Château de Chenonceau in the Loire valley, France

A rural château in France.

For other senses of this word, see château (disambiguation).

A château (plural châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally - and still most frequently - in French-speaking regions. A manor house or fortified manor-house is a Country house, which has historically formed the administrative centre of a manor (see Manorialism The title of Lord of the Manor arose in the English mediaeval system of Manorialism following the Norman Conquest. Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime Gentry generally refers to people of high Social class, especially in the past French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Where clarification is needed, a fortified château (that is, a castle) is called a château fort , such as Château fort de Roquetaillade. A castle is a defensive structure seen as one of the main symbols of the Middle Ages. The Château de Roquetaillade is a Castle in Mazères (near Bordeaux in the French département of Gironde. Care should be taken when translating the word château into English: it is not used in the same way as "castle" is in English, and most châteaux are more appropriately described as "palaces" or "country houses" in English than as "castles". English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States A palace is a grand residence especially the home of a Head of state or some other high-ranking Public figure. The English country house is generally accepted as a large House or Mansion, once in the ownership of an individual who also usually owned another Great For example, the Château de Versailles is so called because it was located in the countryside when it was built, but it does not bear any resemblance to a castle, so it is usually known in English as the Palace of Versailles. The Palace of Versailles, or simply Versailles, is a royal Château in Versailles, in France 's Île-de-France region

The urban counterpart of château is palais, which in French is applied only to grand houses in a city. A palace is a grand residence especially the home of a Head of state or some other high-ranking Public figure. This usage is again different from that of the term "palace" in English, where there is no requirement that a palace must be in a city, but the word is rarely used for buildings other than the grandest royal residences. The expression hôtel particulier is used for an urban "private house" of a grand sort. In French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort

Concept

If a château is not old, then it must be grand. A château is a "power house" as Sir John Summerson dubbed the English (and Georgian Irish) "stately homes" that are social counterparts of châteaux. Sir John Newenham Summerson CH CBE (1904-1992 was one of the leading English architectural historians of the 20th century A stately home is strictly speaking one of about 500 large properties built in England between the mid-16th century and the early part of the 20th century as well as converted It is the personal (and hopefully hereditary) badge of a family that represents the royal authority at some rank, locally. Thus this word is often used to refer to a residence of a member of the French royalty or the nobility, but some fine châteaux, such as Vaux-le-Vicomte were built by the essentially high bourgeois, but recently ennobled, tax-farmers and ministers of Louis XIII and his successors. The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a classical French Chateau located in Maincy, near Melun, 55 km southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime Tax farming was originally a Roman practice whereby the burden of Tax collection was reassigned by the Roman State to private individuals or groups For the cognac see Louis XIII de Rémy Martin. Louis XIII ( September 27, 1601 – May 14, 1643)

A château is supported by its lands (terres), comprising a demesne that renders the society of the château largely self-sufficient, in the manner of the historic villa system of Rome and the Early Middle Ages. This article is about the medieval system "Manors" redirects here A villa was originally an Upper-class Country house, though since its origins in Roman times the idea and function of a villa has evolved considerably (Compare manorialism and hacienda. This article is about the medieval system "Manors" redirects here Hacienda is a Spanish word for an estate usually but not always a vast Ranch. ) The open Roman villas of the time of Pliny the Elder, Maecenas or emperor Tiberius began to be walled in, then fortified in the 3rd century, and evolved into castellar "châteaux. Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Caius Cilnius Maecenas (70 &ndash 8 BC was a confidant and political advisor to Octavian (who was to become the first Emperor of Rome as Caesar Augustus) as well Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (or Tiberius I) born Tiberius Claudius Nero (November 16 42 BC – March 16 AD 37) was the second Roman The 3rd century is the period from 201 to 300 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. " Even in modern use a château still retains some enclosures that are the distant descendants of these outworks: its fenced-off forecourt, with gates that could be closed and perhaps with a gatehouse or keeper's lodge, and its supporting outbuildings, like stables, kitchens, breweries, bakehouses, and lodgings for menservants in the garçonnière. A gatehouse is a feature of European Castles Manor houses and Mansions Originally a gatehouse was a fortified structure built over the gateway Aside from the entrance cour d'honneur, the château may have an inner cour ("court"). Beyond, on the private inner side, the château faces a park that is enclosed, no matter how simply or discreetly.

In Paris, the original châteaux of the Louvre (originally fortified) and Luxembourg (originally in the suburbs) have lost their château name and have becomes "palaces" as the growing city enclosed them. The Louvre Museum (Musée du Louvre located in Paris is the world's most visited art museum a historic monument and a national museum of France The Palais du Luxembourg in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, north of the Jardin du Luxembourg, is where the French Senate meets

In the United States, the term château took root selectively. In the Gilded Age resort of Newport, Rhode Island, even the châteaux were always "cottages". In American history, the Gilded Age refers to major growth in population in the United States and extravagant displays of wealth and excess of America's upper-class during Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about 30 miles (48 km south of Providence But north of Wilmington, Delaware, in upscale rural "Château Country" centred on the powerful Du Pont family. Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine The Du Pont family is an American family descended from Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817

