THE WORLD'S BIGGEST MUSEUM
Hello. 21 miles from Tours,
in the heart of the French countryside,
Chenonceau Chateau spans the River Cher with feminine majesty.
Hardly surprising, as, since its construction in the 16th century,
Chenonceau Chateau has nearly always been managed by women.
Seven famous women,
including Diane de Poitiers or her rival Catherine de' Medici.
It's these seven women who give the Chateau de Chenonceau
its own special place in the history of France.
We're going to tell you about that right now. Off we go.
I'm with historian Elisabeth Reynaud.
She's a writer and passionate about history and great female sagas.
We're on the Chateau's ground floor,
in Diane de Poitiers's bedroom.
Indeed. - She was quite a character.
HISTORIAN
She was possibly more powerful than the Queen of France
during her affair with Henry II.
She was fifteen years older than him and was his mistress.
They had a life-long deeply passionate affair.
We could say that she deflowered the prince
because he was 17 and she was 32.
Did Henry II give her Chenonceau Chateau?
When Francis I died, Henry II inherited the Chateau
and, whether he liked it or not, Diane put a veto on it.
She decided that the Chateau was hers.
So, of course, he offers it to the woman he loves,
his lady love.
When Henry II first gives the Chateau to her,
there's just this royal dwelling, the original part of the Chateau.
The main building is a kind of large square.
She'll have a bridge built that spans the River Cher
giving direct access to her hunting land.
She rides a horse daily until the day she dies.
In 1559, things change dramatically.
King Henry II dies senselessly during a Paris tournament.
That will change Diane de Poitiers's destiny here.
The queen will take revenge.
Catherine de' Medici was terrifyingly patient.
She remained calm, quiet and secretive.
On the day Henry II dies, Diane is immediately evacuated.
We're going to talk about the Chateau under Catherine de' Medici
in Catherine's bedroom which is upstairs.
A formidable and essential woman of Chenonceau.
Here we are on the first floor of Chenonceau Chateau
in the Queen's bedroom.
Catherine de' Medici. - The one and only.
I imagine she rarely came to the Chateau in Diane de Poitiers's era.
After Henry II's death, she'll reclaim the Chateau from Diane de Poitiers.
Of course, she takes over the immense restoration works
started by Philibert Delorme.
On the bridge that Diane had built,
she extends the Chateau, with a huge, magnificent building,
this grand gallery where she hosts extravagant balls.
She hosts splendid parties for her son, Charles IX
and his younger brother, Henry III, her favorite child,
for whom she is capable of hosting the most lavish parties.
She empties State funds with her extraordinary parties.
When she finally dies, the funds are empty.
Chenonceau will have to be sold
to pay for all her financial deficits.
Thanks for telling us about these two women,
this rivalry between two French historical figures.
See you later to discuss other great women who lived here.
2254 WAR CASUALTIES WERE TREATED HERE
I'm here with the chaplain.
The chaplain is the custodian of Chenonceau Chateau
but she's also the owner.
Hello, chaplain. Here's my first question:
When and why did your family buy this Chateau?
My husband's great uncle, Henri Menier, bought it in 1913.
CHATEAU OWNER AND CUSTODIAN
He acquired it from the Crédit Municipal bank who had no buyer.
During the biggest ordeal of the 20th century, World War I,
what happened here?
During World War I, all the attention was focused around
converting Chenonceau into a hospital.
My husband's grandma was chief nurse of this hospital
she helped people with so much love.
For five years, because it lasted until 1919,
the whole family, the whole village and everyone recruited by the family,
looked after casualties who came to Chenonceau.
Sadly, some of them are now resting in the village cemetery.
Strangely, during World War II,
the Cher that crosses this gallery, is the dividing line.
This is the free zone, the Vichy administration
and this is the occupied zone. The Chateau lies between them.
First of all, this dreadful period for Chenonceau
represents a particularly striking threat,
as the Germans immediately set up a battery up in the hills
aiming directly at Chenonceau, ready to destroy it any time,
at a vantage point between the occupied zone and the free zone.
