I know it’s not really a salamander but it looks surprisingly similar and with Blois Castle in the distance, once the home of Françoise I, whose symbol is the salamander, very appropriate! Je sais que ce n’est pas un salamandre mais la ressemblance est frappante d’autant plus qu’on voit le château de Blois en arrière-plan …
Tag Archives: François I
Royal Squares – Carrés royaux
These sculpted stone squares, in the lapidary section of Blois Castle, are both symbolic of François Ier, King of France from 1515 to 1547. The first shows his initial, F, surrounded by a monk’s cord with three knots forming an 8, which was the emblem of his mother, Louise de Savvoie. The second is the …
Salamander and Ermine – Salamandre et ermine
This is another of the magnificent painted fireplaces in Blois Castle in the King’s Room, with François I’s salamander on the left and the ermine of his wife, Claude de France, on the right. Voici une autre cheminées peinte magnifique qui se trouve au château de Blois dans la Salle du roi avec le salamandre …
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Azay le Rideau in Spring – Azay le Rideau au printemps
Azay-le-Rideau has always been one of my favourite châteaux in the Loire Valley because of it’s stunning location on an island in the Indre River, although it doesn’t have the majesty of Chambord, Chaumont or Chenonceau, It was built by a rich financier in the early 16th century during the reign of François I. Le château …
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