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Castles of Take to the skies to discover or rediscover the most majestic castles of France

From Versailles to Najac, discover French castles as you’ve never seen them before: from above! These amazing photographs show fortresses on their rocky peaks, the extravagant castles of the Loire, with their gorgeous gardens, proud Cathar forts, strongholds of the Hundred Years War, and the fine palaces of Louis XIV.

SPECIFICATIONS Format 250 x 330 mm Number of pages 208 pp Approx. 22,000 words Price 30 €

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N 1 ARGENTEUIL Y le-Roi 308 When Louis XIV attended a feast D 7 5 1 D30 BEZONS held by Nicolas Fouquet at Vaux- St-Germain D 8 D 1 121 9 D le-Vicomte in 1661, the French king 0 A14 N discovered a sumptuous castle that 13 ST-GERMAIN- EN-LAYE CARRIÈRES-S.-S. was the height of elegance and rcy refinement. Furious at this display LE 1 PECQ D31 of luxury, he left the feast before it F orêt Fourqueux D186 NANTERRE was over, had Fouquet arrested, and 3 LE VÉSINET 91 ordered a palace worthy of his own Mareil-Marly Le Port- Croissy- D D3 Marly 9 22 s.-Seine 3 grandeur to be erected without delay. 98 D D L'Étang-la-Ville RUEIL- SURESNES Versailles, which was then a modest N1 m- 3 MALMAISON che MARLY-LE-ROI hunting lodge, was gradually trans-

Louveciennes 1 formed into a gigantic palace. The 3 N LA CELLE- 2 ST-CLOUD 6 1 first stage of construction saw archi- 8 D ST-CLOUD 9 Noisy-le-Roi 6 A Versailles 13 GARCHES D907 tect Le Vau triple the surface area of Bailly D 12 Vaucresson the existing premises: the menagerie Rocquencourt Marnes-la- and orangery were created, the dig- 5 2 LE 5 Coquette 8 FONTENAY- 1 9 SÈVRES A CHESNAY D ging of the canal commenced, and Le LE-FLEURY VILLE-D'AVRAY Nôtre set to laying out the gardens Versailles 8 CHAVILLE OIS- N10 and park. The second stage of work RCY ST-CYR- 7 saw Le Vau build three new sections N L'ÉCOLE 1 on the palace’s north side; the service 1 VÉLIZY- 8 8,5 quarters were linked to the castle by N12 VILLACOUBLAY MONTIGNY- a series of lodges; the gardens were 91 Buc LE-BX D A given ponds, sculptures, and foun- Les Loges- 86 9 Jouy- tains. Louis XIV’s decision to move en-Josas en-Josas definitively to Versailles in 1677 ushe- 6 Voisins- 4 YVELINES8 D Bièvres red in a fresh stage of construction, 3 11 le-Bretonneux 9 D4 7 D 78 D directed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart: Magny- 36 5 Toussus- 8 les-Hx le-Noble 8 N11 Le Vau’s castle was framed by two Châteaufort massive wings and the famous Hall D36 Saclay Milon-la- Vauhallan of Mirrors was completed. Versailles L Chapelle 5 D Villiers- 6 4 Cressely 8 D36 was the pinnacle of classical aesthe- 6 0 3 le-Bâcle 3 5 9 D tics, the triumph of the Sun King, and D N11 St-Aubin PALAISEAU use 8 without a doubt the largest architectu- Yve St-Rémy- tte lès- GIF-S.-Y. Bures- Orsay ral project of the 17th century. 12 Chevreuse s.-Yvette D188 Boullay- Gometz- les-Troux le-Châtel LESULIS Chevry 8 19 E- D40 35 D D Les Molières Gometz- 35 N D la-Ville St-Jean- 88 4 83 D9 1 4 3 de-Beauregard 6 8

D1 Roussigny Janvry Pecqueuse D2 D D Limours 4 24 24 N 0 1 3 0 1 D 4 D97 Briis- A s/s-Forges Autodrome es Malassis Forges- Fontenay- les-Bains lès-Briis

8 16 83 Courson- D Vaugrigneuse D Monteloup Bruyères- 97 15 MacheryESSONNE le-Châtel

1 Angervilliers 3 D3 D 1 132 D 91 D27 Ollainville Le Marais 4 St-Cyr- de St-Maurice- ar Égly s/s-Dourdan ém Montcouronne Breuillet Port-Sud R D 132 Boissy- 116 Le Val-St-Germain D s/s-St-Yon St-Chéron Breux- ge Jouy St-Yon Or St-Sulpice- D116 e rd de-Favières a

CONTENTS Ussé

A La Touche D 1 D La Jonchère Azay-le-Rideau 0 4 5 Montifaut St-Éloy-de-Gy 8 8 Fonland

Mazière 0 Bouy 6 D 1 944 8 D 0 17 Ravenaise 4 D D2 9 armont 6 076 Asnières D 0 Prêle D 10 Graire 0 7 16 4 D 00 La Motte 3 4 C D D a 1 7 n Berry-Bouy 0 0 Rambures a 4 26 Villandry l D ,5 5 1 du St-Doulchard D1 0 An Les Rivages 4 c. Marmagne Vo ie Marmignolle R B o 2 er Vouzay 8 m , ry ai 5 7 Le Coudray ne D23 D23 Pierrelay 7 5 6 0 D1 0 Châron 6, 1 6 Cors Castelnaud 1 A D Pierrefonds La Chapelle- Amboise D 7 5 4 1 , ,5 St-Ursin 11 D16 3,5 9 D1 The rebel fortress Prunet de 5E ois D B e 73 ne n 2 r i D Co a 1 la m 4 o 6 Dordogne, Aquitaine R 7 4 1

