Your next visit to a French castle is closer than what you would have expected! Our private virtual tour of Château de Compiègne is coming on March 5 and during this tour you will have a chance to ask questions after a presentation from the castle’s General Heritage Curator. In order to make the most of this event, we thought we would provide some castle vocabulary. Use it on March 5 or on your next visit to France!

Le Château

Castle

Rois

Kings

Reines

Queens

La salle de bal

Ballroom

Les douves

Moats

Un château fort

A fortified castle

Le pont-levis

Drawbridge

Une tour

A tower

Les remparts

Ramparts, walls

Un chevalier

A knight

Un seigneur

A lord

Le dauphin

Heir apparent

La dauphine

Crown princess

La noblesse

Nobility

Chasse à courre

Hunting with hounds

La cour du roi

The king’s court

Les serviteurs

Servants

Les tapisseries

Tapestries

Les peintures

Paintings

Le blason

The coat of arms

Feuilles d’or

Gold leaves

Mobilier

Furniture

Jardin

Garden

Escaliers

Stairs

Lit à baldaquin

Canopy bed

Words that are similar in French and English:
L’aristocratie/Aristocracy
La monarchie/Monarchy
L’empire/Empire
Le trône/Throne
Sculpture/Sculpture
Architecture néo-classique/Neoclassical architecture

Now you have everything you need to be part of our virtual private tour of Château de Compiègne!
What’s your favorite castle in France?



clemence

Clémence Bary-Boloré

Cultural Programs Manager / Office Manager

Clémence has a Master’s degree in Cultural Projects Management. She worked in Paris for several years for theater companies. She likes discovering new cultures, people and places, which is why she crossed the ocean to start a new experience in Boston. She is glad to be part of the French Library to promote French culture and language. In her free time, she enjoys cooking, hiking, kayaking and all forms of art!

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Upcoming Events

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Join us at the French Library for a conversation about Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain Fournier. We invite you to read the book in its entirety and meet us on October 21st, from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.

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The French Library is delighted to present this cooking class from our Gastronomy & Wine program. Guided by excellence, this program is designed to educate you in the fine art of cooking and oenology with experts.

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Saturday, October 24, 2026

We invite parents and children to gather in the children's room of our library for a magical story time in French!

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