Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1905-04-14
HISTORIC FRENCH CASTLES.
DESCRIBED IN NALECTURE AT
MCDOWELL HALL.
Last of The Alliance Francaise Lee
tures Given Last Night
BY Prof. Henri
Marion.


Henri Marion. of the Department of
French at the Naval Academy. 1t
was the last of series that have been
given this winter under the auspices
of the Annapolis Circle, or "groupeh
of the Alliance Franchise.
That of last night was illustrated
by beautiful stereopticon views of old
chateaux, ancient inscriptions and por-
traits of distinguished Frenchmen and
French women, who have helped TO
make history. The pictures and the
electrical appliances were manipulated
by Professor daniels, of st. Johns
College. The lecturer was introduced
by Dr.. Fell, president of the college,
and a member of the Alliance Fran
caise. The introduction was made in
French. The audience was an i'm
mensely large one, most of the mem
bers of the Alliance being present and
number of invited friends.
France, said M Marion, is so rich
in old castles that it would be impos-
sible to give description, even asum-
mary of them, in one conference. The
choice must be confined to some of
those best known and most interesting
from an historical and architectural
point of view, One single province of
France "la Touraine, which was the
cradle of royalty and which is still
the garden of France, possesses in it.
self so great q number as to afford
81 l'embarras de choix,' and among
which it suffices to mention the chateau
of Chambord, of Ohinonceaux
Azay le Rideau, of Langea:s, of
Loches and of Blois. The history of
France is intimately connected with
the history of the castles of Touraine,
and not step is taken in this old
province without encountering a
thousand historical souvenirs, and as
a poet speaking of her castles and her
beautiful river, says:
A lady great, princess of high degree
Each of her castles marked with royal
arms,
In stone made lace her drapery behold !;
The Loire, her crystal mirror to re-
fleet her charms.
From Charles VII to Henri ~ the
principal events of the monarchy took
place on the banks of the Loire. Here
lived Joan of Arc and Agnes Sorel,
the two grandest female figures of the
last chapter of the history OF the Mid
die ages. All know the history of
Joan of Arc, the innocent and pure
country girl, inspired by two sovereign
passions-Love of God and Love of
Country, who obliged the English to
raise the siege of Orleans, vanquished
them at Patay and caused Charles
VII to be crowned at Reims.
Falling into the hands of the Eng
lish, they burned as a sorcerer at the
stake, this purest heroine of France
"Cherchez la femme" through the his
tory of the castles of Touraine, for in
no other country have women exer-
cised a greater power in social and
political life than in France, and their
nfluence for good and evil has been
all powerful, the traces of which we
find from the heroine of Charles VII
to the famous Nine de Maintenon.
The name of Agnes Sorel is bound
up in the history of the chateau de
Loches, Diana of Poitiers Marie
Stuart and Catherine de Medici with
that of Chenonceaux, Marion Del0rme
and Gabrielle d'Estrees with the
that of Chambuord and Mime de Stael,
Nine de Recamier with the Chateau of
Chaumont, Rabelais, ,Balzac and Victor
Hugo as we'll have lived there.
The kings of France were particu-
larly fond of Touraine and it's castles
Louis XI wished TO die at Plessis- les
Tours, Louis XII, Francis 1. and
Henry ii built and adorned the famous
royal residences of Blois, of Chambord
of Chinonceaux. Tours with its beau
tiful gothic cathedral, containing the
tomb of st. Martin, is one of the most
charming cities of France. Between
Tours and Poitiers, it was. that
Charles Martel vanquished the Sar-
acens in 1872, thus saving the Chris
tian civilization of the West from con-
quest by the Mussulman.
The Chateau of Chambord was the
Versailles of the feudal monarchy,
Chambord the marvel of the Renais-
sance is viritable forest of campaniles,
OF chimneys, of domes, of turrets.
A wonderful construction in the tower
is double spiral staircase, so con-
structed that numbers of persons may
ascend and descend without meeting
each other. This castle contains SOC
chambers. However, space denies more
than a meagre detail of this intensely
interesting conference. The chateau
of Chinonceaux, after having been in
the family of French noble during
the thirteenth and fourteenth centur-
les, came into the possession of Fran
els L. who turned it into q rendezvous
de chasse. In l457 his son Henry II
gave it to the famous Diana of POitierE
who restored it to its former great
ness, but upon his death Catherine de
Medicis forced her to exchange it foI
| the Chateau do Chaumont. Here came
Francis Ii with Marie Stuart, that un-
fortunate Queen of the Scots, whose
only happy hours of life were spent in
Touraine. The lecturer paid a very
| beautiful tribute to the memory OF
this much wronged woman. This
castle is now the property of wealthy
American.
Channonton the banks of the Loire
is most picturesque. The portal il
| fianked by two round towers, and
closed by a heavy oaken door. upon
which is carved the figuresof the twelve
| apostles. Above this door is q medal.
lion of stone with the initials of Louis
XII and Anne of Brittany. Early in
the last century Madame de Stael was
installed at Chaumont, when obliged
| by the despotism of Napoleon to quit
Paris. Among the friends and admir-.
ers with whom she surrounded herself
was Madame de Recamier, the ceIe.
brated beauty, who taught the author
of 'Corinne' the art of presiding over
the Salon, where were gathered men OF
most opposite minds and opinions. An