Château Chambord: Reflections
Chambord is the quintessential Renaissance château.
Le Corbusier said a house is a machine for living in which is exactly what Chambord was not. François I had no intention of living there, he intended it to be a show piece of royal power. He wanted all who saw it to say Wow! and they do. No matter how many images or how many TV programmes, you see, nothing prepares you. It’s overwhelming. However, because it was a statement of wealth, not a labour of love, François did not love it, the way he loved Château Amboise. Out of the thirty or more years of his reign he spent in total forty-nine days here.
The King used it as a hunting lodge. You can almost hear hordes of huntsmen stamping around. The space is so vast one would not be surprised to be told they brought their horses in with them.
The massive rooms, windows and high ceilings meant it was almost impossible to heat. Chambord had no village nearby so there was no source of food other than the hunt. Food had to be brought in to feed up to two thousand at a time. This self-indulgent folly of a self-indulgent king, a symbol of his wealth and power, was meant to make Charles V, his hated rival, envious. François lost the title of Holy Roman Emperor to Charles, a title which represented supremacy in Europe.
It’s difficult to say much about this edifice (no other word will do) which has not been said a thousand times before. We’ve heard of its four hundred and forty rooms, two hundred and eighty-two fireplaces, eighty four staircases and its roof with cupolas, lantern towers and chimneys. Everyone knows about its extraordinary double helix staircase an architectural feat of engineering. It’s not that Chambord has, because of who designed it, the most iconic staircase in Europe, it’s more a case that Chambord is its staircase. It dominates the building. Twin helical ramps twist like DNA around a core to the main floors and the roof terrace. People use the staircase at the same time without bumping into each other. No fear here of bringing bad luck by crossing on the stairs.
No wonder Chambord, one of the most famous châteaux in the world, the largest by far in the Loire Valley, features on many a bucket list. Even cynical seen one seen them all Château Chasers, say it’s a must which you don’t really believe until you are standing in front of it. The interior in no way reflects the exterior. It’s as if two architects designed Chambord which in a way is what happened. The consensus between experts is that Domenico da Cortona designed Chambord but had to plan around the central staircase dreamed up by arch dreamer Leonard da Vinci. Da Vinci was obsessed with vortexes, gyroscopes, whirlpools, twisting staircases, turbines and what can only be described as a helicopter. Both men were from Florence. Both ended up at the Royal Court in Amboise working for François I. In 1518, they collaborated on plans to celebrate the birth of the Dauphin. When François told Leonardo he was going to rebuild the old Chambord, Leonardo told him to dig the foundations deep because the area was liable to flooding. He was proved right, especially in 2016 when a tributary of the Loire flooded its banks. The twenty mile wall around the Château was breached at several points, metal gates were torn from their frames, roads were damaged and trees were uprooted.
If you are in the mood to see a phenomenon, see Château Chambord. You will be glad you did.
Text by Pamela, Photography by Mark.
