VISIT BLOIS, LOIRE VALLEY

The Louis XII wing, which bears his name, is the perfect demonstration of the transition between the Gothic style and the Renaissance. Louis XII imposes himself even in architecture and asserts his sovereignty in particular with this equestrian statue representing him, which you will notice above the main door.

Stroll in the gardens of the Royal Castle of Blois which extend all around the castle, with large terraces to enjoy nature, because this is where the revolution of this brand new royal residence shines through. During the Renaissance, these gardens now favor aesthetics and for the first time, the gardens and the castle are designed as an architectural ensemble in their own right, one of the characteristics of Renaissance gardens.
The horticulturalist Pacello Da Mercoliano, who came from Italy to serve the King, gave free rein to his creativity through the terraces, colors and smells that allow walkers to participate in the game of nature. The garden becomes a place of life and breaks with the medieval enclosed and strictly nurturing garden, like those in Villandry today. With Louis XII and his wife Anne de Bretagne, the garden becomes part of architectural work.

On the death of Louis XII in 1515, his successor François 1er, seduced by this property of gigantic dimensions, offered the Loire Valley its fascination for Italian art and made Blois a place of celebration. With him, Italian art enters Blois through the front door. The new François 1er wing, which he had built in shiny white ashlar instead of brick, gives a more luxurious character to the castle. Used for the first time for a royal castle, white tuffaut stone will become the very identity of the Loire Valley.

Enter the Loge Wing, a gallery lined with loggias, directly inspired by Italian architecture, a real upheaval in the history of French architecture, particularly spectacular at nightfall.
Admire its central element, the octagonal spiral staircase, a true architectural masterpiece, covered with fine sculptures, Italian ornaments and royal emblems in a flowery style specific to the Loire Valley castles, which Balzac describes as “jumbled like Chinese ivory ”.
With this famous spiral staircase of the castle of Blois, power takes place and takes on a theatrical, spectacular aspect. Italian fashion triumphs, the court roars with luxury and voluptuousness and the castle shines in a whirlwind of receptions, each more spectacular than the last. But what makes François 1er proud are the gardens he decorates for now legendary fetes, symbol of the art of living, the art of hosting in the castle, of entertaining the court, of enhancing it.

Visit the Louis XII gallery which houses the Museum of Fine Arts, where masterpieces by Ingres, Rubens and Boucher are on display.

Enter this magnificent setting, a concentrate of the different styles of architecture that can be found in the Loire Valley and remember that the royal castle of Blois was the home of 7 kings and 10 queens of France.
It was Louis XIII’s brother, Gaston d’Orléans, who had the wing built in the 17th century in a classical style which would complete the construction of the castle.
François 1er, who made a real spectacle of his power at the Château de Blois, will take a new step in the representation of his authority by building the most mysterious castle in French architecture, the Château de Chambord.