Clos Lucé, Amboise, France

Clos Lucé is a mansion in Amboise, France, located 500 metres from the royal Château d'Amboise, to which it is connected by an underground passageway. Built by Hugues d'Amboise in the middle of the fifteenth century, it was acquired in 1490 by Charles VIII of France for his wife, Anne de Bretagne. Later, it was used by Francis I, as well as his sister Marguerite de Navarre, who began writing her book entitled L'Heptaméron while living there.

In 1516, Francis I invited Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise and provided him with the Clos Lucé, then called Château de Cloux, as a place to stay and work. Leonardo, a famous painter and inventor, arrived with three of his paintings, namely the Mona Lisa, Sainte Anne, and Saint Jean Baptiste. Leonardo lived at the Clos Lucé for the last three years of his life, and died there on 2 May 1519.

Today, the Clos Lucé is a museum that reflects the prestigious history of the region and includes forty models of the various machines designed by Leonardo.

References:

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Palaces, manors and town halls in France

User Reviews

Diego Akel (3 years ago)
Very cool for anyone fan of art or engineering. It is not free for students under 25. It can easily be a 2-3 hours visit.

Innokentiy Tantsura (3 years ago)
Very good! Interesting castle and big garden with a lot of entertainment. It's also god friendly. You can even visit the castle with your god if you keep him or her in a bag.

kelso4001 (4 years ago)
This place is amazing. We saw the rooms where Leonardo lived and worked. Then they have interactive displays all over about his work. Then there are these beautiful gardens with more artifacts and another building with more features oriented towards learning and science. Really close to Amboise castle. Awesome stuff.

Anne van Eijndhoven (4 years ago)
Dangerously busy, a queue not only outside the building but throughout the castle, with very little ventilation and too many people too close together in small rooms. Hardly any staff to ensure people keep their distance. In times of COVID, I strongly advise against visiting, in particular on a rainy day.

Paszty Judit (4 years ago)
Very friendly service and a good variety of food. Croissant, cakes, quiche, salad whatever you want. Will come back for sure.

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