Miraculously, when the Germans were defeated,
the defeat happened so quickly that the Germans didn't have time
to prepare their battery, the order to fire wasn't given
and Chenonceau escaped destruction.
However, a plane crashed into the Cher
and all the stained-glass windows were shattered.
Chaplain, here we are in Catherine de' Medici's garden.
They say that Chenonceau is "the Ladies' Chateau."
What is it about this building that breathes femininity?
It's a very positive idea of femininity.
It's not just the Ladies' Chateau,
it's the Chateau of exceptional women.
Women who put their stamp on their era
in very different fields
with very different personalities.
It gives you an extreme sense of humility
as a temporary custodian
of a place that goes beyond history, beauty and human life.
After all these years here,
what is your connection with Chenonceau?
First of all, family. For me, it was totally unexpected
because I discovered Chenonceau through meeting my husband.
There's not one Roman abbey or provincial museum
that I don't know since childhood, thanks to my parents' culture.
The only exception was Chenonceau. It's incredible.
When I met my husband, he brought me here, of course,
and I finally discovered Chenonceau
without at all realizing the extent
of my future responsibilities.
Thanks, chaplain. - My pleasure.
We're in the Room of the Five Queens.
Chenonceau receives hundreds of thousands of visitors
but there are no guided tours.
You take the tour with an mp3 player.
It's incredible, this device has extra images on offer
that you don't pick up on when you look around this room.
There are portraits of Catherine de' Medici and Queen Margot.
There are ancient maps and aerial views of the Chateau.
It heightens your whole experience. There's progress for you!
Let's carry on.
Ladies and gents, let me introduce Marjolaine.
You're the Chateau's florist. - Yes.
What can I carry for you? - You can take this.
This one? - Yes.
It's so cute. It's like a film set.
Really. It's wonderful. - It's not far off.
Do you make up the bouquets on this table?
Exactly. The portable bouquets.
You have an important job
because you sugar-coat history and this old building
that some people may find a little cold.
A room without flowers is quite dark and the tapestries are very dark.
FLORAL DECORATION MANAGER
The flowers are the first thing that people notice in each room.
Was this Chateau decorated with flowers in its heyday?
In Diane de Poitiers's day or Catherine de' Medici's day?
All the chateaux have always had flowers in them.
But each in its own style.
Each woman who lived in the Chateau had her own personality.
Which flowers was Diane de Poitiers fond of?
Mostly branches from outdoors, a very natural look.
No frills and no tiny roses.
Roses were more Catherine de' Medici's thing.
She was much more poetic than Diane de Poitiers.
She had a more savage nature. - Exactly! She enjoyed hunting.
How many bouquets do you make for Chenonceau Chateau?
During the week, over forty bouquets.
That may seem like only a few,
but with the quantity of flowers involved,
it's more than just a few.
You make all sizes of bouquet: small ones, large ones and huge ones.
You're the world's happiest florist. - I sure am!
Happy to choose the flowers myself,
to work on such a grand scale
and to bring pleasure to people.
While you have over forty bouquets to make,
I'll let you get on with it.
Thanks, Marjolaine. - Thanks, Eric.
This is the Louis XIV Room,
so named because the Sun King came here on July 14, 1650.
He was visiting his uncle, César de Vendôme,
the illegitimate son of Henry IV and his mistress, Gabrielle d'Estrées.
Although, the fact that he owned the Chateau made him legitimate.
Chenonceau had a very important role in history.
A role that is remembered in 12 historic sketches
that you can discover here in the Ladies' Gallery.
Let's go.
Today, we're here in the wax museum,
created in the year 2000...
HOSTESS
… to bring the Chateau's characters to life, including the ladies.
We wanted it to be a modern museum.
Instead of putting them in a rustic setting or in an office,
we systematically placed them facing men
to breathe more life into the place
and to also include the men, who were an integral part of the Ladies' Chateau.
