Domaine Royal de Château Gaillard
Key facts
About
Next door to Clos Lucé in Amboise, the royal estate of Château-Gaillard was commissioned by Charles VIII upon his return from his first Italian campaign. On a terrace overlooking a park of some fifteen hectares, the king envisioned an earthly paradise in the Italian style.
It was here that the first gardens of the French Renaissance took shape, around 1500.
Returning from Italy in 1496, Charles VIII brought back twenty-two Italian artists, including Pacello da Mercogliano, Europe's most celebrated gardener by 1500. In 1505, Louis XII granted the estate to Pacello in exchange for a token annual rent and a bouquet of orange blossoms. The gardener remained there until his death in 1534.
Château-Gaillard was a true laboratory of the Renaissance: it was here that the first acclimatization garden and the first royal orangery in France were created, along with the first axial perspectives and the first French-style formal flower beds, designed by Pacello da Mercogliano.
Now restored, the estate is open to visitors, with its château and gardens inspired by the early Renaissance.
For future owners
Dreaming of a château like this one?
The founder of So Châteaux has visited more than 500 châteaux in France. He takes no commission on château sales, so he can tell you what he really thinks about any property, completely independently.
See how we help buyersDid You Know?
Rent paid in orange blossoms
In 1505, Louis XII granted the estate to the gardener Pacello da Mercogliano in exchange for an annual rent of thirty sols and a bouquet of orange blossoms.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
It was here, around 1500, that the first garden of the French Renaissance and the country's first royal orangery were created.
About
Next door to Clos Lucé in Amboise, the royal estate of Château-Gaillard was commissioned by Charles VIII upon his return from his first Italian campaign. On a terrace overlooking a park of some fifteen hectares, the king envisioned an earthly paradise in the Italian style.
It was here that the first gardens of the French Renaissance took shape, around 1500.
Returning from Italy in 1496, Charles VIII brought back twenty-two Italian artists, including Pacello da Mercogliano, Europe's most celebrated gardener by 1500. In 1505, Louis XII granted the estate to Pacello in exchange for a token annual rent and a bouquet of orange blossoms. The gardener remained there until his death in 1534.
Château-Gaillard was a true laboratory of the Renaissance: it was here that the first acclimatization garden and the first royal orangery in France were created, along with the first axial perspectives and the first French-style formal flower beds, designed by Pacello da Mercogliano.
Now restored, the estate is open to visitors, with its château and gardens inspired by the early Renaissance.
For future owners
Dreaming of a château like this one?
The founder of So Châteaux has visited more than 500 châteaux in France. He takes no commission on château sales, so he can tell you what he really thinks about any property, completely independently.
See how we help buyersDid You Know?
Rent paid in orange blossoms
In 1505, Louis XII granted the estate to the gardener Pacello da Mercogliano in exchange for an annual rent of thirty sols and a bouquet of orange blossoms.
Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
It was here, around 1500, that the first garden of the French Renaissance and the country's first royal orangery were created.