Editing Château de la Bourdaisière

{{Short description|19th-century county house in France}}
[[File:Cheateau-bourdaisiere.jpg|thumb|Château de la Bourdaisière]]
The '''Château de la Bourdaisière''' ({{IPA|fr|ʃato də la buʁdɛzjɛʁ}}) is a 19th-century county house in the Commune of [[Montlouis-sur-Loire]], in the [[Indre-et-Loire]] ''[[département in France|département]]'' of [[France]].

The site of the present house dates back to the 14th century when it was a fortress belonging to Jean Meingr. Over the next few generations, the property changed hands several times, until 1520 when [[Francis I of France|King Francis I]] arranged for construction of a new castle on the site. Built for his mistress, [[:fr:Marie Gaudin|Marie Gaudin]], the wife of [[Philibert Babou]], Superintendent of Finances for France, after her death, the property would remain in the family's hands.

Marie Gaudin's granddaughter, [[Gabrielle d'Estrées]], was born in the château and would herself grow up to become mistress to another king, [[Henry IV of France]].

In 1775, the château was partially destroyed by order of [[Louis XV of France|King Louis XV's]] most powerful Minister, [[Étienne François]], Duc de Choiseul. Étienne François wanted to use the stones from Château de la Bourdaisière for the construction of his Pagoda at his [[Château de Chanteloup|estate in Chanteloup]], near [[Amboise]].

Lying in ruins, in 1786 the land was sold to Louise Adélaïde of Penthièvre Bourbon. In 1802 the property was acquired by Baron Joseph Angelier who undertook a massive reconstruction of Château Bourdaisière. The interior work would be completed by his son, Gustave Angelier. Although a small château, when compared to the great châteaux of the Kings and some of those built by other wealthy nobles, it is a magnificent Renaissance construction fronted by traditional French gardens.

The Castle was sold in 1923 to a wealthy [[United States|American]],  Mrs. de Mérinville who sold it in 1938. During [[World War II]], the château was occupied by the [[Nazis]]. After the war, a lack of funds by its owner saw it become severely run down. In 1959, its contents were auctioned off and government turned the château into a home for the elderly.

It was sold again in 1988 to an attorney, François Michaud, who owned it until 1991 when it was acquired by its current owners, the [[De Broglie|Princes of Broglie]] who undertook significant improvements and modernization. In 2003, Château de la Bourdaisière gained considerable attention in [[North America]], as the primary site for the television show ''[[Joe Millionaire]]''. In 2011, the chateaus gardens were finalist for the ''European Garden Award'' bestowed by the [[European Garden Heritage Network]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cmsen.eghn.org/egp2011|title=2011|publisher=cmsen.eghn.org|access-date=2011-09-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926153345/http://cmsen.eghn.org/egp2011|archive-date=2011-09-26|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The château was listed as a ''[[monument historique]]'' in 1947.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.labourdaisiere.com/en/le-chateau/historique |title=HISTORY of the Château de la Bourdaisière |accessdate=2010-11-06 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611002111/http://www.labourdaisiere.com/en/le-chateau/historique |archivedate=2010-06-11 }}</ref>

==References==
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==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* {{Official website|http://www.chateaulabourdaisiere.com/ }}

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[[Category:Hotels in France]]
[[Category:Châteaux in Indre-et-Loire]]
[[Category:Monuments historiques of Indre-et-Loire]]