Opening in 1985
On 30 November 1984, the Grandes Etapes Françaises were enriched by this establishment which was to open its doors in 1985.
Three residences of the 15th and 17th centuries
La Maison de l’Ermite House of the Hermit is named François de Paule, Calabrian hermit came to Amboise on the orders of Pope Sixtus IV to respond to the wishes of King Louis XI seriously ill and imploring the blessings of the holy man. François de Paule gathered his new disciples in the “Couvent des Minimes” d’Amboise. The current house was built on the foundations of the former convent.
La Maison du Duc La Maison du Duc is so named because it was offered to Etienne François Duc de Choiseul by King Louis XV to XVIII century. Later he became rich and important, Minister of Finance and armies, and he had built a “little Versailles ” a few miles away : Château de Chanteloup.
La Maison de l’ApothicaireIn this house Jehan Gastignon, herbalist Charles VII and Francis I prepared creams and ointments for the ladies of the court. The king offered him a large part of the property including cellars dug into the hillside in exchange for his services.
Troglodyte cave (Caesar’s Granaries)These granaries dug into the hillside include three rooms with impressive dimensions: one of them measuring 90 meters in length! There are also 4 silos 4 meters in diameter, double wall, used to store wheat. Until the French Revolution, these places were tithe barns. The tenth crop was piled there before being paid to the church or to the lords.
