Palace of Versailles

Palace of Versailles
Château de Versailles
General information
Location	Versailles, France
Coordinates	48°48′17″N 2°07′13″E / 48.8048°N 2.1203°E / 48.8048; 2.1203Coordinates: 48°48′17″N 2°07′13″E / 48.8048°N 2.1203°E / 48.8048; 2.1203
Technical details
Floor area	67,000 m² (721,182 ft²)
Website
Official site of the Château de Versailles
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Palace and Park of Versailles
Criteria	Cultural: i, ii, vi
Reference	83
Inscription	1979 (3rd Session)
Area	1,070 ha
Buffer zone	9,467 ha

The Palace of Versailles (French: Château de Versailles) (English: /vɛərˈsaɪ/, vair-SY or /vɜːrˈsaɪ/, vur-SY;^[1] French: [vɛʁsaj]) was the principal residence of the Kings of France from Louis XIV in 1682 until the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. It is located in the Yvelines Department of the Île-de-France region, about twenty kilometers (14 miles) southwest of the centre of Paris.^[2]

The Palace is now a French Historic Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, notable especially for the ceremonial Hall of Mirrors, the jewel-like Opera theater, and royal apartments; for the more intimate royal residences, the Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon located within the park; the small rustic "hamlet" created for Marie Antoinette; and the vast Gardens of Versailles with fountains, canals, and geometric flower beds and groves, laid out by André le Nôtre. The Palace was stripped of all its furnishings after the French Revolution, but many pieces have been returned and many of the palace rooms have been restored.

History[edit]

The hunting lodge and château of Louis XIII[edit]

The garden facade of the chateau of Louis XIII in 1660-64. (Engraving by Israël Silvestre)

The palace in 1668 during the first reconstruction. (Painting by Pierre Patel)

The facade of the palace facing the garden in 1675. The terrace was replaced by the Hall of Mirrors

The site of the Palace was first occupied by a small village and church, surrounded by forests filled with abundant game, it was owned by the Gondi family and the priory of Saint Julian. King Henry IV went hunting there in 1589, and returned in 1604 and 1609, staying in the village inn, his son, the future Louis XIII, came on his own hunting trip there in 1607. After he became King in 1610, Louis XIII returned to the village, bought some land, and in 1623-24 built a modest two-story hunting lodge the site of the current marble courtyard,^[3] he was staying there in November 1630 during the event known as the Day of the Dupes, when the enemies of the King's chief minister, Cardinal Richelieu, aided by the King's mother, Marie de' Medici, tried to take over the government. The King defeated the plot and sent his mother into exile.^[4]

After this event, Louis XIII decided to make his hunting lodge at Versailles into a château, the King purchased the surrounding territory from the Gondi family, and in 1631–1634 had the architect Philibert Le Roy replace the hunting lodge with a château of brick and stone with classical pilasters in the doric style and high slate-covered roofs, surrounding the courtyard of the original hunting lodge. The gardens and park were also enlarged, laid out by Jacques Boyceau and his nephew, Jacques de Menours (1591–1637), and reached essentially the size they have today.^[a][3][5][6]

The palace of Louis XIV[edit]

Louis XIV first visited the château on a hunting trip in 1651 at the age of twelve, but returned only occasionally until his marriage to Maria Theresa of Spain in 1660 and the death of Cardinal Mazarin in 1661, after which he suddenly acquired a passion for the site,^[7] he decided to rebuild, embellish and enlarge the château and to transform it into a setting for both rest and for elaborate entertainments on a grand scale.^[5][8]

The first phase of the expansion (c. 1661–1678) was designed and supervised by the architect Louis Le Vau. Initially he added two wings to the forecourt, one for servants quarters and kitchens, the other for stables;^[9] in 1668 he added three new wings built of stone, known as the envelope, to the north, south and west (the garden side) of the original château. These buildings had nearly-flat roofs covered with lead, the king also commissioned the landscape designer André Le Nôtre to create the most magnificent gardens in Europe, embellished with fountains, statues, basins, canals, geometric flower beds and groves of trees. He also added two grottos in the Italian style and an immense orangerie to house fruit trees, as well as a zoo with a central pavilion for exotic animals,^[5] after Le Vau's death in 1670, the work was taken over and completed by his assistant François d'Orbay.^[10]

The first floor (second floor U.S. style) of the new palace contained two symmetrical sets of apartments, one for the king and the other for the queen, looking over the gardens. The two apartments were separated by a marble terrace, overlooking the garden, with a fountain in the center, each set of apartments was connected to the ground floor with a ceremonial stairway, and each had seven rooms, aligned in a row; a vestibule, a room for the guards, an antechamber, chamber, a large cabinet or office; a smaller bedroom, and a smaller cabinet. On the ground floor under the King's apartment was another apartment, the same size, designed for his private life, and decorated on the theme of Apollo, the Sun god, his personal emblem. Under the Queen's apartment was the apartment of the Grand Dauphin, the heir to the throne.^[11]

