Editing Château de Villandry (section)

==History==
The lands where an ancient fortress once stood were known as ''Columbine'' until the 17th century. They were acquired in the early 16th century by Jean Le Breton, France's Controller-General for War under [[Francis I of France|King Francis I]], and a new [[château]] was constructed around the original 14th-century keep where King [[Philip II of France]] once met [[Richard I of England]] to discuss peace.

The château remained in the Le Breton family for more than two centuries until it was acquired by the Marquis de Castellane. During the [[French Revolution]] the property was confiscated and in the early 19th century, [[Napoleon I of France|Emperor Napoleon]] acquired it for his brother [[Jérôme Bonaparte]].

In 1906, [[Joachim Carvallo]] purchased the property, financed by his wife Ann Coleman, who was an heiress to the [[Robert Coleman (industrialist)|Coleman]] fortune.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/joachim-carvallo-and-ann-coleman-at-villandry-ch%C3%A2teau-de-villandry/MQJyQFWmwWwhLQ?hl=en|title = Joachim Carvallo and Ann Coleman at Villandry - Castle of Villandry}}</ref> Extensive time, money, and devotion were then poured into repairing it and creating extraordinary gardens. Its famous [[Gardens of the French Renaissance|Renaissance]] gardens include a water garden, ornamental [[flower garden]]s, and vegetable gardens.  The gardens are laid out in formal patterns created with low [[Buxus|box]] [[Hedge (gardening)|hedge]]s. In 1934, Château de Villandry was designated a [[Monument historique]]. Like all the other [[châteaux of the Loire Valley]], it is a [[World Heritage Site]].