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CHATEAU DE CHENONCEAU |
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The elegant barrier built across the Cher river, the Chateau de Chenonceau is a jewel of Renaissance architecture. The Chateau de Chenonceau, near the small village of Chenonceaux, in the Indre-et-Loire d�partement of the Loire Valley in France, was built on the site of an old mill on the River Cher, sometime before its first mention in writing in the 11th century. |
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Chateau de Chenonceau - Loire Valley - France - December/2004 |
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Its construction was completed by Bohier's wife and son. However, Francis I took the estate in 1535 as payments of debts. His son, King Henry II, gave the chateau to Diane de Poitiers. Diane extended the structure at the back, adding a bridge across the Cher River. Later, Catherine de Medicis, Henry's widow, forced Diane to deed the chateau to her. She constructed the large gallery above the bridge. The chateau became her favorite residence, and it was here that her son Francis II and Mary, Queen of Scots, were married in 1560. The estate later passed through the hands of the Vendomes, the Bourbons, the Condes, and eventually became the property of the French nation. |
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Chateau de Chenonceau - Loire Valley - France - December/2004 |
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The Chateau has survived all attempts to destroy it. The first time, during the French revolution because it was used as a" bridge", and the next time during World War 2, because it was a "Chateau".
During World War 1, it was transformed into a hospital. Nowadays, it is part of the "Loire Valley", considered as one of the most beautiful castles in the area. |
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Chateau de Chenonceau - Loire Valley - France - December/2004 |
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