CHÂTEAU DE BLOIS

LOCATION

• Located in the Loir-et-Cher
• department in the Loire Valley
• in France.

BUILT

• Part of the Château de Blois was built by François
• Mansart of Paris in the 17th-century.

Spiral Staircase

• One of the most renowned features
• of the château is the spiral staircase found
• in the inner courtyard of Francis I's wing.

FRANÇOIS I

• In 1515, he initiated the construction of a new wing and
• created one of the era's most important libraries in the castle.
• After his wife's death in 1524, he didn't spend much time in the castle
• and its library was moved & now is used to form the royal library
• that forms the core of the now Bibliothèque Nationale de France.

LOUIS XII'S WING

• An equestrian statue of Louis XII on the
• palace facade in Gothic style.

LOUIS XII

• In 1498, Louis XII was determined to make the dukedom
• of Orleans, transforming the dark medieval fortress into a
• beautiful & luminous castle suitable for the new Style of Life.
• The new appearance of the manor was built in brick & stone.

WING OF GASTON d'ORLEANS