The interior decoration was assigned to Charles Le Brun. Le Brun supervised the work a large group of sculptors and painters, called the Petite Academie, who crafted and painted the ornate walls and ceilings.^[12] Le Brun also supervised the design and installation of countless statues in the gardens,^[13] the grand stairway to the King's apartment was soon redecorated almost as soon as it was completed with plaques of colored marble and trophies of arms, tapestries, and balconies, so the members of the court could observe the processions of the King.^[12]

In 1670, Le Vau added a new pavilion northwest of the chateau, called the Trianon, for the King's relaxation in the hot summers, it was surrounded by flowerbeds and decorated entirely with blue and white porcelain, in imitation of the Chinese style.^[14]

Enlargement of the Palace (1678-1715)[edit]

The King increasingly spent his days in Versailles, and the government, court, and courtesans, numbering six to seven thousand persons, crowded into the buildings, the King ordered a further enlargement, which he entrusted to the young architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Hadouin-Mansart added two large new wings on either side of the original Cour Royale (Royal Courtyard), he also replaced Le Vau's large terrace, facing the garden on the west, with what became the most famous room of the palace, the Hall of Mirrors. Mansart also built the Petites Écuries and Grandes Écuries (stables) across the Place d'Armes, on the eastern side of the château, the King wished a quiet place to relax away from the ceremony of the Court. In 1687 Hardouin-Mansart began the Grand Trianon, or Trianon de Marbre (Marble Trianon), replacing Le Vau's 1668 Trianon de Porcelaine in the northern section of the park; in 1682 Louis XIV was able to proclaim Versailles his principal residence and the seat of the government and was able to give rooms in the palace to almost all of his courtiers.^[15]

After the death of Maria Theresa of Spain in 1683, Louis XIV undertook the enlargement and remodeling of the royal apartments in the original part of the palace, within the former hunting lodge built by his father, he instructed Mansart to begin the construction of the Royal Chapel of Versailles, which towered over the rest of the palace, Hardouin-Mansart died in 1708. The chapel was completed by his assistant Robert de Cotte in 1710.^[16]

The Palace of Louis XV[edit]

A masked ball in the Hall of Mirrors (1745) by Nicolas Cochin

Louis XIV died in 1714, and the young new King, Louis XV, just four years old, and his government were moved temporarily from Versailles to Paris under the regency of Philippe II, Duke of Orléans; in 1722, when the King came of age, he moved his residence and the government back to Versailles, where it remained until the French Revolution in 1789.^[15] Louis XV remained faithful to the original plan of his grandfather, and made few changes to the exteriors of Versailles, his main contributions were the construction of the Salon of Hercules, which connected the main building of the Palace with the north wing and the chapel (1724–36); and the royal opera theater, designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, and built between 1769 and 1770. The new theater was completed in time for the celebration of the wedding of the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, and Marie-Antoinette, the Archiduchesse of Austria, he also made numerous additions and changes to the royal apartments, where he, the Queen, his daughters, and his heir lived. In 1738, Louis XV remodeled the king's petit appartement on the north side of the Cour de Marbre, originally the entrance court of the old château. He discreetly provided accommodations in another part of the palace for his famous mistresses, Madame de Pompadour and later Madame Du Barry.

The extension of the King's petit appartement necessitated the demolition of the Ambassador's Staircase, one of the most admired features of Louis XIV's regime, which left the Palace without a grand staircase entrance,^[17] the following year Louis XV ordered the demolition of the north wing facing onto the Cour Royale, which had fallen into serious disrepair.^[18] He commissioned Gabriel to rebuild it in a more neoclassical style, the new wing was completed in 1780.

Louis XVI, and the Palace during the Revolution[edit]

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, with Lafayette, face the angry crowd from their balcony at Versailles, October 6, 1789

Louis XVI was constrained by the worsening financial situation of the kingdom from making major changes to the palace, so that he primarily focused on improvements to the royal apartments.^[19] Louis XVI gave Marie Antoinette the Petit Trianon in 1774, the Queen made extensive changes to the interior, and added a theater, the Théâtre de la Reine. She also totally transformed the arboretum planted during the reign of Louis XV into what became known as the Hameau de la Reine, this was a picturesque collection of buildings modeled after a rural French hamlet, where the Queen and her courtiers could play at being peasants.^[20] The Queen was at the Petit Trianon in 1789 when she first learned of the beginning of the French Revolution in July 1789.

In 1783, the Palace was the site of the signing of three treaties of the Peace of Paris (1783), in which the United Kingdom recognized the independence of the United States.

