Visit to Chateau D'Avaray 2017.The Loire Valley. France.

Owners of the Chateau D Avaray.

1226-   Jean de Beauvilliers.    Seigneur d'Avaray.

1313-  Gidoin d'Alme   Seigneur d'Avaray..

1476-    Jean de Mineray  Seigneur d'Avaray.

1522-    Antoine de Mineray     Seigneur  d'Avaray.

1559-  Jacques 11  Duke of Montgomery. 

1740-    Claude Antoine Beziade  Marquis d'Avaray. 

   

My friends -Pieter and Susan -invited me to visit them at the Chateau D'Avaray-
in the Loire Valley of France.

The oldest part of the Chateau D'Avaray .The North East tower with a few rooms.

The Chateau D'Avaray started out as a feudal burgh with four towers and a a few small room added to the north east tower.To the feudal castle's 13th century foundations and towers, the west and north wings were added. The moat was built around 1620. In  1730, three dormant bridges that crossed the moat and drawbridge  was removed. The south facade, the central front building with its balcony and the triangular pediment that dominates the chateau was also added in 1730.In 1736,  the eastern wing was built.

 

 Orleans  France. 1428.

It is rumored that Joan of Arc spent the night in the north east tower on her way from Blois to Orleans. She fought the battle of Beaugency on June 16 1429,  that is about 12 miles from the town of Avaray.

Part of the brook that feeds the moat. Also called a English moat.

The run off of the moat with the mill at the end on the right

Where the millstone use to be-One can see the water flowing  out of the moat on the way to the Loire River. 

 

The yellow blocked up door was where wood for the kitchens were brought in by boat on the moat. There was a landing space for the wood to be loaded onto the boat. 

 

Opening in the wall where the wood was loaded on the boat from the village ,for the kitchens of the chateau.  

Steps down to the moat level to get on the boat.

 The Loire River at Avaray.

The Chateau D'Avaray is located on the right  bank of the Loire. It is a magnificent building of the Louis XIII style, flanked at the corners by massive 13th century towers and surrounded by a large moat. The water  can be crossed  by  three stone bridges.The spillway of this moat operated a mill before driving the water  to the Loire.

 The park was designed by the famous landscape designer André Le Nôtre , who also  designed the gardens of Versailles. as well as Tuileries Gardens  in Paris.

André Le Nôtre 

Gabriel de Lorges -Duke of Montgomery 

King Henry II of France .

Queen Catherine de Medici -wife of  King Henry II.

The fatal tournament between King Henry II and Montgomery (Lord of Lorges).

King HenryII  on his horse in the background  and Montgomery's lance piercing the King's eye.

The King's death was foretold by Nostradamus who was  Queen Catherine's adviser.

CI, Q 35 The young lion shall overcome the older one,
on the field of combat in single battle,
He shall pierce his eyes in a golden cage,
Two forces one, then he shall die a cruel death.

The old 13th century  feudal castle of Avaray  belonged to the Montgomery family. One of them, Gabriel, captain of the Scottish Guard, had the misfortune of  killing  the French King Henry II in a tournament in 1559 and had to leave the court. He became one of the most formidable Protestant  leaders and when he returned to France was beheaded in 1574 by Queen Catherine de Medici.


Read more about the Montgomery's here.

https://www.normandythenandnow.com/the-heroic-end-of-gabriel-comte-de-montgomery-in-domfront/

The tombstone of Péronnelle de Champagne is preserved at the chateau. She was the wife of Jacques ll-Duke of Montgomery , Seigneur d' Courbouzon. who was the son of Gabriel  de Lorges - Duke of  Montgomery.

 Péronnelle de Champagne-La Suze
 Dame de Bazoges e de Lorge.
1551-1609

Epitaph of Péronelle de Champagne La Suze.
Wife of Jacques de Montgomery

Jacques ll-Montgomery -Duke of Lorges .
Coat of arms.

Péronelle de Champagne's tomb at the Chateau D'Avaray. 

The Chateau  was rebuilt by the family of Bésiade,in the seventeenth century .They came to France with Henry IV of Navarre and Béarn, who was the first Protestant King of France. 
The Besiade family's  direct descendants kept the chateau  until 1941 when the family died out. 



