The Château de Fontainebleau exteriors, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France

I like to have memories and nowdays even more. I remember Fontainebleau castle as it was in the Seine et Marne dept 77 that my dear late wife Martine, took me first to show me her department/region back in 1990. We have come here ever since,and it is one of my favorite castles been friend of the association that helps protect its heritage. Their office is on your left once entering the main entrance to the castle fyi. I have written many posts on it before, so peruse my blog and see beauty before your eyes. Of course, this is also in the Île de France region of my belle France, As this is a monumental task of memory, most of the material here is from my personal library and the help of online sources such as wikipedia. Therefore, here is my take on the Château de Fontainebleau exteriors, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I

The city of Fontainebleau is 57 km (about 35 miles) from Paris, 71 km from Versailles, and 499 km from my current home, We go there taking mostly the A11 , A6 D637D607 to Rue de France to parking at Rue de Ferrare, just walk across to front of castle.  The Château de Fontainebleau aligns its long facades of various architectures and periods against gardens whose general design was revised during the 19C.  Of the feudal castle, only the keep and traces of curtain walls remain. The two towers which defended the gate as well as the hovel buildings which formed the square have disappeared. The keep, comprising part of the royal apartments from the 16C, is a large square tower without buttresses, topped with a pavilion and supporting two large side chimneys. Originally, the exterior masonry was made of rubble stone ,and the roof was covered with tiles. Traces of curtain walls from the 12C remain on the ground floor of the main building. There are also traces of buildings from the 15C on the ground floor of the facades of the Cour Ovale, where parts of freestone are visible. Thus, all medieval traces have not been destroyed and an estimate from 1528 even specified to the architect to “use the old walls when possible”, hence the preservation of traces of the 15C building in the Oval courtyard.

The Aile des Ministres or the Ministers’ wing, also known as the low wing, was built from 1530 and closes the Cour du Cheval-Blanc, The Cour du Cheval Blanc, aka the Cour des Adieux » or « Cour d’honneur » of rectangular shape, is a former barnyard and then service courtyard, which very soon became a parade courtyard. The ensemble was built over five centuries, which explains its great architectural diversity. This courtyard acquires its name thanks to a plaster cast of the equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in the Capitol, made by Vignole for Catherine de Medici, installed between 1560 and 1570, disappeared in 1626, and of which a small slab, in the central aisle , recalls the location. The statue was covered in 1580 with a roof to protect it from the weather. The famous escalier du Fer-à-cheval or horseshoe staircase was built in 1550 by Philibert Delorme, then redone between 1632 and 1634 by Jean Androuet du Cerceau. Composed of two monumental parallel fretted flights of 46 steps with an intermediate landing, it breaks with the medieval spiral staircase and presents an appearance comparable to that of the Château d’Anet, (see post) also created by Delorme,

The Cour Oval courtyard, in the center of the castle, takes its singular shape from the layout of the old fortified castle, which delimits an octagonal courtyard with rounded corners. It is partly delimited by sandstone facades over which runs a continuous gallery supported by a row of columns. It was considerably modified under king Henry IV as he had it enlarged to be closed by the Baptistery gate.

Fontainebleau

The Porte du Baptisterie, or Porte Dauphine, owes its name to the baptism of Louis XIII and his sisters, Élisabeth and Chrétienne, which took place on September 14, 1606, at the site of the platform. Located on the site of an old door, with rustic sandstone bosses, built in 1565 by Primaticcio and which today constitutes the ground floor of the building, The current triumphal door has a floor in the form of a arcade surmounted by a dome with sides whose triangular pediment is decorated with sculptures representing two victories supporting the arms of Henry IV. Busts, copies of antiques, adorn the niches of the interior facade.

From inside the courtyard this is a shot of the wing that on the ground floor of the castle overlooking the oval courtyard, a court of honor of Fontainebleau for centuries, arose from the rooms of various eras which participated in court life and in which some emblematic historical events took place. From the Renaissance to the 19C, these rooms of the oval court offer a journey back in time to meet historical illustrious figures. The Salle des Colonnes or column room is in anticipation of the great marriage in Fontainebleau of the Duke of Orleans, son of King Louis-Philippe, with Princess Hélène de Meklembourg-Schwerin, in May 1837, this large waiting room with the sumptuous decor in front all to the illusions of art. It is supported by wooded wooden columns, and their appearance of marble is only due to the skillful brushes of the decorators. The Basse Chapelle Saint-Saturnin or lower chapel is located on the ground floor of the High Chapel, It was in this chapel that the future François II was baptized on January 19, 1544, See posts to see the inside of these monuments.

Fontainebleau

 The official Château de Fontainebleau :  https://www.chateaudefontainebleau.fr/en/interactive-maps-of-the-castle-of-fontainebleau/

The city of Fontainebleau and its castle: https://www.fontainebleau.fr/bouger-et-sortir/decouvrir-fontainebleau/la-vraie-demeure-des-rois-la-maison-des-siecles-524.html

The Fontainebleau tourist office on its castle: https://www.fontainebleau-tourisme.com/en/discover-the-region/patrimoine-2/the-chateau-a-grand-history-book-of-france/

The Seine et Marne dept 77 tourist office on the castle:  https://www.tourisme-seine-et-marne.fr/visiter-decouvrir/incontournables/670011-chateau-fontainebleau

The Île de France regional tourist office on Fontainebleau castle : https://www.visitparisregion.com/en/chateau-de-fontainebleau

There you go folks, yes a bit long post ,but worth it me think, The Fontainebleau castle or Château de Fontainebleau ,is one of the wonders of our world ! The history of France, Europe, and the World was written from here, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Château de Fontainebleau exteriors, part II !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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