Château de Blois

The Royal Château de Blois in Loire Valley was the residence of several French kings, and was the place where Joan of Arc was blessed by the Archbishop of Reims before departing with her army to drive the English from Orléans, in 1429. It rises in the middle of the town, comprising several buildings dating from the 13th to the 17th century, being the spiral staircase in the François I wing the most famous piece of architecture.