Located very close to the Royal Château of Amboise, the Château du Clos Lucé offers a va journey through 800 years of historyFormerly the home of Leonardo da Vinci, it is dedicated to the memory of the Italian master.
The epic story of this house, built of pink brick and tufa stone on Gallo-Roman foundations, begins during the reign of Louis XI in 1471. The king offers the Cloux estate to his favorite, Stephen the Wolf., a former kitchen boy who was ennobled. He built the Cloux castle as well as one of the most beautiful dovecotes in France, which has remained intact.
In 1490, the place was purchased by Charles VIII and then became the pleasure residence of the kings of FranceHe transformed the medieval fortress into a pleasure castle and had an oratory built, a pure jewel of Gothic architecture, for his wife, Queen Anne of Brittany. Above the door, the Virgin of Light, "Virgo Lucis," is said to have given its name to the Château du Clos Lucé.
En 1516-1519, Francis I and his wife Louise of Savoy invited Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise. King Francis I, impressed by Leonardo da Vinci's talent, appointed him "First Painter, Engineer and Architect to the King". He granted him the use of the Château du Cloux, located near the royal Château d'Amboise. Leonardo spent the last three years of his life there. and worked on numerous projects for the King of France and his masterpieces, including the Mona LisaThe Italian master died on May 2, 1519 in his room.
At the end of the 17th century, the Château du Cloux took the name Château du Clos Lucé. It then passed into the hands of the Amboise family, who saved it from destruction during the French Revolution, then He entered the Saint Bris family in 1854.
A visit to Leonardo da Vinci's home allows you to discover the Renaissance rooms, his workshops, and 40 fabulous machines. It also offers an initiatory journey through the landscaped grounds, a veritable open-air museum, punctuated by 20 models to interact with and translucent canvases that showcase the 7-hectare park.
- Continue your exploration of the Loire Valley with the circuit A getaway to the heart of the castles near Amboise which includes the Château du Clos Lucé.
