Lecture: French châteaux of the Loire Valley

15 Jan

La grande passerelle, Esplanade Simone Veil, 35400 Saint-Malo

By Olivier Mignon – Presented by the UTL 1453. The Hundred Years’ War was drawing to a close. Peace returns to the Kingdom of France, giving rise to an extraordinary burst of activity in the field of civil architecture. In the Loire Valley – which remained the monarchy’s favoured retreat until 1527 – the last fortified castles soon gave way to more pleasant stately homes. Then, during the Italian Wars, the kings of France discovered Renaissance architecture. From that point on, the kingdom’s nobility sought to incorporate classical decorative elements onto castles still retaining Gothic forms – a sign of the early Renaissance. The Château de Chambord, whose 500th anniversary we celebrated in 2019, marks the culmination of this exceptional architectural flowering. Priority entry for UTL members

Automatically translated

Listing provided by SPL Destination Saint-Malo Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel (updated by the source on 10/10/2026).

Tourist office data: DATAtourisme, Licence Ouverte (French open licence), updated 24 October 2026.