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Origin and history

Chanteloup's pagoda, located in Amboise in Indre-et-Loire, is one of the few remains of the castle of Chanteloup, destroyed in the 19th century. Built between 1775 and 1778 by the architect Louis-Denis Le Camus for the Duke of Choiseul, disgracified minister of Louis XV, it symbolizes gratitude to his friends who remained faithful during his forced exile. It is 44 metres tall and consists of seven floors in retreat, inspired by fashionable "chinery", while adopting a pure Louis XVI style, with a circular colonnade of sixteen columns.

The castle of Chanteloup, originally built in the early eighteenth century for Jean Bouteroue d'Aubigny, king's adviser, was profoundly transformed by the Duke of Choiseul from 1761. The latter made it a luxurious residence, comparable to Versailles, with redesigned gardens, basins, and a monumental avenue linking the estate to the Loire. The pagoda, built as a point of convergence of seven forest paths, ran this park in Anglo-Chinese garden. Its golden globe and its "long view" structure could evoke a Masonic symbolism, although this remains a hypothesis.

After the Revolution, the estate was dismantled: the castle was sold to merchants of goods in 1823 and destroyed in eight weeks. Only the pagoda, the Concierge Pavilion (now a museum), and some scattered elements such as vases or sphinges survived. The pagoda, classified as a historical monument in 1996, was restored in the early twentieth century by the family André, who still own it. It houses inscriptions celebrating friendship and marble tables engraved with the names of the visitors of Choiseul.

The park, once supplied with water by a 13 km canal destroyed during the Revolution, included a large half-moon water mirror and a grassed canal. The pagoda, designed for night parties, reflected the influence of English and Chinese gardens, while integrating French motifs. Today, the site, opened to the public since the 1990s, allows you to discover this heritage through exhibitions and a virtual tour of the missing castle.

Among the objects related to the castle, some furniture and works of art remain, such as Jacob stamped chairs or a portrait of the Princess of the Ursins. These pieces, scattered in private collections or museums (Victoria and Albert Museum, Waddesdon Manor), testify to Chanteloup's fascist. The Concierge Pavilion presents plans and reproductions, offering an overview of this exceptional area, frequented by the European elite in the 18th century.

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