Chapter I: Front Matter

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Castles and Chateaux of Old Touraine
and the Loire Country

_WORKS OF FRANCIS MILTOUN_

_The following, each 1 vol., library 12mo, cloth, gilt top,
profusely illustrated, $2.50_

_Rambles on the Riviera_
_Rambles in Normandy_
_Rambles in Brittany_
_The Cathedrals and Churches of the Rhine_
_The Cathedrals of Northern France_
_The Cathedrals of Southern France_
_The Cathedrals of Italy_ (_In preparation_)

_The following, 1 vol., square octavo, cloth, gilt top, profusely
illustrated. $3.00_

_Castles and Chateaux of Old Touraine and the Loire Country_

_L. C. PAGE & COMPANY New England Building, Boston, Mass._

Castles and Chateaux
OF
OLD TOURAINE
AND THE LOIRE COUNTRY

BY FRANCIS MILTOUN

Author of "Rambles in Normandy," "Rambles in Brittany,"
"Rambles on the Riviera," etc.

_With Many Illustrations
Reproduced from paintings made on the spot_

BY BLANCHE MCMANUS

BOSTON
L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
1906

_Copyright, 1906_
BY L. C. PAGE & COMPANY
(Incorporated)

_All rights reserved_

First Impression, June, 1906

_COLONIAL PRESS_
_Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co._
_Boston, U. S. A._

By Way of Introduction

This book is not the result of ordinary conventional rambles, of sightseeing by day, and flying by night, but rather of leisurely wanderings, for a somewhat extended period, along the banks of the Loire and its tributaries and through the countryside dotted with those splendid monuments of Renaissance architecture which have perhaps a more appealing interest for strangers than any other similar edifices wherever found.

Before this book was projected, the conventional tour of the chateau country had been "done," Baedeker, Joanne and James's "Little Tour" in hand. On another occasion Angers, with its almost inconceivably real castellated fortress, and Nantes, with its memories of the "Edict" and "La Duchesse Anne," had been tasted and digested _en route_ to a certain little artist's village in Brittany.

On another occasion, when we were headed due south, we lingered for a time in the upper valley, between "the little Italian city of Nevers" and "the most picturesque spot in the world"--Le Puy.

But all this left certain ground to be covered, and certain gaps to be filled, though the author's note-books were numerous and full to overflowing with much comment, and the artist's portfolio was already bulging with its contents.

So more note-books were bought, and, following the genial Mark Twain's advice, another fountain pen and more crayons and sketch-books, and the author and artist set out in the beginning of a warm September to fill those gaps and to reduce, if possible, that series of rambles along the now flat and now rolling banks of the broad blue Loire to something like consecutiveness and uniformity; with what result the reader may judge.

