The Early Renaissance French Château de Vallery, in
Vallery
Vallery () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France.
History
The town was acquired by Louis de Bourbon, ''prince de Condé'' - uncle of the future Henry IV of France. The town thus formed part o ...
, in the ''département'' of
Yonne in the
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
region of
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, was built in 1548 for Jacques d'Albon de Saint-André, marquis de Fronsac, a court favorite of
Henri II and ''
maréchal de France
Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...
''. It was never completed, and what remains of it has been mutilated.
The site he chose was the ancient ''
château-fort
A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...
'' of
Vallery
Vallery () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France.
History
The town was acquired by Louis de Bourbon, ''prince de Condé'' - uncle of the future Henry IV of France. The town thus formed part o ...
, dating in part to the early thirteenth century; he purchased it 16 April 1548. Traces of walls and fortified towers remain at the site.
[ The architect was the king's architect, Pierre Lescot, who also built the '' hôtel particulier'' of the Maréchal in Paris (demolished). Vallery's facades, today of brick with stone quoins and details, were originally covered with red and black marble.
Works at Vallery were interrupted by the king's death (1559), followed by that of the Maréchal (1562). Two years later his widow passed Vallery to ]Louis I de Bourbon, prince de Condé Louis may refer to:
* Louis (coin)
* Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name
* Louis (surname)
* Louis (singer), Serbian singer
* HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy
See also
Derived or associated terms
* Lewis ( ...
, who decorated the ceilings of the south wing: Francesco Primaticcio
Francesco Primaticcio (April 30, 1504 – 1570) was an Italian Mannerist painter, architect and sculptor who spent most of his career in France.
Biography
Born in Bologna, he trained under Giulio Romano in Mantua and became a pupil of I ...
provided some of the internal decoration in the manner of his School of Fontainebleau
The School of Fontainbleau (french: École de Fontainebleau) (c. 1530 – c. 1610) refers to two periods of artistic production in France during the late Renaissance centered on the royal Palace of Fontainebleau that were crucial in forming the No ...
. Engravings of Vallery and its parterre
A ''parterre'' is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the part of ...
gardens at this time appeared in Jacques Androuet du Cerceau
Jacques I Androuet du Cerceau, also given as Du Cerceau, DuCerceau, or Ducerceau (1510–1584) was a well-known French designer of architecture, ornament, furniture, metalwork and other decorative designs during the 16th century, and the founder ...
's ''Les plus excellents bastiments de France''.
In the church is the grand marble tomb of Henry II de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Henry may refer to:
People
*Henry (given name)
*Henry (surname)
* Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry
Royalty
* Portuguese royalty
** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal
** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
(1588–1646), designed by the illustrious sculptor Gilles Guérin
Gilles Guérin (1611–1678) was a French sculptor, who created tomb sculptures and decorative sculptures for interiors, which were executed in a Baroque idiom. He was born and died in Paris. He was a pupil of the sculptor Nicolas Le Brun, t ...
. After 1682 (when drawings by Sengre, now at the Musée Condé in Chantilly, were made) the south wing, which was the main '' corps de logis'' was demolished,[ under Louise-Anne de Bourbon-Condé, Mlle de Sens (1695–1768), daughter of Louis III de Bourbon, prince de Condé, leaving the west wing, a grand gallery supported on an arcade, which was now closed in, and the southwest corner pavilion. In 1747 the heiress Elisabeth de Condé sold the château; it suffered further demolitions and alterations, and in the twentieth century it lay for some time abandoned. More recently its Grande Galerie has had its partitions removed and is restored to its original dimensions; the château is currently rented for wedding parties.
]
Gallery
Image:Chateau de Vallery DSC 0230.JPG, Pavilion
File:Chateau-de-Vallery-DSC 0066.jpg, Gate (14th century)
File:Chateau-de-Vallery-DSC 0058.jpg, Gallery
File:Chateau-de-Vallery-DSC 0082.jpg, Pavilion
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chateau De Vallery
Vallery
Vallery () is a commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France.
History
The town was acquired by Louis de Bourbon, ''prince de Condé'' - uncle of the future Henry IV of France. The town thus formed part o ...
Châteaux with Renaissance gardens in France