Château de Blois: Octagonal garden pavilion of Anne of Brittany

The garden pavilion belongs to Louis XII’s building campaign, possibly designed by Colin Biart. Anne of Brittany was consort to both Charles VIII and Louis XII.

In its present form it consists mainly of buildings undertaken in the 16th century by Louis XII and Francis I and in the 17th century by Gaston d'Orléans (1608-1660), brother of Louis XIII. The twin-aisled, arcaded Great Hall (or Salle des Etats-Généraux) built by Theobald VI (reigned 1205-1218) survives from the Gothic phase. The most impressive part of the château is the north-west wing (1515-1524), built against the medieval ramparts for Francis I. François Mansart was employed to rebuild the south-west wing (1635-1639).