Château de Blois - Four Architectural Styles

The Château de Blois is centrally located in Blois, easily accessible from the railway station. It is rather unusual in that it has 4 distinct wings arranged around a central courtyard. Each wing has its own architectural style making it an especially interesting place to visit if you want to look at different aspects of architecture over time. 

The seignorial hall was a part of the medieval fortress and is the largest 13th century Gothic hall in France.  

Gothic seignorial hall

The Louis XII wing (1498 - 1503) is built in the flamboyant style and now houses the Blois Musée des Beaux Arts (Fine Arts Museum), the ticket office and the château's giftshop. I didn't even realise that bricks were used in buildings dating back this far.

Flamboyant Louis XII wing (1498 - 1503)

The François I wing (1515-1524) is built in the renaissance style. Its magnificent external spiral staircase is the feature that for many people is the symbol of this château. The royal apartments have been restored and if my French is correct, only one of the rooms contains the original decoration from that time. All of the restorations have been beautifully done and really do give a good indication of how life would have been in the 16th century.

Renaissance François I wing (1515-1524)

The last wing of the château is the Gaston d'Orléans wing (1635 - 1638) in the classical style. Unfortunately I didn't get to visit the inside with its famous cupola.

Classical Gaston d'Orléans wing on left next to the renaissance François 1er wing

Louis XII crest

Château de Blois
6, Place du Château
41000 Blois, France
Tel: + 33 2 54 90 33 33
Fax: + 33 2 54 90 33 31