A very famous chateau still stands at Blois in the Chateau Country.Parts of the Chateau of Blois were built in the Gothic style before the Renaissance reached France，but one whole section was built by Francis I in the Renaissance style.This section is called the Wing of Francis I.There is a celebrated spiral staircase attached to the outside wall of the building in an open tower—something like a fire-escape.The staircase tower is stone and marble，like the rest of the building.On the staircase are carved again and again the salamander and the letter F of Francis I.The salamanders are royal salamanders and each has a crown abovehim.Little flames of fire seem to be flying all around the salamanders.These “trade-marks”
of Francis I are on other parts of the building，as you can see in the picture.
No.81-1WING OF FRANCIS I，CHATEAU OF BLOIS，FRANCE（法国布卢瓦城堡弗朗西斯一世之翼）
Courtesy of The University Prints
Notice that the building is still Gothic enough to have Gothic gargoyles sticking out from the staircase and the roof.
If you should walk down the staircase at the Chateau of Blois and some one else started to walk up at the same time，you two would meet on the stairs.But there is another staircase in France where persons going down never meet persons going up at the same time.It sounds mysterious，but it really happens just that way.The pass-without-meeting staircase is in the central tower of a large chateau at Chambord.
No girl or boy who likes to read of knights and ladies in the days of chivalry could help getting a thrill at seeing the Chateau of Chambord.It is a huge castle，partly fortified and once protected by a moat or ditch of water.It has towers，steep roofs，tall chimneys，and thick stone walls.With its towers and chimneys pointing toward the sky，it really looks more Gothic than Renaissance.
The pass-without-meeting staircase is in the tallest tower and works the way it does because there are two sets of steps which corkscrew up the tower together，one set above the other.The Statue of Liberty in New York has an iron staircase inside it built the same way as the stone staircase at Chambord.
No.81-2CHATEAU OF CHAMBORD，FRANCE（法国香波尔城堡）Courtesy of The University Prints
Francis I liked to stay at Chambord when he wanted a change from city life.He liked to stay at Blois，too.But he liked best of all the palace of Fontainebleau，which is noted for its beautiful gardens，terraces，and lakes，and for its rich interiors.The outsides of the palace buildings aren’t as interesting as Chambord and Blois，so we’ll hurry on to still another palace of Francis I.This is the Louvre in Paris.
“But I thought the Louvre was an art gallery！”you say.So it is now，the biggest art gallery in the world，but it wasn’t built as an art gallery.It was built by kings of France for their use as a palace.
The Louvre is so big—one gallery in it is a quarter of a mile long—that it would take you hours and hours just to walk all through it.Of course it wasn’t built all at one time.Francis I built part of it.Then other kings added other parts.It wasn’t finished till late in the nineteenth century.So the Louvre is a good building to study for a complete history of Renaissance architecture in France，from the earliest to the latest styles.
The Louvre is so big that a photograph doesn’t do it justice.In a photograph you can only see one part of it at a time and as each main part looks quite different from its other parts，you really have to be in Paris and see it for yourself to get a good view of it.
Two of the most important of the many architects of the Louvre were Pierre Lescot and Claude Perrault Lescot was the architect for Francis I.Perrault’s work is a century later than Lescot’s.Perrault did the famous east facade with its long row of coupled Corinthian columns.The strange fact is that Perrault was the king’s doctor，not an architect at all，but he managed to make a very good job of the east facade of the Louvre.
The Louvre was used as the kings’palace till the French Revolution.Then the king was beheaded and the Louvre was made into a national art gallery.An art gallery is what it has been ever since.
But though Francis I was showy and spent too much money in building，therewas a later French king who was even more showy and spent even more money in building even more magnificent palaces.This king was Louis XIV，whose architect built the tremendous palace of Versailles.The palace at Versailles was added to by later kings until France became a republic.It is now owned and cared for by the French Government.Its beautifully laid out grounds add to the magnificence of the palace，but the buildings themselves are monotonous，too much alike，too long and regular.The most famous part is the Hall of Mirrors，a gigantic room with mirrors along the walls.The Hall of Mirrors is where the peace treaty was signed after World War I.
At Versailles，not very far from the big palace，is a much smaller building called the Petit Trianon.It was built by Louis XV and became the favorite residence of Marie Antoinette，the queen who was later beheaded in the French Revolution.
The French Revolution brings us almost up to the nineteenth century.In the nineteenth century the French erected several buildings that have become famous.One of these is the Dome of the Invalides，a building sacred to Frenchmen because it contains the tomb of Napoleon.In it you can see Napoleon’s badge or trade-mark—a capital letter N.
The French Panthéon has a somewhat similar dome，with however，a circle of slim columns around the base.The Panthéon is used as a church and is a shrine to the memory of Saint Genevieve，the patron saint of Paris.It contains the celebrated mural paintings of scenes from the life of Saint Genevieve.
France，and especially Paris，has many other handsome buildings.I wish I could tell youabout them all.But I’m sure there are enough French names in this chapter already to keep your memory busy.If you can’t name them allNo.81-3DOME OF THE INVALIDES，
PARIS（巴黎圆顶型荣军院）
