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14 km southeast of Blois on
the D 765, a chateau with a tormented history, Cheverny.
Jacques, a son of the noble family Hurault, bought the Cheverny property
in 1504. His son Raoul built a fortified castle on it. Henri, a grandson of this
Raoul, governor of Blois and servant of Henri IV decided to destroy the medieval
fortress and build a new chateau. Historians
suspect that he did so to hide a very bad taste performance! Little rooster
Henri Hurault used to lock up his wife in the chateau de Cheverny when he left
on voyage. When Henri IV once joked about that in front of the whole court,
Henri Hurault got furious and drove right home, just in time to catch his wife
with the head stable master. The last named person received a dagger right away
in the heart, the first named had a choice: the same dagger or poison. She
chose poison.
It’s Henri’s second wife, being a bit more careful with her
adventures that started the building of a new chateau, partly to regain and
restore the honour of the family name of its bad reputation. It became a very classic chateau, the exterior aspect
delivering certain coolness. But the exterior is eye blinding in “Bourré”
stone that has the particularity to whiten as time goes by. The inside is
furnished and decorated with great style One of the most prodigious chateaux de
la Loire.
At first sight the chateau shows a
more austere elegance than most of other chateaux of the Loire. It’s
due to the formal unity of the building. Especially the restorations in the 18th
century that Durant performed and let the chateau pass the revolution without
too many harm that left us this 17th century castle in a certain
beautiful grandeur.
It’s very agreeable that here you have the opportunity to stroll and wander
around and in the chateau at your own pace.
 The symmetry of the
edifice is of Italian inspiration, but the main interest of Cheverny is the
interior decoration dating from Louis XIII. It has an intimate charm and you
feel clearly that the place is still inhabited (since 700 years!) and that the
furniture isn't stiff as in a lot of other chateaux. In fact the original
furnishing never left the castle! Too seldom not to be mentioned. In
the dining room, remarkable Flemish tapestries with mural paintings of Jean
Mosnier illustrating the adventures of Don Quichotte. . A nice stone staircase
leads to the king's apartment. The room contains the most visible beautiful
decoration of Cheverny: a sumptuous 16th century canopy bed, six
Gobelin tapestries and very ancient furniture. A portrait of Tiziano Vecello
representing Cosme de Medicis is to see in the grand parlour on the ground
floor. In the commons
a small hunting museum. The trophy gallery exposes more than 2000 deer horns.
And even if you’re not at all a dog amateur you must visit the kennel.
Especially when the weather is hot it is a fantastic show. A pack of 70 hunting
hounds, crossing between English foxhounds and French “Poitevins”, lie
stretched on the floor, getting up fro time to time to get some freshness in a
cold water basin.
A new attraction is the hot air balloon that transports 30 persons. Attached to
the ground it elevates until 150 meters and offers a splendid view on the
surrounding country. Who wants to make a spectacular aerial picture to surprise
his friends or family at home, go ahead! But I warn you, it may be breathtaking
but it is DANGEROUS!
To finish you can visit the main street of the village with a charming little
church with a wooden porch of the 16th century. Just next to it the welcoming
tourist office where people go principally to savour foie gras de canard and
drink vin de Cheverny offered by the local winegrowers!
Bibliography
Regions
Gourmandes: Les pays de la Loire, by H.Walden (Paris, ed.Hatier 1993)—Guide du
Patrimoine, Centre, Val de Loire , by Perouse de Montclos (ed.Hachette
1992)—Het dal van de Loire, by A.Sperber (Brussels, ed.Harenberg 1992)—Guide
du Routard 1998 (ed.Hachette)—de kastelen van Frankrijk, by L.P.Boon
(1956)-Histoires d’amour du Royaume de France », by J. Delambreau (ed.
Pithiviers, Blois 1997)
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