5 2 D16 8 3 D 1 Pisse-Vieille

D 2 D1 4 3 1 Bois du ie 0 o 1 0 N V 15 7 8 n Gisors D o Loches Palais 1 Le 5 n Perched on the side of a hill on the left . 1 Sollier Le Grenouillat Le Cabaret g c u n N e ,5 bank of the Dordogne, Castelnaud, A D31 B 5 5 Le D 5 31 2 d Bois which was built in the twelfth century, 3, e Subdray D Fa 1 La Margelle 0 ît was the scene of incessant battles 3 St-Florent- D in Le Tronçay 5 2

1 during the Middle Ages. A major cen- 4

4 ,

s.- Les Brissets 5

4 ter of the Cathar faith, it was attacked Valencins 3 D Chamfrost Verrières 28 Raray by Simon de Montfort in 1214, before Chenonceau Lazenay 26 D 4,5 being burned down by the archbis- 2 7 Massœuvre Lissay- hop of Bordeaux. During the Hundred 4,5

3 St-Caprais 3 D3 Lochy 0 Rosières 7 Years War, its owners, the lords of 1 Grand-Jarien D 5 D 6 5 Lochy D , 18 , 7 5 ,5 D 2 Caumont, who were vassals of the 2 88E Arçay La 5 , kings of England, were in permanent Vergne Bois-Chagnat 6 Montavelange 5 2 D88 D 1 2 8 Soulangy conflict with their neighbors, the lordsD88 Belle- Chanteloup Grand-Chemin Chaume 3 Louy Balleroy Ménars of Beynac, who were loyal to the king 76 6 Levet of France. Taken by the enemy, recap8 - CHER 71 tured, besieged again, Castelnaud Lapan 18 Ste-Lunaise D 19 6, Châteauneuf-sur-Cher changed hands seven times in just 5 e d La Brosse erette t over a century. But little by little, rê n o i ra D F d 2144 the castle was transformed into an 5 u , o Forêt La Roche 0 S impregnable fortress, first with twoThoux Effes 1 0 8 94 Versailles de Talcy D new towers and a drawbridge in the de Thoux Bois fifteenth century, then with an artil- Les Fonds- er 35 11 re 7 James de lery tower in 1520. During the Wars 2 D 3 Corqueux D Bouard D7 of Religion, the Caumonts, who sup- La 5 ported the Reformed church, put the Bouloie Les Brosses Coudron 4 defense of the castle in the hands of Chavannes 3,5 14 Captain Geoffroy de Vivans, a fierce Chérigny D D14 Tonquédec Châteauneuf- Cheverny 7 Échéneuil D 3 warrior who was feared throughout s.-Cher 3 Hurtault 7 D the land. The message must havesay Boissereau 6 6 been very clear, for nobody attac- 4 D , 37 5 7 D Scay 940 14 ked the fortress during that period. 3 5 D3 D 7 5 Castelnaud was abandoned shortlyloui s D St-Loup- Les Occans St-Symphorien des-Chaumes afterwards because of the lack of com- 2,5 4 Crézançay- Bigny 4 1 s.-Cher 4 fort it offered. D 6 Maintenon Bourreas , Chambord Leday St-Julien 5

Lunezay Les D3

D

17 5

Robinets 3 Chambon 5 ,5 0 1 Villiers Ft de D192 Bligny de La Coquillonerie Le Bois-Prieur 6 8 efort Le Trait- 3 D Haroué Valencay 3 d'Aujonc D Le Château- 1 Farges- 4 Gaillard 6 9 L'Éperse 4 Allichamps Forêt D925 3 92 D D 2 Le Fondreau Boisroux 2 d'Habert 0 4 D925 3 6 44 3 8 1 D 27 D Les Riaux D3 3 Les Maisons Montandre Souage 4 Le Beau Combourg Saint-Priest-La- och D70 D Les Guignards D112 70 Vigonne 5 Brande- D 6 Marçais de-Lagonne 9 Les Baudons Tuseau La Bonne-Ville 7 Bouffeloux

6 2 Morte 1 1 38 D D Le Carrouère 7 glier La Vallette Fontainebleau Roche D6 Les Petites- 9 Maisons noux St-Pierre-les-Bois 11 D 65 D951 6 2 1

3 1 D Loye-s.-Arnon D 3 51 7 5 D9 951 D Les Moricots n Le Châtelet 38 o D n 7 r A ,5 0Haut-Koenigsbourg D99 Classical castle : yard 1 Les Archers B D Vitré and garden Josselin Tanlay Châteauneuf-sur- Ancy-le-Franc Cher La Possonnière Lavardin Ainay-le-Vieil Bussy-Rabutin Nohant-Vic Bazoches Châteauneuf-en- Verteuil Auxois Beynac La Rochepot Castelnaud Joux Biron La Clayette Belcastel Fortified castle and Najac its defensive system Mornas Mauvezin La Bretesche Montségur Le Plessis-Bourré Québus Saumur Inside castle Chinon

104 boulevard arago | 75014 paris | france | contact nicolas marçais | +33 1 44 16 92 03 | [email protected] | copyrighteditions.com