Katherine Briçonnet (ca. 1494–1526) was a French noblewoman, daughter of Guillaume Briçonnet and wife of . She was influential in designing the

Château de Chenonceau The Château de Chenonceau () is a French château spanning the river Cher (river), Cher, near the small village of Chenonceaux, Indre-et-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire. It is one of the best-known châteaux of the Loire Valley. The estate of Chen ...

. Her husband had purchased the site which contained the ruins of an earlier fortress as he wished to build a

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass id ...

château there. It was Katherine who supervised the construction work between 1513 and 1521, taking important architectural decisions while her husband was away fighting in the Italian wars. In particular, she oversaw the construction of the practically designed staircase which proceeds straight upwards rather than in a spiral as was usual at the time. In 1524, shortly after the building had been completed, Thomas Bohier died. Katherine died two years later. The initials TBH (Thomas Bohier and Katherine) can still be seen as well as a motto carved on the door: "S'il vient à point, me souviendra (If I manage to build Chenonceau, I will be remembered). The original part of the château completed under Katherine Briçonnet is known as the Château des Dames as it was later extended by

Diane de Poitiers Diane de Poitiers (9 January 1500 – 25 April 1566) was a French noblewoman and prominent courtier. She wielded much power and influence as King Henry II's royal mistress and adviser until his death. Her position increased her wealth and family ...

and

Catherine de Médicis Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King H ...

."Château de Chenonceau"
''La vallée de la Loire et ses châteaux''. Retrieved 4 March 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briconnet, Katerine 1494 births 1526 deaths 16th-century French architects French women architects

See also

References