Photo : Gzen92 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Château d'Amboise
The royal castle of Amboise overlooks the Loire. Charles VIII, who reigned from 1483 to 1498, turned it into a true palace; Francis I would later prefer other residences such as Chambord or Fontainebleau. The Saint-Hubert chapel, in flamboyant Gothic style, was built between 1491 and 1496. It houses the presumed tomb of Leonardo da Vinci, who died in Amboise in 1519 and was first buried in the Saint-Florentin collegiate church.
The castle also saw dark episodes: in 1560, the Amboise conspiracy, a prelude to the wars of religion, took place there. From 1848 to 1852, Emir Abd el-Kader and about a hundred companions were held prisoner there before being released.
Remarkable architectural elements include the Minimes and Heurtault towers. Listed as a historic monument as early as 1840, the castle has been managed since 1974 by the Fondation Saint-Louis, which preserves the property of the House of France. It lies within the Loire Valley perimeter listed by UNESCO. To prepare your visit, it is best to check the castle's official website.
