Passing on the heritage of Leonardo da Vinci
A family’s legacy
In 1854, Saint-Bris family acquires the Clos Lucé from the Amboise family, former owner of the site since the XVII century. From Haut-Agenais, they just took over a local foundry company and look for a place to stay. Le Clos Lucé will become their home. In 1866, Georges Saint Bris inherits the domain and starts the first restorationworks. His wife will lead the creation of the English style park and asks for the pond to be dug.
In 1954, Hubert and Agnès Saint Bris, start a new adventure by opening their home to visitors. Theirplan: getting everyone to know the last home of Leonardo da Vinci and bring back the Renaissance splendour to the site. Hubert Saint-Bris’ ambition is to “turn Le Clos Lucé into a high-place of humanism and international thought, in a world that’s searching, through its troubles, a new Renaissance”. After Hubert Saint Bris’s death in 1979, Jean Saint Bris, his elder son, resumes his parent’s work. He choses a more modern way of presenting the museum’s collection, restores the models room, launches a creative advertising campaign and innovates… All siblings mobilize to get to know Le Clos Lucé to the general public.
A passionate adventure, shared with their partners, which is just like a mission: bringing back interest and enthusiasm on the home of one of humanity’s greatest geniuses. A “stone by stone” adventure for the love of beauty. Their ambition:turning this place of memory into a living place, this house into a heritage in motion, this historic site into a “château for the future”.
François Saint Bris, President