quarry. www.thecastle.ca Chateaux & Castles
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