Gilles berthelot biography samples

Azay-le-Rideau’s light and graceful architecture is captivating and has been described by French writer Balzac as a « multi-faceted diamond arising from a stone base beautifully set in the Indre River and covered with flowers».

 

A Renaissance jewel set in natural surroundings, it nevertheless remains a human-sized castle with a welcoming atmosphere.

 

It was built from 1518 onwards, on the ruins of a former fortress destroyed by fire and known as Azay-le-brulé, meaning burned down in French.

The man who achieved this masterpiece was Gilles Berthelot, mayor of the city of Tours, treasurer of King Francis 1, in short one of the most powerful man in France back in those days.

 

The construction work was tremendous for the time.

The river was totally drained, wooden stilts were planted to stabilise the base, tons of tuffeau stones were brought on site by boat. More that 120 workers strove daily, most of them prisonners