You can see some splendid fabrics here: damasks, silks,
velvet cloths, lots of jewelry.
It's the museum's intention to show people
the way of life in the court back then.
You don't see that in the Chateau. You see tapestries and wall hangings,
but here, we bring the costumes to life.
Costumes that may have been worn at Catherine's extravagant balls.
Lots of families come here and children want to see the wax museum
as it brings the people who lived in the Chateau to life.
They get to know the faces, hairstyles and fashions of the 16th century.
It's more expressive and they get an insight
not just of the Chateau's architecture and history, but also of the people.
When they've only seen a portrait of Diane de Poitiers,
experiencing the person's life is even more important.
Open up, please!
This is the only interior drawbridge in the history of chateaux.
That's incredible. Hello, Pascal and Jean-Luc.
Jean-Luc, from maintenance. Pascal, a caretaker.
Explain it to me. I've never seen it before.
A drawbridge inside a chateau on the top floor. It's unbelievable.
This drawbridge was used when there was a convent here.
It protected the Poor Clare nuns from...
CHATEAU CARETAKER
From male assaults? - Exactly!
The young Poor Clare nuns slept here
and the Mother Superior...
That's exactly how you can imagine the scene.
On the other side, a bishop was there to keep watch.
Incredible!
Let's continue our overview
with a few little things that people may not know about Chenonceau.
In the chapel, there's a crypt
which was dug back in Mrs. Pelouze's day.
She was the Chateau's owner in the late 19th century.
What's in the crypt? - She was supposed to be buried here.
Except that she spent her fortunes restoring the whole Chateau.
When she died in the South of France, in Antibes,
her body couldn't be brought back up to the Chateau
and, sadly, she wasn't buried here in the Chateau's crypt.
Thanks, Jean-Luc and Pascal.
Let me through before you close it. No mucking around!
Ladies and gents, the closing of the interior drawbridge.
I love it!
A black bedroom. I must tell you about Louise of Lorraine.
She was the wife of the last of the Valois of France, Henry III.
Her late brother, Francis II, had been King of France.
Her second brother, Charles IX, also King, died quite young.
In the middle of the French Wars of Religion,
Henry III was assassinated in 1589 in Saint-Cloud
by famous monk, Jacques Clément.
His wife, Louise of Lorraine, adored him and never got over his murder.
It was the first ever murder of a French king.
She ends up turning Chenonceau into a sepulcher.
She paints the Chateau's rooms black.
She covers it in very dark wall hangings.
She wanders around this Chateau in long white robes.
Why white? Because it's the royal color of mourning.
That's why Louise of Lorraine,
the French queen of the Valois dynasty,
is nicknamed "the white woman of Chenonceau."
Here we are...
We're in Mrs. Pelouze's bedroom.
We'll talk about her in a few minutes
as now, we're going to talk about other important women of the Chateau.
Before Mrs. Pelouze, we had Mrs. Dupin in the 18th century.
She protected the Chateau during the Revolution.
She created one of the first ever literary salons.
This is where she entertained Voltaire and Montesquieu.
She even entertained Jean-Jacques Rousseau here permanently.
He was the private tutor of one of her children
for whom he wrote Emile,
the famous treatise on education.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau lived here?
Where did he reside? - His bedroom was further back.
He was the private tutor of Mrs. Dupin's children no less!
After Mrs. Dupin invested to save the Chateau from the revolution,
in the 19th century, there was an incredibly brave mother,
Mrs. Pelouze, who was wealthy and wanted to revive the Chateau.
Mrs. Pelouze was admirable
because it was her true vocation.
She devoted her entire fortune,
all her life and energy to restoring Chenonceau
to how it was in Diane de Poitiers's day, which was no mean feat.
She spent her life, energy and fortune on it.
If Mrs. Pelouze had never existed,
had never undertaken these crazy restoration works,
Chenonceau wouldn't be what it is today.
A third family, a third extraordinary woman,
but firstly, a third family, just before World War I,
was the Menier family.
The Menier took over this Chateau...
