Clos Lucé is a mansion in Amboise, France, located 500 metres from the royal Chateau d’Amboise, to which it is connected by an underground passageway. Built by Etienne le Loup in the middle of the fifteenth century, it was acquired in 1490 by Charles VIII of France for his wife, Anne de Bretagne. Later, it was used by François I, as well his sister Marguerite de Navarre, who began to write her book titled L’Heptaméron while living there.

In 1516, François I invited Leonardo da Vinci to Amboise and provided him with the Clos Lucé as a place to stay and to work. Leonardo, a famous painter and inventor, arrived with three samples of his painting, namely the Mona Lisa, Sainte Anne, and Saint Jean Baptiste. Leonardo lived at the Clos Lucé for the last three years of his life, and died there on 2 May 1519.

Today, the Clos Lucé is a museum that reflects the prestigious history of the region and includes forty models of the various machines designed by Leonardo. (Article from Wikipedia)