The Loire Valley was home to the French Court for 150 years. Its landscape not only enjoys four rivers (Loire, Vienne, Cher, Indre) but also many rich forestlands which made it the treasured hunting grounds of the Kings of France. Dotted with Chateaux large and small, the Loire valley area was classified a UNESCO world heritage site in 2000.
- Chinon (6 kms from Chargé)
Chinon is a Chateau Fortress largely built by Henri II Plantagenet in the 12th Century. Married to Eleanor of Acquitaine, he became King of England in 1154 and died in Chinon in 1189. His eldest son, Richard the Lionheart, having been injured at the siege of Chalus died in Chinon in 1199. In 1415, the English celebrated victory over the French at Agincourt, and Charles VII moved his court to Chinon in 1427. France was in a dire political state with split regional powers across France, and Henry VI, King of England, also claiming to be King of Paris. When the English army seized Orléans in 1429, Joan of Arc intervened. According to popular legend, it was at the fortress of Chinon where she recognized Charles VII among a gathering of 300 gentlemen of the Court and declared him the true King of France, blessed by Christ himself. She was acknowledged to have been sent by God, and on April 20th 1429 she left with an army to fulfill her miraculous (and tragic) mission to drive the English from French soil.
- Ussé : (15 kms from Chargé)
Legend has it that Ussé, with its pale white stone and myriad pointed towers, was Charles Perrault's inspiration for his famous fairytale, Sleeping Beauty. Its terraced gardens, designed by LeNotre in 1664, run right to the banks of the Indre river.
- Azay le Rideau : (20 kms from Chargé)
The current facades of the chateau were built on the foundations of the original by the chief of the French Treasury, Gilles Berthelot, between 1518 and 1527. However, the heydey of the newly renovated chateau was short-lived as Berthelot fled in 1528 amid a royal investigation into the state of military finances and Azay was confiscated by Francois I. After a number of years in the hands of Italian allies, the property had deteriorated and was sold to Charles Biencourt in 1791. Part of his legacy is the 8 hectare garden, established in 1810. Azay was bought by the French state in 1905.
- Saumur : (27 kms from Chargé)
Known as the Pearl of Anjou, the present castle began life as a monastery in the 4th/5th century. Destroyed by the Normans and rebuilt, it became the object of conflict between the Counts of Anjou and Blois in the 11th Century. Its heydey was in the 16th and 17th Century when it became one of the biggest Protestant communities, closely linked to Henri III and Henri IV, and it was here in 1611 that the church's general assembly took place following the death of Henry IV. Louis XIII was afraid of the power of this community however, and ordered its walls to be demolished in 1623.
- Villandry : (40 kms from Chargé)
Built in 1536 by Jean Le Breton, secretary to François I, the gardens of Villandry are the main attraction. The Renaissance style terraced ornamental garden, water garden, and vegetable gardens comprise a sumptuous selection of flowers, foliage and vegetables, maintained today in the same style as the original 16th century plans. The Chateau itself is also open to visitors in the summer months, it houses a collection of Spanish art and furniture from the 16th to 18th Centuries. The library has also been recently opened to visitors.
- Chenonceau : (80 kms from Chargé)
Known as the 'Chateau des Dames' Chenonceau is possibly the most beautiful of all the region's architectural heritage. The Chateau stands majestically in the water linking two sides of the Cher river. It takes its nickname from the famous ladies who have resided here :
- Catherine Briçonnet, wife of Thomas Bohier, finance minister to François I, oversaw the renovations from 1512 to 1521. After their deaths, their son Antoine gave the chateau to Francois I in payment of a debt of substantial sums missing from the treasury during his father's post. The King used the chateau as a hunting lodge.
- Diane de Poitiers received Chenonceau as a gift from Henri II in 1547. Reputed to have been a beautiful woman, Henri II's wife Catherine de Medicis, was ferociously jealous, and on Henri's death in 1559, she demanded Chenonceau for herself, offering Diane Chaumont as a replacement.
- Catherine de Medicis oversaw the development of the bridge which Diane de Poitiers had commenced, and turned it into a vast gallery.
- Louise de Lorraine, Catherine's daughter in law and wife of Henri III inherited Chenonceau. After her husband's murder Louise retired to Chenonceau in grief for eleven years.
- Her niece, Françoise de Lorraine, was the last royal to live here. She was married to César de Vendome, the son of Henri IV.
- Catherine Briçonnet, wife of Thomas Bohier, finance minister to François I, oversaw the renovations from 1512 to 1521. After their deaths, their son Antoine gave the chateau to Francois I in payment of a debt of substantial sums missing from the treasury during his father's post. The King used the chateau as a hunting lodge.
- Further Afield : and definitely on the trail for those who adore the quintissential Chateaux architecture, are Amboise (82 kms), Blois (120 kms) and Cheverney (134 kms). The Michelin Guide Vert 'Chateaux de la Loire' is the ideal guide to help you plan your visits to these fantastic heritage sites.