Jan 17, 2013

La Chapelle de St-Hubert, Amboise, France

It is really difficult to choose between the several chateaus when you have just one day in hand to tour. We chose the chateau of Amboise because of its prestigious association with Leonardo da Vinci. The Saint-Hubert chapel there houses the tomb of Leonardo da Vinci. He spent his last few years in this town Amboise and died on 2 May 1519.


From what I read about Leonardo da Vinci, he in his will had mentioned his desire to be buried in the Church of St. Florentin on the grounds of Château d’Amboise. That was done, however in mid 1800s the church was demolished. The workers there dug up this complete skeleton and pieces of stone chiseled with this great man’s name. The artist's remains were then transferred to St-Hubert’s chapel.


“A well-filled day gives a good sleep. A well-filled life gives a peaceful death.” — Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

As we entered the gates after a long climb we were bombarded with the sight of amazing landscapes. The grounds around are very creatively managed. The chapel stands elegant at a distance; the façade with grand sculpted works. The view of the town makes an amazing sight from these heights. “It is going to be another rainy day” I thought seeing the dark clouds looming low at the extreme end. There was a long journey ahead and this chateau of Amboise was just the first halt of the day!


SkyWatch Friday

25 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

wow! that steeple is amazing!

Sylvia K said...

What an awesome little church! I, too, love the steeple! Terrific captures as always, Indrani! Interesting info regarding da Vinci. Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

George said...

This is a marvelous chapel -- the steeple and adornments are very elegant. I had not realized that Leonardo da Vinci was buried in France.

SueAnn Lommler said...

Oh my gosh...gorgeous
Hugs
SueAnn

Kim, USA said...

I am jealous! These place is beautiful!

Kim,USA

Aarti said...

The place looks right out of a picture postcard.. and i love the blog template as well :))

The Write Girl said...

Beautiful images taken at the chapel. I would love to visit this place someday. Happy Sky Watch!

ladyfi said...

Amazing place and such lovely shots!

Jidhu Jose said...

nice shots. Chapel is a great one and I think inside of chapel is more artistic

Heather said...

Wonderful photos, even with the cloudy skies. We would have loved to visit Amboise, but only saw it from a distance as we passed by en route to Chenonceau and Chambord. My Skywatch post

AmitAag said...

Lovely pictures and great narration!
Thank you Indrani:)

Meena said...

Liked tht tidbt abt DaVinci

Jesh St Germain said...

Surprisingly a small and simple chapelle -thanks for sharing! I still have to get the hang of this google circle thing, so I may have missed several comments/likes:)

HansHB said...

Nice post, and perfect for SkyWatch!

Anu said...

Thanks for sharing this interesting piece of information about Da Vinci. The pictures are, without any doubt, beautiful!

eileeninmd said...

Indrani, what a lovely place to visit. It is neat seeing Da Vinci's tomb. Thanks for sharing the info and your lovely photos. Have a happy weekend!

Jyothi said...

Beautiful Pictures and a wonderful writeup. I guess I will be visiting this place during my next visit to France. Thank you.

Carver said...

The chapel is very beautiful. I also enjoyed the landscapes and town.

Rajesh said...

The chapel looks grand.

Antonina said...

Great captures,interesting places!
Greetings from Poland :-)

DeniseinVA said...

A fascinating post and wonderful photos. Thank you Indrani!

beyondzephyr.com said...

Amazing architecture of that building! A fantastic post to read and see..

SandyCarlson said...

Thanks for the story behind this chapel. Beautiful landscaping, too. What a place!

R Sudhir Kumar said...

trust you dig something, never imagined Da vinci could be buried in France

R Niranjan Das said...

Awesome...!!