Money Bags on the Window

In the Cupbearer's room in the Chateau Royal d'Amboise there is a rather surprising carved window.

 

The window embrasure, decorated with pilgrims' staffs, purses full of coins and a saddlebag, is a reminder that Amboise was a stopover for pilgrims on their way to Saint-Martin-de-Tours before continuing on to Santiago de Compostela.

The window embrasure also features fleurs de lys and ermine tails, the symbols of Charles VIII and Anne of Brittany, who transformed the chateau from a fortress to a late medieval luxury country residence.