In Canada, especially in English, "château" more often refers to a hotel than a house. It applies only to the largest and most elaborate of the railway hotels built during the golden age of Canadian rail, such as the Château Lake Louise in Lake Louise, Alberta, the Château Laurier in Ottawa, Ontario, the Château Montebello in Montebello, Quebec, and most famously the Château Frontenac in Quebec City. Canada’s railway hotels are a series of Grand hotels across the country each a local and national landmark and most of which are icons of Canadian history and architecture The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a Fairmont Hotel on the eastern shore of Lake Louise, near Banff Alberta. Lake Louise is a hamlet located in the Canadian province of Alberta in Banff National Park. The Fairmont Château Laurier is a landmark Hotel in downtown Ottawa, Ontario located near the intersection of Rideau Street and Sussex Ottawa (ˈɒtəwə or sometimes /ˈɒtəwɑː/ is the Capital of Canada and the country's fourth largest municipality. The Château Montebello is a hotel in Montebello Quebec, Canada, renowned for reportedly being the world's largest log "cabin" Montebello is a municipality located in the Papineau Regional County Municipality of Western Quebec ( Canada) The Château Frontenac Grand hotel is one of the most popular attractions in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Quebec City ( French: Ville de Québec, or simply Québec) (kwɨˈbɛk or /keˈbɛk/ is the Capital of the Canadian province

In other French speaking regions in Europe such as Wallonia in Belgium the word Château is also widely used and has the same significance. Wallonia, or Wallonie, (Wallonie Wallonien Wallonië Waloneye is the Meridional part of Belgium belonging to the Romance linguistic field The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those There was a strong French influence on the architecture of these noble dwellings in Belgium. Fine examples are the 17th century Château des Comtes de Marchin and the 18th century Château de Seneffe. Château de Modave or Château des Comtes de Marchin (E Castle of the Counts of Marchin History The Château is situated near The Castle of Seneffe or Château de Seneffe is an 18th century Château located in the municipality of Seneffe in the province of Hainaut

French Châteaux

Loire Valley

The Loire Valley (Vallée de la Loire) is home to more than 300 châteaux. Loire Valley (Vallée de la Loire is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. Loire Valley (Vallée de la Loire is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle of the French Language. They were built between the 10th and 20th centuries, first by the French kings and soon followed by the nobility, which have caused the valley to be called "The Garden of France".

The courtyard of the Château des ducs de Bretagne, Nantes

Château of Dampierre-en-Yvelines: domesticated Baroque at the centre of Louis XIV's inner circle

Château de Boisclaireau, residence of the Gueroust family, Counts of Boisclaireau, in the Loire Valley

Dampierre-en-Yvelines

(illustration, right), built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, 1675-1683 for the duc de Chevreuse, Colbert's son-in-law, is a French Baroque château of manageable size. This article includes information translated from the Wikipedia article « frChâteau des ducs de Bretagne » specifically from this version Nantes (Naoned Gallo: Naunnt) is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast Château de Boisclaireau was the residence of the noble Gueroust family who were the Counts of Boisclaireau in Sarthe, Pays-de-la-Loire, France Jules Hardouin-Mansart (Paris April 16, 1646 &ndash Marly-le-Roi, France May 11, 1708) was a French Architect whose Charles Honoré d'Albert Duc de Luynes, de Chaulnes et de Chevreuse (1646 - 1712 more simply known as the duc de Chevreuse, was a high-ranking Jean-Baptiste Colbert ( August 29, 1619 — September 6, 1683) served as the French minister of finance from 1665 to 1683 under French Baroque and Classicism French Baroque is a form of Baroque architecture that evolved in France during the reigns of Louis XIII (1610-43 Louis Protected behind fine wrought iron double gates, the main block and its outbuildings (corps de logis), linked by balustrades, are ranged symmetrically around a dry paved and gravelled cour d'honneur. Behind, the central axis is extended between the former parterres, now mown hay. A parterre is a formal garden construction on a level surface consisting of planting beds edged in stone or tightly clipped hedging, and gravel paths arranged to form The park with formally shaped water was laid out by André Le Notre. André Le Nôtre ( March 12, 1613 &ndash September 15 1700) was a Landscape architect and the gardener of King Louis XIV There are sumptuous interiors. The small scale (compared to Vaux-le-Vicomte for example) makes it easier to compare it to the approximately contemporary Het Loo, for William III of Orange. The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte is a classical French Chateau located in Maincy, near Melun, 55 km southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne Palacehetloojpg|thumb|The palace as seen from the gardens]] The former royal residence Het Loo near Apeldoorn, Netherlands, was built starting in 1684 William III or William of Orange (14 November 1650 &ndash 8 March 1702 He is informally known in Northern Ireland and Scotland as "King Billy" These really are "Mansart roofs. "

Bordeaux

There are many estates with true châteaux on them in Bordeaux, but it is customary for any wine-producing estate, no matter how humble, to prefix its name with "Château". ( Gascon: Bordèu) is a port city in southwest France, with one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area at a 2008 estimate Wine is an Alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of Grape juice This is true whether the building itself is a magnificent palace or a shack. If there were any trace of doubt that the Roman villas of Aquitaine evolved into fortified self-contained châteaux, the wine-producing châteaux would dispel it. Aquitaine (Aquitània Akitania archaic Guyenne / Guienne (Occitan Guiana) is one of the 26 Regions of France, in the south-western part of On the other hand there are many beautiful chateaux in the Bordeaux region still depicting this Roman villa style of architecture, an example of this being Chateau Lagorce in Haux.

See also

• Châteaux of the Loire Valley
• List of castles
• List of castles in France
• Faux château
• Châteauesque

External links

• Les châteaux de la France profonde... (French)
• Château de Septfontaines, Luxembourg (French)
• Roquetaillade Castle (English)
• Château de Montreuil-Bellay (English)
• Château de Fontainebleau (English)
• Château de Bellocq Bearn (French)
• Château of Gaston Phoebus at Morlanne in Bearn (French)
• Château de Cirey; residence of Voltaire (English)