Château de Talcy (Ronsard et Cassandre Salviati)

Talcy

At Talcy, north of the Loire, a château of the Beauce preserves the memory of two poets. The place is mentioned as early as 1221. In 1517 the Florentine banker Bernard Salviati, a close associate of the Medici, bought it (on 8 November according to Blois-Chambord) and fortified it from 1520. His daughter Cassandre was fifteen when Ronsard met her at a ball in Blois in 1545; she married someone else in 1546. The poet devoted to her the first Livre des Amours, 182 sonnets according to Blois-Chambord. Later, Agrippa d'Aubigné fell in love with Diane Salviati, Ronsard's niece, and dedicated Le Printemps to her in 1571. He is said to have taken refuge at Talcy during the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre of 1572; the date of the stay is not established. Catherine de Medici hosted a conference there in 1562 between Catholics and Protestants, which came to nothing, according to Blois-Chambord and Paris ZigZag. English Wikipedia gives 1572 and speaks of a plan for a massacre: this version is presented as a tradition and remains to be verified. The State bought the château in 1933; the 18th-century decoration is preserved there.

Getting there: In the village of Talcy, Loir-et-Cher; state property (Centre des monuments nationaux), visiting conditions to be checked. Coordinates: OpenStreetMap (Nominatim).

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound