The Amazing Pigeonnier at Château Clos Lucé.

Thanks to the Saint Bris family of Clos Lucé, much is known about Leonardo da Vinci’s life there, but there is surely more to discover?

For example, its wonderful, five hundred year old pigeonnier (unique in the Touraine) was built not long before Leonardo arrived. Were the pigeons still there? If so, never mind the noise of a thousand birds squawking as they flapped their not inconsiderable wings, did the monotonous, repetitive, coo-cooing disturb his reveries? The notice on the pigeonnier says pigeon feathers were used by plumassiers to decorate costumes for Leonardo’s Court extravaganzas. An awful lot were needed, did they come from here?

The Notices on the Clos Lucé Pigeonnier are very informative.

Rats, ferrets and weasels tried to steal the eggs, drink the blood of young pigeons and drive away the parents. The ground floor was given over to poultry, which were fed, but the pigeons flew out every day to forage. Fresh pigeon made a welcome change from preserved, salted meat. Pigeon eggs, served in an omelette, were used by chefs of the royal household who had to feed the Court on its travels serving between 3,000 and 5,000 meals at every sitting. Young pigeons were fed to the falcons used for hunting. Pairs of pigeons were given as gifts by monarchs and nobles as a mark of consideration for the recipients. Pigeon feathers were used to make quilts and feather beds. Pigeons were used to carry messages attached to their ringed legs, from château to château.

In 1471, Louis XI, not known for his generosity, gave Clos Lucé to the recently ennobled Étienne Le Loup (Stephen the Wolf?) who rose through the ranks from helping out in the royal kitchen to Master of the King’s Household. He must have been very good indeed to have been gifted such a prize piece of real estate. The house was in a sorry state when he moved in but he renovated it and built one of France’s most beautiful dovecotes.

Pigeonniers were status symbols, proof of wealth, authority and power. The keeping of pigeons was a right restricted to royalty, the clergy and the nobility. Peasants were prohibited by law from killing pigeons which attacked their crops.

Pigeon guano was a highly prized fertiliser, so prized that in some areas armed guards were stationed at the entrances to pigeon houses to stop thieves stealing it. In this area, it was used to improve the soil of vineyards, a source of considerable revenue for the bird owner.

One chap who did not prize pigeon guano was Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London. When droppings from more than four thousand pigeons covered Nelson and his Column in Trafalgar Square, he tried to starve them to death. When that didn’t work, he brought in birds of prey. Dubbed flying rats, pigeons are so hated in some areas of London, irate residents dust off their air pistols.

When pigeonniers were introduced into France by the Romans, pigeon became sought after in French cuisine and is making a comeback. In the UK, squeamish diners prefer to use the word squab. On a French menu, baronnet de pigeon is half the breast and a leg, suprême de pigeon is half the breast and a wing.

You do wonder whether le chef at L'Auberge du Prieuré in Clos Lucé who offers his customers a gastronomic journey in Leonardo's time will advocate bringing the pigeons back to Étienne Le Loup’s lovely pigeonnier.

Post by Pamela Photography by Mark