Re-creating this Renaissance château turned out to be the modus operandi for Joachim Carvallo when he bought Villandry in 1906. Researching old documents, conducting archeological digs, and studying old architectural blueprints served as a scientific and logical means for bringing back the past in order to beautify the present as visitors to Villandry will attest. Not only do we see how the Renaissance château and its gardens looked, but we experience the utter delight that this labor of love provided its 20th century owner.
The Villandry
was built in 1536 by Jean Le Breton, minister of finance for François
I. In 1754 the Marquis de Castellane, who came from a noble Provencal
family, purchased the château and had it redesigned
to meet 18th century standards of comfort. The keep is the oldest part of the château and the only part retained from the original 12th century château. On July 4, 1189, the Treaty of Colombières was signed here between King Henry II of England, and King Philip Augustus of France. (Colombières was the name of Villandry before it was change in 1639.)
Joachim Carvallo, bought the château in 1906. His dream was to create 16th century gardens that were in perfect harmony with the architecture of the château. Each room enjoys its own unique view, particularly of the gardens. Carvallo was also a pioneer in opening private monuments to the public. The first exhibit included his collections of ancient Spanish art in 1908 and the second were of his garden in 1920. Anticipating the rise of cultural tourism, Carvallo worked to make Villandry an instrument for the promotion and preservation of French heritage and its artistic wealth to the tune of 350,000 visitors a year.
After a career in advanced research on the physiology of digestion at the Faculty of Medicine in Paris, Joachim
Carvallo devoted all his energy and fortune to restoring Villandry
to its original state. Over time, the gardens underwent drastic changes in
appearance. Carvallo re-created the garden by synthesizing the medieval style, the Renaissance style, and the French style.
He pursued this dream by assembling a series
of archeological and literary clues to the château and the gardens. From the layout to the choice of vegetables, everything was conceived
in terms of a return to the origins of the Renaissance formal garden.
The Vegetable Garden has nine squares of equal size with different geometric patterns. These squares are planted with vegetables of alternating colors to look like a chessboard. Such an arrangement goes back to the Middle Ages when monks layed out their vegetables in geometric shapes, particularly the cross. The garden's ornamental features (arbors, fountains) were influenced by Italy while the French gardeners of the 16th century combined the monastic and the Italian styles with roses and vegetables from the Americas. This type of garden is called a "decorative kitchen garden". 
The Love Garden features 4 different squares, each with a theme.
"Tender love" "Passionate love"
"Flighty love" "Tragic love"
The Water Garden is centered around a large pond in the form of a Louis XIV mirror, like at Versailles. It is enclosed by lime trees (background), which create a perfect place for rest and meditation.
ChrisnSue photo -- https://chrisnsue.wordpress.com
The Sun Garden is made up of three green areas. The cloud chamber in blue and white shrubs and perennials; the sun chamber, with its oranges and yellows; and the children's chamber in the shade of the apple trees.
The Maze symbolizes our path on Earth. Of Christian inspiration and unlike the Greek labyrinth, it has no dead ends. The aim is not to find an exit but to raise up oneself humanly and spiritually by reaching the hut in the center.
The Herb Garden is a traditional Middle Ages garden devoted to aromatic, cooking, and medicinal herbs.
These gardens require constant care. Each winter for three months, a team of four gardeners prune 1,015 lime trees. Over 115,000 flowers and vegetables are planted with 50% prepared in the estate's greenhouses. Since 2009, the gardeners have used organic methods, namely: digging and hoeing, reducing the need for chemical plant treatments by introducing certain insects. An automatic underground watering system was also installed.
The Château
The entrance exhibits symmetry and ornate decoration that complements the gardens.
The château has 15 rooms, including dining room, kitchen, study and bedrooms with views of the gardens. Below are just a few examples of the more interesting rooms.
The warmth of the dining room with close-up of a table setting--and a lot of wine glasses.
The oriental drawing room was built in Mudejar style by Moorish craftsmen for their Spanish patrons. The ceiling combines decorative elements from Christian and Moorish art. It comes from the Maqueda ducal palace built in the 15th century in Toledo. When the palace was dismantled in 1905, Carvallo brought back one of the ceilings to Villandry. It took a full year to reassemble the 3,600 separate pieces.
Here is a close-up of the scallop shell corners of the ceiling and the tracery of knotted vines below it.
Carvallo's bedroom is rather simple and even austere, but his focus was more on the outside of the château rather than the inside. From his room he had views of the ornamental garden to the south and the vegetable garden to the west. Carvallo was also a religious man, as the paintings in his room attest. Here's a close-up of the crowning of the Blessed Mother in Heaven.
His study was his preferred work area where he would draw up plans for the vegetable garden. It is surrounded by Spanish paintings and a magnificent tapestry (below with our guide, Carol).
Carvallo's wife, Ann Coleman, slept here. The paintings picture three of the couple's six children.
One of the children's room with some of their toys.
Other interesting items in the château
Carvallo's heraldry collection was quite large and on display in one of the halls.
Here are a few samples that are in keeping with the Renaissance theme.
Carvello's work on Villandry was a labor of love and careful research and attention to detail. As a result, we are able to get a glimpse into the life of Renaissance France and the beginning of the splendor of French culture and society.
Resources
https://www.chateauvillandry.fr/useful-information/?lang=en
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