The Château d’Anet, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France

I go back in memory time with new pictures found in my cd rom vault to have in my blog for you and me, This is an unique castle, and a grand lady of France, It is located in Anet, in the Eure et Loir dept 28 of the Centre Val de Loire region ,of my belle France, This is the Château d’Anet ,it was ordered built in 1543 by king Henri II for Diane de Poitiers. One of the gems on the history of France. Do read my other complementary post on her and Anet. Therefore, let me tell you a bit more on the Château d’Anet, part II !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.

I always came by car from my Versailles, 63 km ,I went by the Orangerie on the road D10 (changes several names same road) towards.Saint Cyr l’école to connect with the road N12 direction Houdan,before reaching Houdan, get off on the D912/ D933 direction Oulins on roundabout take road D928 direction Anet, It is 34 km from Évreux, 18 km from Houdan, 27 km from Mantes la Jolie, 76 km from Paris, and 450 km from my current home.

The Château d’Anet was the residence of Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of King Henry II and a rival of Catherine de Medici. In order to build her dream castle, she commissioned the greatest artists of the Renaissance to create a cutting-edge style, combining classical design ,check out the staircase!  The estate includes the magnificent castle of Diane, of which only one wing remains. The Greek cross Royal chapel, a masterpiece of originality with its trompe l’oeil checkerboard, the triumphal portal in which is enshrined the curious clock that indicates the phases of the moon, and the funerary chapel in which Diane has been buried since May 29, 2010. Accessible from the street, the funerary chapel allows you to admire the tomb of Diane de Poitiers, whose remains, thrown into the common grave of the municipal cemetery in 1795, during the French revolution, were identified at the beginning of the 21C and brought back during major Renaissance-inspired festivities in 2010.

Of its original plan, only the left wing, modified in the mid-17C, and the chapel, which was enclosed within the right wing, remain today. The other two buildings were destroyed during the French revolution. In 1840, still in poor condition, the Château d’Anet was acquired by Count Adolphe de Riquet de Caraman, who undertook an initial restoration project. The interior of the pavilions and the southern half of the wing were repaired and refurbished. The former vestibule served as a cart shed, and the rest of the buildings on the garden side no longer had roofs. The entrance gate was restored: at the top, replicas replaced the deer and the four dogs, which were automatons; the clock, once astronomical, now only indicates the time. To replace the gallery that once comprised the lost right wing, in front of the chapel, the chapel’s portal was given a peristyle. Altars were installed there.

The Château d’Anet was purchased by the Parisian stockbroker Ferdinand Moreau, who led a second round of renovations starting in 1863. The roofs were restored, and the north wing was rebuilt by the architect Bourgeois, who copied the other end, which had remained almost intact. The decoration and furnishings were reconstructed with the help of the painter Faivre-Duffer, who rediscovered the Apostles, four large tapestries, fragments of old stained-glass windows, furniture, panels, and painted debris. Between 1904 and 1906, Count and Countess Guy de Leusse, daughter of Ferdinand Moreau and heiress of the castle in 1884, commissioned stained glass windows for the chapel from master glassmaker Charles Lorin of Chartres. In 1913, the paving of a small cabinet of curiosities from the Château d’Écouen, as well as the partially gilded door panels of the Guards’ Room (1st floor), and the small paving stones with the cipher of Diane de Poitiers which are original. Since 1998, Jean and Alexandra de Yturbe have owned it. A private and inhabited property, the castle, its courtyard and the chapel are open to the public on a mandatory guided tour.

The official Château d‘Anet : https://www.chateau-d-anet.com/

The town of Anet on the castle : http://www.ville-anet.fr/culture-loisirs-tourisme/chateau-d-anet

The Eure et Loir dept 28 tourist office on its castles,so Anet : https://www.tourisme28.com/en/experiences/historic-castles-houses/

There you go folks, a fascinating story and women, today she could be a role model but she was ahead of her time indeed. Indeed worth the detour me think, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Château d’Anet, 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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