Editing Francis I of France (section)

===Construction===
[[File:France Loir-et-Cher Chambord Chateau 03.jpg|thumb|Francis's [[Château de Chambord]] displays a distinct [[French Renaissance architecture]].]]
Francis poured vast amounts of money into new structures. He continued the work of his predecessors on the {{lang|fr|[[Château d'Amboise]]|italic=no}} and also started renovations on the {{lang|fr|[[Château de Blois]]|italic=no}}. Early in his reign, he began construction of the magnificent {{lang|fr|[[Château de Chambord]]|italic=no}}, inspired by the architectural styles of the Italian Renaissance, and perhaps even designed by Leonardo da Vinci. Francis rebuilt the [[Louvre Palace]], transforming it from a [[Medieval Louvre|medieval fortress]] into a building of Renaissance splendour. He financed the building of a new City Hall (the {{lang|fr|[[Hôtel de Ville, Paris|Hôtel de Ville]]}}) for Paris in order to have control over the building's design. He constructed the {{lang|fr|[[Château de Madrid]]|italic=no}} in the {{lang|fr|[[Bois de Boulogne]]|italic=no}} and rebuilt the {{lang|fr|[[Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye]]|italic=no}}. The largest of Francis's building projects was the reconstruction and expansion of the {{lang|fr|[[Château de Fontainebleau]]|italic=no}}, which quickly became his favourite place of residence, as well as the residence of his official mistress, [[Anne de Pisseleu d'Heilly|Anne, Duchess of Étampes]].