Historical portrait of Diane de Poitiers through the castles she owned, transformed or inhabited
Diane de Poitiers in five castles: from Saint-Vallier to Anet, tracing the footsteps of Henri II’s favourite
Born in Saint-Vallier according to tradition, and dying in Anet: Diane de Poitiers left her mark on five castles, from Chenonceau to Chaumont-sur-Loire and Beynes. A portrait of a building favourite, to be followed during All Saints’ Day, before the end of Chaumont’s gardens season.
Editorial journal · Carte des Châteaux ·
On Sunday 1st November in the evening, the Domaine de Chaumont-sur-Loire will close its International Garden Festival and its 2026 Art Season. Among the visitors strolling between the plots, few know that this château was, in 1559, a bargaining chip: Catherine de Médicis imposed it on Diane de Poitiers in exchange for Chenonceau. Chaumont is merely one stop in the life of a woman who owned, transformed or left her mark on several residences, from the Rhône Valley to the fringes of Normandy. Here are five castles to follow the favourite of Henri II, from the house where she may have been born to the chapel where she rests, with a tip for this All Saints’ holiday: start in the Loire while Chaumont’s gardens are still open.
Around Diane
Louis de Brézé
vers 1463 - 1531
Grand Seneschal of Normandy, grandson of Charles VII and Agnès Sorel through his mother, he married Diane in 1515. He held the land of Anet, where the future favourite would build her château. On his death in 1531, Diane had a tomb erected for him in Rouen Cathedral and adopted the black and white of mourning.
Philibert de l'Orme
vers 1514 - 1570
Lyonnais architect trained in Rome, he became Henri II’s trusted man. For Diane, he designed Anet and the bridge at Chenonceau; he is also attributed with the lodge at Beynes. After 1559, he worked for Catherine de Médicis at the Tuileries and published his Premier tome de l’architecture in 1567.
Catherine de Médicis
1519 - 1589
Wife of Henri II since 1533, long relegated to the shadow of the favourite, she reclaimed Chenonceau upon the king’s death in 1559 and ceded Chaumont to Diane in exchange. She later had the two-storey gallery built on the bridge her rival had wanted.
Following Diane de Poitiers in one stay
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