| On the second floor can be found Louise of Lorraine's bedroom,
unforgettable for the poignancy of its sadness. Following the assassination of
her husband King Henry III by the monk Jacques Clement on August 1st 1589,
Louise of Lorraine retired to Chenonceau in meditation and prayer. Always
dressed in white according to the traditional of Royal mourning, she was
nicknamed "the White Queen". Her bedroom has been reconstructed around the
original ceiling. It is painted black and decorated with mourning objects:
silver tears, widow's cordons, crowns of thorns and the Greek letter lambda,
Louise's initial, intertwined with the H of Henry III. The devout and mournful
atmosphere of this room is highlighted by Christ with a crown of thorns and the
religious scene - a 16th century painting on wood - which decorates the chimney.
The furniture is from the 16th century. |