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The Chateau d'Avaray  was sold to Baron Gaston  Stalins - a Belgian noble man.
He sold most of the statues in the garden as well as other decorations..
  At his death in the 1950's the chateau was sold as separate apartments .



Baron Gaston Ferdinand Laurent Stalins  (1879-1952)

Funeral letter.

 

 

Baron Stalins and the Chateau d'Avaray . 
from the book the Baron wrote 

Origin and history of the Stalins family of Flanders, since the twelfth century, and the heraldic lighter called Burgundy or rifle of the Golden Fleece, by Baron Stalins.  

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The well in the garden.

 

Fleur-de-lis -The French Royal emblem detail on a chain fence.

 

The ice room built underground to keep food cool. 

 

The view from the gate of the Chateau D'Avaray .

 

Entrance bridge over the moat  to the north side of the chateau ,Napoleon, the swan in residence.

 

 

West side facing south

West side facing north.

 

Coaches entrance to the courtyard

Coaches entrance facing out from the courtyard.

North West Tower.

Courtyard of the chateau with the south facing entrance. 

The coat of arms of the Duke of D'Avaray over the front door on the pediment.

The original lemon trees were given to the Duke by King Henry IV of France.

 

Courtyard.

West Wing.

 

View from the courtyard.

Front view.

East side.

 

East Wing of the chateau .

The west  side of the entrance hall of the Chateau D'Avaray. 

The right side of the entrance hall.

 Entrance to the Grand Apartment.

 

The bust to the right is of King Louis XVIII.

The Duke of D'Avaray was instrumental to get him on the throne after the fall of Napoleon II. He also gave the Béziade family the right to use the royal three Fleur de Lis on their coat of arms.

Below the D'Avaray coat of arms with the three Fleur de Lis in the middle.

Plaque of game-guard of the properties of the Duke d'Avaray, in the form of a shield, of silver metal.

 

Henry IV - King of France. 1589-1610.

The Beziade famly came with him from Navarre when he became King of France.

Louis XVIII  -King of France. 1814 -1824.

He bestowed a Dukedom to  the family .

 

Béziade D'Avaray emblem on the dining room fireplace..

"Louis XV bringing peace to Europe"

Painting by Francois Le Moyne.

 

On the mantle a statue of Princess Du Berry who visited the chateau d'Avaray  in 

1827.

"Some young girls presented the Princess d' Berry with lambs as white as snow, decorated with green and white ribbons and with a tame doe, on which collar was engraved. "Homage of the people of Chambord".

The same day she paid a visit to the chateau of the Duke d'Avaray."

"The Duchess of Berry and the Court of Charles X"

by Imbert de Saint-Amand.

 View into the courtyard from the Grand Apartment.

 

The Bernaise Suite.

Chateau D'Avaray.

 

View from the kitchen over the moat to the north garden.

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Outside buildings on the chateau grounds.

 

Rooms for visiting groomsmen and other servants to eat and sleep .

 

Orangery.

 

Store rooms.

Carriage houses .

Gate to the the village of Avaray.

Gate to the chateau and the gate house. 

 

The chateaus is surrounded by a high wall with towers on each corner .

 

The tower from inside the wall. Large enough for a man to stand guard.

 

The church in the village of Avaray is where the Ducal Beziade family is buried.

About eight members of the family are entombed below the floor of the church.

Beziade family members buried in the church-

Antoine Louis Francoise Beziade .Duke D'Avaray  Died 1811

Adélaide Sophie de Mailley .Duchess d'Avaray, Died 1823 -84 years old.

Joseph Theophile Beziade .  Died 1856- 88 years old

Edmond de Beziade. Died 1887 -84 years old.

Matilde de Rocheshouard - Montmarte , Duchess D'Avaray . Died 1887 .84 years old.

Hubert Duke of D'Avaray .Died 1930- 94 years old.

 

There was a tunnel from the City Hall of Avery to the chateau.

The village housed the workers that worked in the chateau  and the land that belonged to the Duke.

The Grand Apartment at night.