Strangely, people thought
that it was Chenonceau's fate.
Once again, the fate of Chenonceau was in the hands of a woman,
Mrs. Laure Menier, who took it upon herself
to so magnificently maintain
the whole premises, be it the gardens or the buildings,
and who carried on the task of all these women.
Thanks a lot.
You're publishing a book on Chenonceau soon.
Yes, Le château des dames. - On the women of Chenonceau.
Which will be published by Ramsay. - Yes.
You also wrote a biography of an incredible woman, Louis XVI's sister,
Elisabeth. - Mrs. Elisabeth.
She was in the shadow because she had no official role,
but she was Marie Antoinette's close friend,
whom she never left until her execution.
Beheaded in 1794 at 29 years of age.
Thank you and goodbye, Elisabeth. - Goodbye.
What did you think of this Chateau? - It's the loveliest one we've seen.
There are some splendid parks.
The staff are friendly.
There's Nathalie and Dominique who work at the Chateau.
How many annual visitors are there at Chenonceau?
There are 850,000 per year.
Who comes here?
About 40% of our current visitors are from overseas.
MANAGING DIRECTOR
More specifically, Italians, Spaniards and a new influx of Russians.
Russians love old French buildings. - Exactly!
In the winter, lots of Japanese enjoy visiting Chenonceau Chateau.
What impresses people the most here?
The gardens, the monuments,
HEAD ACCOUNTANT
the maintenance, the monument flowers.
Chenonceau's painting collection,
the property and the welcome.
I'm meeting Alain in the Chateau's garden.
Alain is a gardener in charge of green space.
Hello, Alain. - Hello.
Magnificent tulips. - Yes, they are.
It's quite a big garden. - It's a hectare in size.
We've been planning to extend it for five or six years...
CHATEAU GARDENER
… and to have a more permanent and substantial structure in place.
It used to be quite flat and, in winter, the garden looked quite sad.
Now we've added layers of yews and different pergolas
and two wicker cages.
Even in winter, there's something to see
that attracts people to this side of the estate.
That tulip field must impress people.
You don't see them like that outside of Holland.
That's true. There are 5,000 here.
People are happy to see a field adorned with tulips at Chenonceau.
I've brought my little book.
That's incredible. Now we're starting to see things.
How many hectares is the Chenonceau estate?
In total, it's close to 200 hectares.
Two hundred hectares! - Much of it is covered in woods.
Here's a little map for those who don't know Chenonceau very well.
What's that? - Diane de Poitiers's first garden.
It was the first garden built on the estate.
And here? - Catherine de' Medici's garden.
Everybody creates their own one-hectare garden.
Which garden gives you the most pleasure?
Is it Diane de Poitiers's garden,
a real symmetric French garden... - It's hard to say.
Or something more poetic like this garden?
It's good to have both. Taking care of the French garden is interesting
but this garden allows me to do other, more extravagant things.
In terms of maintenance, we prefer Catherine's as it's smaller.
Diane de Poitiers's garden is one hectare and hard to manage.
What are those domes, there?
Under the domes, there are herbs and spices.
Come and take a look.
We protect them from the cold with straw and a glass dome.
You can see that they're starting to grow. You can touch them.
What are they? - Herbs and spices.
What are you doing today?
If the weather allows, we can return to the garden
to do some manual weeding.
In Diane de Poitiers's big garden.
There are 32,000 flowers in the flower beds.
There are 2,300 linear meters of flowers.
Thanks a lot, Alain.
Thanks for sharing your passion with us.
It's important to share it.
We need to hand down the tradition to the next generation.
I hope we helped you uncover the mystery of Chenonceau Chateau,
this stone vessel which floats between the banks of the River Cher
and between flamboyant gothic and the return of the Italian Renaissance
and which floats between France and Italy.
Speaking of transalpines, going back to what we said earlier,
the Italians are among the most numerous in the Loire Valley
to come and visit Chenonceau Chateau.
See you next week.
Subtitles: Babel Subtitling - babelSUB.be