AmboiseCulture & Heritage Article published on8th July 2022
The cradle of the Renaissance in France
Château Gaillard was commissioned by Charles VIII, husband of Anne de Bretagne, on his return from Italy in 1496. His objective was to make Amboise the cradle of the French Renaissance. He returned conquered by the quattrocento and the Italian cities; accompanied by around thirty artists who made the estate an example of the art of living in the 16th century.
The estate was successively the royal residence of Charles VIII, Louis XII and François I. The latter offered the building in 1515 to “his dear and beloved Pacello” in exchange for an annual bouquet of orange blossoms.
The gardens of Dom Pacello
Dom Pacello de Mercoliano, a botanist gardener monk considered “The Greatest Gardener in Europe”, accompanied Charles VIII on his return from Italy. Dom Pacello sculpts the vegetation and creates the embroideries symbolizing the 4 rivers of Paradise : water, milk, honey and wine around the so-called “fountain of Youth”. This is how the “Gardens of Roy” came into being.
For Dom Pacello, a garden had to be as beautiful in summer as in winter. He innovates with original techniques and makes it his laboratory. Pacello transplants his Arte del Verde and creates the first orangery in France in 1496 at the royal domain.
200 lemon and orange trees of 70 different citrus species form a conservatory that marks the destiny of the site forever. In particular, he created the famous queen Claude plum, which he dedicated and offered to Claude de France, the wife of François I.
Recognized as the Paradise Lost of the Italo-French Renaissance, “Only Adam and Eve are missing in this marvelous paradise to make it a new Eden” said Charles VIII of Château Gaillard.
The impressive restoration
The property was bought in 2011 by Marc Lelandais after several decades of abandonment. It is after 5 years of restoration with no less than 300 workers, 50 craftsmen and a dozen craftsmen from the Loire Valley that the Domaine Royal de Château Royal reopens its doors. The restoration with head-turning numbers is illustrated in an exhibition detailing the different stages of the work.
Since then, the estate has continued to add new features, such as recently the terracotta statues from the molds of the Medicis in Florence, representing the 4 seasons.
The multifaceted field
Enjoy a guided tour of the estate, punctuated with anecdotes, which traces the history of the place.
Take a break at the citrus counter, the Mercoliano, to sustain yourself or refresh yourself with a tangy sweetness.
Walk the many routes around the castle to discover the fauna and flora that inhabit its woods and explore the many troglodyte caves.
You would not say no to a zest of French history ?
Domaine Royal de Château Gaillard
29 Allée du Pont Moulin
37 400 Amboise
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