Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire

Chaumont-sur-Loire

Built in the 10th century by the Counts of Blois to watch over the valley, razed by Louis XI in 1465 after its owner's rebellion, then rebuilt between 1469 and 1481, Chaumont overlooks the Loire from a rocky spur. Catherine de Médicis bought it in 1550 for 120,000 livres, then ceded it in 1559 to her rival Diane de Poitiers in exchange for Chenonceau. It is from this stay that the place's occult reputation was born: the queen is said to have received there Cosimo Ruggieri, a Florentine astrologer she had brought to France, whom tradition credits with predicting that she would be queen and mother of ten children. The room that bears his name owes this title to symbols carved on the fireplace, a Greek letter delta and three circles or full moons, long read as a cabalistic sign of the astrologer before being connected instead to Diane de Poitiers's emblem. The estate itself recalls that the figure of the mage-astrologer of Chaumont owes much to 19th-century writers, Balzac foremost among them, who turned a real but less spectacular historical figure into fiction. The château keeps a presumed portrait of Ruggieri and a 17th-century bed in this room. It now hosts the International Garden Festival and draws more than 530,000 visitors a year.

La chambre dite de Ruggieri — Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire ↗

Getting there : On the D751 between Blois and Amboise, above the town of Chaumont-sur-Loire; Onzain-Chaumont-sur-Loire station about 2 km away on the opposite bank. The Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire, owned by the Centre-Val de Loire region, is open to visitors year-round (paid entry); the so-called Ruggieri room is part of the historic apartments tour.

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

Ambient sound