In 1515 Thomas Bohier, revenue collector for King Francis I, began the construction of the Château de Chenonceau. Unfinished at the time of his death, construction of the château was completed by Bohier's wife and son. In 1535, however, Francis I took the estate in payment of debts. King Henry II, son of Francis I, gave the château to his mistress, Diane de Poitiers, duchesse de Valentinois, who extended the structure by a bridge across the Cher. Catherine de Médicis, widow of Henry II, forced Diane de Poitiers to deed the château to her.

Catherine de Médicis constructed the gallery above the bridge and the stables known as the Bâtiment-des-Dômes. The château became her favorite residence, and it was there that her son Francis II and Mary, Queen of Scots, were married in 1560.

A pair of lions guard the gates of Chenonceau

Chenonceau spans the river Cher.

Each of the two women of Chenonceau had her own garden.  

The wife...

And the mistress!

The original floors were beautiful painted tile.  Most of the decoration is worn away, but the corners are mostly intact.

The stone walls are lined with beautiful Flemish tapestries, which serve not only as decoration but as insulation from the draughty stone walls.

The house has its own chapel.  The original windows were destroyed in World War 2 and had to be replaced.

The beautiful carved-wood ceiling of Catherine's reading-room.

A very interesting vaulted ceiling in the ground-floor hallway.

The house has a great collection of original art.  
The above is a detail from Reubens' "Jesus & St. John"

The gallery above the river was used as a hospital for soldiers in World War 1.  

This memorial commemorates the 2,254 soldiers treated there.

This beautiful chest with ebony and ivory inlays was a wedding present.

Linda & John in the kitchen

One of the bedrooms

One of the staircases.

Citroens are an increasingly rare sight.