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Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Royal Castle of Blois, located in the department of Loir-et-Cher, is an emblem of the Loire castles. Built on a rocky spur overlooking the Loire, it was first a medieval fortress mentioned in the ninth century, then rebuilt in the tenth and eleventh centuries by the Counts of Blois. The great Gothic hall of the 13th century, known as the State Hall, and the Foix Tower are the oldest remains. The castle became a powerful comtal residence, before being acquired in 1397 by Louis d'Orléans, brother of Charles VI, marking his entry into the royal domain.

In the 16th century, under Louis XII (born at the castle in 1462) and Francis I, the monument became a Renaissance palace. Between 1498 and 1503 Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne undertook a major reconstruction, combining flamboyant Gothic and Italian motifs, such as the brick and stone facade or the chapel Saint-Calais. François I added the eponymous wing (1515-1524), famous for its monumental carved staircase, symbol of Italian influence. The castle then houses major events: royal engagements, Leonardo da Vinci's stays, or the Placard affair (1534), triggering Protestant repression.

The seventeenth century saw Gaston d'Orléans, brother of Louis XIII, trying to build a classic wing entrusted to François Mansart (1635-1638), which remained unfinished due to lack of funds. After its abandonment in 1660, the castle declined: Louis XIV gave it to servants, then put it on sale in 1788 without success. The Revolution looted him and destroyed the collegiate Saint-Sauveur. Saved by Napoleon I in 1810, he became a barracks before being restored under Louis-Philippe by Félix Duban (1845-1870), who rebuilt the royal apartments in a neo-Renaissance style.

The 1944 bombing damaged the Louis XII wing, restored by Michel Ranjard. Today owned by the town of Blois, the castle houses a museum and exhibitions. Its three wings (Louis XII, François I, Gaston d'Orléans) illustrate the architectural evolution of the Middle Ages to classicism. Ranked a historic monument in 1840, it attracts more than 350,000 visitors annually, offering sound and light shows and continuous restorations.

Among the notable figures related to the castle were Anne de Bretagne, who died in 1514 in her walls, Catherine de Medici (d. 1589), and Henri III, who had the Duke of Guise murdered there in 1588. Joan of Arc was blessed there in 1429 before Orléans, and Ronsard met his Cassandre muse there. The castle also inspires monuments such as the palace of the Dukes of Lorraine in Nancy or the Biltmore castle in the United States.

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