The royal Chateau at Amboise sits high above the Loire River. It was confiscated by the monarchy in the 15th century and it became a favoured royal residence. It was extensively rebuilt. King Charles VIII died at the château in 1498, at the age of 28, after hitting his head on a door lintel when walking to watch a tennis match on the grounds. He left no male heir. The château fell into decline from the second half of the 16th century and the majority of the interior buildings were later demolished, but some survived and have been restored, along with the outer defensive circuit and towers.
Leonardo da Vinci was buried at the Chateau, but originally 100 metres from this site. The original church was demolished and, in the 1800s, Leonardo's remains were identified and moved into this chapel which was built for the Queen.
The chapel where Leonardo's tomb is.
The town of Amboise and the Loire River.
Looking the other way, you can see the chateau, its walls and ramparts and the town below.
The Chateau and the beautiful grounds.
Inside the Royal reception rooms. THE columns are decorated with fleur de lise and royal insignia.
This statue marks the site of Leonardo's original burial site.
Looking back from the statue to the chapel where his tomb is now.
The steep walls of the chateau rise above the popular town square where many cafés and souvenir shops are today.
To exit the castle, we followed a spiralling path that went downhill. The roof and walls were like this the whole way down for about 100 metres in length. It was beautiful.
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