Contents

CHAPTER PAGE

BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION v

I. A GENERAL SURVEY 1

II. THE ORLEANNAIS 30

III. THE BLAISOIS AND THE SOLOGNE 56

IV. CHAMBORD 94

V. CHEVERNY, BEAUREGARD, AND CHAUMONT 110

VI. TOURAINE: THE GARDEN SPOT OF FRANCE 128

VII. AMBOISE 148

VIII. CHENONCEAUX 171

IX. LOCHES 188

X. TOURS AND ABOUT THERE 203

XI. LUYNES AND LANGEAIS 221

XII. AZAY-LE-RIDEAU, USSE, AND CHINON 241

XIII. ANJOU AND BRETAGNE 273

XIV. SOUTH OF THE LOIRE 301

XV. BERRY AND GEORGE SAND'S COUNTRY 313

XVI. THE UPPER LOIRE 330

INDEX 337

List of Illustrations

PAGE

A PEASANT GIRL OF TOURAINE _Frontispiece_

ITINERARY OF THE LOIRE (MAP) facing 1

A LACE-MAKER OF THE UPPER LOIRE facing 4

THE LOIRE CHATEAUX (MAP) 9

THE ANCIENT PROVINCES OF THE LOIRE VALLEY
AND THEIR CAPITALS (MAP) 15

THE LOIRE NEAR LA CHARITE facing 18

COIFFES OF AMBOISE AND ORLEANS facing 20

THE CHATEAUX OF THE LOIRE (MAP) facing 30

ENVIRONS OF ORLEANS (MAP) 39

THE LOIRET facing 42

THE LOIRE AT MEUNG facing 46

BEAUGENCY facing 50

ARMS OF THE CITY OF BLOIS 58

THE RIVERSIDE AT BLOIS facing 58

SIGNATURE OF FRANCOIS PREMIER 60

CYPHER OF ANNE DE BRETAGNE, AT BLOIS 62

ARMS OF LOUIS XII. 65

CENTRAL DOORWAY, CHATEAU DE BLOIS facing 66

THE CHATEAUX OF BLOIS (DIAGRAM) 71

CYPHER OF FRANCOIS PREMIER AND CLAUDE OF
FRANCE, AT BLOIS 72

NATIVE TYPES IN THE SOLOGNE 89

DONJON OF MONTRICHARD facing 92

ARMS OF FRANCOIS PREMIER, AT CHAMBORD 99

PLAN OF CHATEAU DE CHAMBORD 103

CHATEAU DE CHAMBORD facing 104

CHATEAU DE CHEVERNY facing 110

CHEVERNY-SUR-LOIRE 113

CHAUMONT facing 116

SIGNATURE OF DIANE DE POITIERS 118

THE LOIRE IN TOURAINE facing 134

THE VINTAGE IN TOURAINE facing 142

CHATEAU D'AMBOISE facing 148

SCULPTURE FROM THE CHAPELLE DE ST. HUBERT facing 164

CYPHER OF ANNE DE BRETAGNE, HOTEL DE
VILLE, AMBOISE 168

CHATEAU DE CHENONCEAUX facing 178

CHATEAU DE CHENONCEAUX (DIAGRAM) 179

LOCHES 189

LOCHES AND ITS CHURCH facing 192

SKETCH PLAN OF LOCHES 198

ST. OURS, LOCHES facing 198

TOURS facing 202

ARMS OF THE PRINTERS, _AVOCATS_, AND INNKEEPERS,
TOURS 205

SCENE IN THE QUARTIER DE LA CATHEDRALE,
TOURS facing 208

PLESSIS-LES-TOURS IN THE TIME OF LOUIS XI. 213

ENVIRONS OF TOURS (MAP) 219

A VINEYARD OF VOUVRAY facing 222

MEDIAEVAL STAIRWAY AND THE CHATEAU DE
LUYNES facing 224

RUINS OF CINQ-MARS facing 228

CHATEAU DE LANGEAIS facing 232

ARMS OF LOUIS XII. AND ANNE DE BRETAGNE 237

CHATEAU D'AZAY-LE-RIDEAU facing 244

CHATEAU D'USSE facing 248

THE ROOF-TOPS OF CHINON facing 252

RABELAIS 255

CHATEAU DE CHINON facing 258

CUISINES, FONTEVRAULT 265

CHATEAU DE SAUMUR facing 276

THE PONTS DE CE facing 284

CHATEAU D'ANGERS facing 288

ENVIRONS OF NANTES (MAP) 297

DONJON OF THE CHATEAU DE CLISSON facing 306

BERRY (MAP) 313

LA TOUR, SANCERRE 317

CHATEAU DE GIEN facing 318

CHATEAU DE VALENCAY facing 322

GATEWAY OF MEHUN-SUR-YEVRE facing 324

LE CARRIOR DORE, ROMORANTIN 325

EGLISE S. AIGNAN, COSNE 331

POUILLY-SUR-LOIRE facing 332

PORTE DU CROUX, NEVERS facing 334

Castles and Chateaux

of Old Touraine

and the Loire Country