Chinon, town (1993 est. pop. 8,961), Indre-et-Loire dept., W central France, in Touraine, on the Vienne River. Chinon was an important medieval town and many buildings (notably three churches) from that period are preserved. Its castle, overlooking the river, consists of three distinct fortresses built from the 11th to the 15th cent.—the Château Saint-Georges, the Château du Milieu, and the Château du Coudray. The builders of the castle included Philip II of France, Richard I of England (the Lionhearted), and Henry II of France (who died there in 1559). In the Château du Milieu in 1429 Joan of Arc presented herself to Charles VII of France and correctly identified him although he was disguised. In La Devinière, a nearby hamlet, stands the house where the poet Rabelais was born (c.1490).

Chinon is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France.

Geography

Chinon is located in the Vallée de la Vienne (Vienne River valley). It is situated on the banks of the Vienne River.

Château

Wine

In recent years, its wines have come to be recognized as some of the best produced in France. Carved into the banks of the Vienne River, and open to public visits, are the caves, or wine cellars, for Chinon's famous Cabernet Franc-based red wines.

Personalities

• François Rabelais, (c. 1493-1553), writer

Media

• Chinon is the setting for the historic fiction story The Lion in Winter.

See also

• French wine
• Chinon Parchment

References

Based on the article in the French Wikipedia.

External links

• Ministry of Culture database entries for Chinon