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Origin and history

The castle of Azay-le-Rideau, located in the commune of Azay-le-Rideau in Indre-et-Loire, is a Renaissance-style castle built during the reign of François I for Gilles Berthelot, treasurer of France, between 1518 and 1524. It replaces a medieval fortress dismantled in 1418. Gilles Berthelot, accused of embezzlement, fled before the completion of the castle, which was confiscated by François I in 1528. The king offered it in 1535 to Antoine Raffin, captain of his guards, whose descendants kept it until 1791.

In 1791 the Marquis Charles de Biencourt bought the castle, then degraded, and undertook important restorations in the 19th century, adding neo-Renaissance elements like two symmetrical towers and a Chinese pavilion. His son, Armand-François-Marie de Biencourt, enriched the castle with a collection of historical portraits and opened it to visitors. Briefly occupied by the Prussians in 1871, the castle was sold in 1899 before being bought by the state in 1905 for 200,000 gold francs. It was listed as a historical monument in 1914.

The castle, surrounded by Indre and a landscaped park, is famous for its architecture combining Italian and feudal influences, with a staircase of honour decorated with medallions and a facade reflecting the water mirrors created in the 20th century. Its interior, restored in the 19th century, houses neo-Renaissance salons, tapestries of the 16th and 17th centuries, and period furniture. Since 1907, it has been managed by the National Monuments Centre and attracts more than 310,000 visitors annually, making it one of the most frequented castles in the Loire.

The gardens, redesigned in the 19th century by the Biencourts, incorporate water mirrors symbolizing the ancient moat. The castle, described by Balzac as "a faceted diamond set by Indre", is an emblematic example of French Renaissance art. Its interiors, partially replaced by the National Furniture since 2012, offer a testament to the aristocratic tastes of the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries. Recent restorations, such as the one from 2015 to 2017, have preserved this exceptional heritage.

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