Château d'Anet Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Château d'Anet
Anet, Eure-et-Loir, Centre-Val de Loire, France

Château d'Anet
Coordinates	48°51′31″N 1°26′18″E / 48.85861°N 1.43833°E / 48.85861; 1.43833
Type	château
Site information
Site history
Built	1549

Anet in the 18th century

The Château d'Anet is a beautiful château (a large French country house or castle) located near Dreux, in the Eure-et-Loir area of northern France. It was built between 1547 and 1552 by a famous architect named Philibert de l'Orme. The château was created for Diane de Poitiers, who was a very important person close to King Henry II of France. It was built on the land where Diane's late husband, Louis de Brézé, used to live.

This château is famous for its amazing outside design. You can see the Fountain of Diana, which is a statue of Diane de Poitiers shown as Diana, the Roman goddess of the hunt. There's also the Nymph of Anet, a special carving by Benvenuto Cellini above the main entrance. Anet also had one of France's first Italian-style gardens, with neat patterns of plants called parterres. These gardens were designed by Jacques Mollet, whose son, Claude Mollet, later became a royal gardener for French kings.

History of Château d'Anet
Gallery
See also

History of Château d'Anet

Diane de Poitiers and her Family

The château was built partly on the old foundations of a medieval castle. This older castle had been taken apart by King Charles V and then rebuilt. The name Anet comes from Simon d'Anet, who owned a castle here in the 1100s. In 1444, Pierre de Brézé received the land from King Charles VII for helping to remove the English from Normandy.

Diane's château was built between 1548 and 1552. It had three main courtyards. The main courtyard was called the Cour d'honneur. The kitchens were on one side, and on the other side were an Orangerie (a place to grow orange trees) and a building called the Gouvernement. This building held the estate's records and important documents.

Beyond the main château, there were formal gardens. These gardens were square-shaped and divided into patterned sections. There were also bathhouses and stables nearby. A place called the Hôtel-Dieu was also on the estate, where sick servants were cared for. Diane also had a special chapel for her tomb and places for birds, like an aviary and a heronry.

A view of Anet from above, early 1600s
Design for the main entrance
A map of the château's layout from 1579
The front part of the main building, now in Paris

A copy of the Fountain of Diana at Anet
The Fountain of Diana in an old drawing (1579)
A copy of Benvenuto Cellini's carving, the Nymph of Anet
The family's coat of arms

The Chapel

The chapel at Anet was built between 1549 and 1552. It was designed with a Greek cross shape and a special dome. The entrance used to be from the château's east wing, which is now gone. The chapel has a porch with tall Ionic columns and spires. The beautiful stained-glass windows were made around 1904.

Photos of the chapel as it exists today
The chapel's entrance
A side view of the chapel
The chapel's dome, designed by Philibert de L'Orme
Inside the chapel
A stained-glass window by Charles Lorin

Diane's Mortuary Chapel

There is also a special chapel built for Diane de Poitiers' tomb. This was done according to her wishes by her daughter, the Duchesse d'Aumale. In 1581, King Henri III and his mother Catherine de' Medici even visited this chapel.

Designs for the mortuary chapel from 1579
Chapel entrance design
Floor plan design
Cross-section design

Photos of the mortuary chapel ( {{coord|48.858326|1.437370|scale:2000|display=inline}} )
The chapel's entrance
Inside view looking north
Inside view looking south

Later Years of the Château

After Diane, her daughter Louise de Brézé took over the château. Later, her son Charles, Duke of Aumale owned it. Charles built a convent nearby in 1587. However, Charles was involved in a plot against King Henry IV and had to leave France. His property, including Anet, was taken by the government. King Henry IV, however, saved the château from being destroyed.

Later, the château was owned by Marie of Luxembourg, Duchess of Penthièvre. Her daughter, Françoise de Lorraine, and her husband, César de Vendôme (a son of King Henry IV), then took ownership.

The château was also enjoyed by Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme. He loved entertaining his friends there. He made many changes to the château, removing some of its original Renaissance features. Only Diane's bedroom was kept as it was. The gardens, which had been neglected, were completely redesigned by André Le Nôtre, a very famous garden designer. Many older buildings like the bathhouses, orangerie, and stables were taken down and rebuilt in new spots.

In 1686, the Grand Dauphin (the king's son) visited Anet. The Duke of Vendôme spent a huge amount of money, over 100,000 livres, on the celebrations!

The château later belonged to other members of the royal family. Louise-Françoise de Bourbon, a daughter of the Duc du Maine, died here. Her sons, the prince des Dombes and comte d'Eu, also lived here.

During the French Revolution, the château was not destroyed. However, Diane de Poitiers' remains were moved, and many valuable items inside the château were sold. A large part of the château was later taken down. Luckily, Alexandre Lenoir saved some important parts for a museum in Paris.

The château was in bad shape until Adolphe de Caraman [fr] bought it in 1840. He started a huge project to restore it. Later, in 1860, Ferdinand Moreau [fr] bought the château and continued the restoration work. He also bought back furniture and artworks that were believed to have been originally from Anet.

In 1889, the French government officially recognized the château as a protected monument historique, which means it's a very important national heritage site.

The Château d'Anet has even been used in movies! It appeared in the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball and the 1976 film The Pink Panther Strikes Again. The entrance of the château also inspired the design of a building in Philadelphia called the Guild House for the Elderly.