Clos Lucé, Amboise, France - SpottingHistory.com

Clos Lucé is a mansion in Amboise, France, located 500 metres from the royal Château d'Amboise, to which it is connected by an underground passageway. Built by Hugues d'Amboise in the middle of the fifteenth century, it was acquired in 1490 by Charles VIII of France for his wife, Anne de Bretagne. Later, it was used by Francis I, as well as his sister Marguerite de Navarre, who began writing her book entitled L'Heptaméron while living there.

In 1516, Francis I invited Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise and provided him with the Clos Lucé, then called Château de Cloux, as a place to stay and work. Leonardo, a famous painter and inventor, arrived with three of his paintings, namely the Mona Lisa, Sainte Anne, and Saint Jean Baptiste. Leonardo lived at the Clos Lucé for the last three years of his life, and died there on 2 May 1519.

Today, the Clos Lucé is a museum that reflects the prestigious history of the region and includes forty models of the various machines designed by Leonardo.

References:

Wikipedia

Palaces, manors and town halls in France

User Reviews

Innokentiy Tantsura (45 days ago)
Very good! Interesting castle and big garden with a lot of entertainment. It's also god friendly. You can even visit the castle with your god if you keep him or her in a bag.

kelso4001 (5 months ago)
This place is amazing. We saw the rooms where Leonardo lived and worked. Then they have interactive displays all over about his work. Then there are these beautiful gardens with more artifacts and another building with more features oriented towards learning and science. Really close to Amboise castle. Awesome stuff.

Anne van Eijndhoven (10 months ago)
Dangerously busy, a queue not only outside the building but throughout the castle, with very little ventilation and too many people too close together in small rooms. Hardly any staff to ensure people keep their distance. In times of COVID, I strongly advise against visiting, in particular on a rainy day.

Paszty Judit (12 months ago)
Very friendly service and a good variety of food. Croissant, cakes, quiche, salad whatever you want. Will come back for sure.

Taoufik ZN (12 months ago)
At the entrance you see "castle full" written to suggest you go back. When you ask if you can buy ticket for the garden, they say you must pay both garden and castle pass. Absurd. Get down and be humble. The history can teach you.

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Construction on the present building was begun in the 17th century by the architect Domenico Fontana. Intended to house the King Philip III of Spain on a visit never fulfilled to this part of his kingdom, instead it initially housed the Viceroy Fernando Ruiz de Castro, count of Lemos. By 1616, the facade had been completed, and by 1620, the interior was frescoed by Battistello Caracciolo, Giovanni Balducci, and Belisario Corenzio. The decoration of the Royal Chapel of Assumption was not completed until 1644 by Antonio Picchiatti.

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In 1922, it was decided to transfer here the contents of the National Library. The transfer of library collections was made by 1925.

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