Chinon: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 56 - 85 Hotel Saint Jacques
 Located in Chinon, in the heart of the Châteaux de la Loire region, Hotel Saint Jacques offers a warm and friendly welcome 5 minutes from the mediaev… MoreEUR 57 - 92 Inter-Hotel Le Lion D´or
 In the heart of the beautiful town of Chinon, in front of the place Jeanne d’Arc, the hotel is ideally situated only 2 minutes away from the rail st… MoreEUR 40 - 85 Hotel Le Plantagenet
 Charming 19th century house located at the heart of the Regional Natural Park Loire-Anjou-Touraine and the Loire Valley Touraine and the Loire Valley … MoreEUR 54 - 74 Hôtel Diderot
 This sprawling aristocratic house from the 17th Century offers a calm elegance in the charming city of Chinon. The Hôtel Diderot, with its regal blac… MoreEUR 70 - 215 Best Western Hôtel De France
 The beautifully restored 16th-century residence is set in the land of famous writer Rabelais in the heart of the medieval quarter of the old town of C… MoreEUR 76 - 140 All Seasons Chinon
 This All Seasons hotel is located by the Vienne River, outside the medieval town of Chinon. The hotel has a heated swimming pool and a terrace with vi… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinon: Guide
For the Japan|Japanese camera manufacturer, please see Chinon Industries.
Chinon is a town and commune in France|commune of the Indre-et-Loire département in France|département in France.
Geography
Chinon is located in the Vallée de la Vienne (Vienne River valley). It is situated on the banks of the Vienne River, at
Château
The importance of Chinon derives from its position on the bank of the Vienne river, just before it joins the Loire. From prehistoric times, the rivers of France formed the major trade routes, and the Vienne joins the fertile southern plains of the Poitou and the city of Limoges to the mighty thoroughfare of the Loire, thus giving access to the sea at the port of Nantes on the western coast, and to the Ile de France in the east. Chinon offers an easy crossing point by means of a central island in the Vienne, and the rocks dominating the shore provided not only a a natural fort, but also protection against the annual flooding of the river.
Sitting high on a plateau, a huge castle dominates the entire town. The site appears to have been used for a a Gallo-Roman castrum. Towards the end of the fourth century, a follower of St Martin, St Mexme established first a hermitage, and then a monastery on the eastern slope of the town. This foundation flourished in the Early Middle Ages, with a large and highly decorated church, a cloister and a square of canon's residences. Unfortunately the all too familiar pattern of Huguenot damage in the sixteenth centre followed by closure and partial demolition during the Revolution of 1789 and onwards has left only a much-damaged facade and tower, although the building is now being restored as a cultural centre.
The mount of Chinon was fortified as a stronghold by Theobald I of Blois|Theobald I, Count of Blois in the year 954. In the 12th century Chinon, located in (then) Anjou in present day France, was a primary residence of Henry II of England|Henry II (Angevin|Angevin King and King of England) and served with Poitiers and Bordeaux as a key southern capital of the vast Angevin holdings. Henry was responsible for construction of almost all of the massive chateau, built over 1,300 feet long and 250 feet wide with a clock tower (14th century) rising 115 feet high. King Henry, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their son King Richard I of England|Richard the Lionheart were all buried at nearby Fontevraud Abbey.
The castle is divided, along its length, into three enclosures, each separated by a deep dry moat. The easternmost is known as Fort St.-Georges, the central called the Château de Milieu, while the westernmost is known as the Fort du Coudray. In the early 13th century, following the Capetian annexation of Anjou, a cylindrical keep similar to those at Rouen and Paris, was added by Philip II of France|Phillip II Augustus, King of France to the entrance of the Fort du Coudray.
In the keep or Templar knights were imprisoned during the brutal suppression of the Templar Order that occurred in 1307.
The chateau was a residence of Charles VII of France|Charles VII, the dauphin of France in the early 15th century. It is the place where Jeanne d'Arc|Joan of Arc came on March 8, 1429 to recognize the dauphin and to urge him to declare himself king and raise an army to liberate France from the English.
In 1562 the chateau came into the possession of the Huguenots and was turned into a state prison by Henri IV of France. After that it was abandoned until 1793 when, during the Reign of Terror, the castle was temporarily occupied by Revolt in the Vendée|Vendeans. Soon though, it was left to decay until Emperor Napoleon III began a partial effort at restoration. Today, it is managed by the Town of Chinon and is a major tourist attraction.
Wine
In recent years, its wines have come to be recognized as some of the best produced in France. Carved into the banks of the Vienne river, and open to public visits, are the caves, or wine cellars, for Chinon's famous Cabernet Franc-based red wines.
Miscellaneous
Chinon was also the birthplace of François Rabelais, (c.1493-1553), a renowned Renaissance writer, famous for his Gargantua series.
Chinon is the setting for the historic fiction story The Lion in Winter.
See also
French wine
Château-Chinon a city in Burgundy
Chinon Industries a manufacturer from Japan
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "Chinon". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.