Leonardo da Vinci 500th Anniversary
Royal Chateau of Amboise
The World’s Spotlight is on Amboise in the Loire Valley which welcomed Leonardo da Vinci five centuries ago. TV, radio, newspapers and magazines in every conceivable language are falling over themselves to remind their readers that 2019 marks the 500th anniversary of Leonardo’s death. Amboise itself needs no reminding.
St Hubert’s Chapel
Turn one corner and there is St Hubert’s Chapel, part of the Royal Chateau of Amboise, where lay his bones. Turn another and there is Château Clos Lucé where he lived, worked and died. In his day it was known as Le Manoir de Cloux. Most people know that François I gave it to Leonardo as a grace and favour home to live out his last years in comfort but perhaps less well known is that it had a special place in the King’s heart and until the day he died remained one of his favourite places. This is where the boy king grew up. As next in line to the throne he enjoyed an idyllic childhood here. Clos Lucé was the Royal Nursery for many years before François I and was used as such for his own children and grand-children.
Château Clos Lucé
As you might expect, the Loire Valley is hosting hundreds of events to celebrate the momentous occasion but would be visitors may be hard pressed to find a room in Amboise. Hotels, filled to bursting, some with camera crews from lands far away including South Korea report full house well into October. When the visitors have gone home, the old Château will still be presiding over the picturesque town and the mighty Loire as it has for a thousand years.
Read more about Leonardo da Vinci and his connection with the Loire Valley in Leonardo da Vinci: The Amboise Connection (available from Amazon).
The book was written to commemorate the 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci’s death in 1519 at Clos Lucé, Amboise, where he spent the last three years of his life.
Post by Pamela
Visit St Hubert’s Chapel, Royal Chateau of Amboise and Château Clos Lucé
on a Photograph France photography tour or masterclass workshop.