The King and Queen learned of the storming of the Bastille in Paris on July 14, 1789. while they were at the Palace, and remained isolated there as the Revolution in Paris spread. The growing anger in Paris led to The Women's March on Versailles on 5 October 1789. A crowe of several thousand men and women, protesting the high price and scarcity of bread, marched from the markets of Paris to Versailles, they took weapons from the city armory, besieged the Palace, and compelled the King and Royal family and the members of the National Assembly to return with them to Paris the following day.^[21]

As soon as the royal family departed, the Palace was closed, awaiting their return; in 1792, the Convention, the new revolutionary government, ordered the transfer of all the paintings and sculptures from the Palace to the Louvre. In 1793, the Convention declared the abolition of the monarchy, and ordered all of the royal property in the Palace to be sold at auction, the auction took place between 25 August 1793 and 11 August 1794. The furnishings and art of the Palace, including the furniture, mirrors, baths and kitchen equipment, were sold in seventeen thousand lots. All fleurs-de-lys and royal emblems on the buildings were chambered or chiseled off, the empty buildings were turned into a storehouse for furnishings, art and libraries confiscated from the nobility. The empty grand apartments were opened for tours beginning in 1793, and a small museum of French paintings and art school was opened in some of the empty rooms.^[22]

19th century - history museum and government venue[edit]

Banquet for Queen Victoria hosted by Napoleon III in the Royal Opera of Versailles, August 1855

Proclamation of the German Empire, 18 January 1871, 1877 by Anton von Werner

When Napoleon Bonaparte became Emperor of the French in 1804, he considered making Versailles his residence, but abandoned the idea because of the cost of the renovation. Prior to his marriage with Marie-Louise in 1810, he had the Grand Trianon restored and refurnished as a springtime residence for himself and his family, in the style of furnishing that it is seen today.^[23]

In 1815, with the final downfall of Napoleon, Louis XVIII, the younger brother of Louis XVI, became King, and considered returning the royal residence to Versailles, where he had been born, he ordered the restoration of the royal apartments, but the task and cost was too great. Neither he nor his successor Charles X lived at Versailles. ^[23]

The French Revolution of 1830 brought a new monarch, Louis-Philippe to power, and a new ambition for Versailles, he did not reside at Versailles, but began the creation of the Museum of the History of France, dedicated to "all the glories of France".located in the south wing of the Palace, which had been used to house some members of the royal family. The museum was begun in 1833 and inaugurated on 30 June 1837, its most famous room is the Galerie des Batailles (Hall of Battles), which lies on most of the length of the second floor.^[19] Louis Philippe had the far end of the south wing of the Cour Royale demolished and rebuilt to match the Gabriel wing of 1780 opposite, which gave greater uniformity of appearance to the front entrance,^[24] the museum project largely came to a halt when Louis Philippe was overthrown in 1848, though the paintings of French heroes and great battles still remain in the south wing.

Emperor Napoleon III used the Palace on occasion as a stage for grand ceremonies. One of the most lavish was the banquet that he hosted for Queen Victoria in the Royal Opera of Versailles on August 25, 1855.

During the Franco-German War of 1870-1871, the Palace was occupied by the general staff of the victorious German Army. Parts of the chateau, including the Gallery of Mirrors, were turned into a military hospital, the creation of the German Empire, combining Prussia and the surrounding German states under William I, was formally proclaimed in the Hall of Mirrors on January 18, 1871. {The Germans remained in the Palace until the signing of the armistice in March 1871. In that month, the government of the new Third French Republic, which had departed Paris during the War for Tours and then Bordeaux, moved into the Palace, the National Assembly held its meetings in the Opera House. ^[25]

The uprising of the Paris Commune in May, 1870 prevented the French government, under Adolphe Thiers, from returning immediately to Paris, the military operation which suppressed the Commune at the end of the month was directed from Versailles, and the prisoners of the Commune were marched there and put on trial in military courts. In 1875 a second parliamentary body, the French Senate, was created, and held its meetings for the election of a President of the Republic in a new hall created in 1876 in the south wing of the Palace, the French Senate continues to meet in the Palace on special occasions, such as the amendment of the French Constitution. ^[26]

20th century[edit]

The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors, Versailles, 28 June 1919 by William Orpen

The end of the 19th and the early 20th century saw the beginning of restoration efforts at the Palace, first led by Pierre de Nolhac, poet and scholar and the first conservator, who began his work in 1892, the conservation and restoration was interrupted by two world wars, but has continued until the present day.^[27]

The Palace briefly returned to the world stage in June, 1919, when the Treaty of Versailles, formally ending the First World War, was signed in the Hall of Mirrors. Between 1925 and 1928, the American philanthropist and multi-millionaire John D. Rockefeller gave $2,166,000, the equivalent of about thirty million dollars today, to restore and refurnish the palace.^[28]

More work took place after World War II, with the restoration of the Royal Opera of Versailles, the theater was reopened in 1957, in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain.

When these results and high quality achieved were brought to the attention of the French Minister of Culture, he revived 18th-century weaving techniques so as to reproduce the silks used in the decoration of Versailles,^[29] the two greatest achievements of this initiative are seen today in wall hangings used in the restoration of the chambre de la reine in the grand appartement de reine and the chambre du roi in the appartement du roi. While the design used for the chambre du roi was, in fact, from the original design to decorate the chambre de la reine, it nevertheless represents a great achievement in the ongoing restoration at Versailles. Additionally, this project, which took over seven years to achieve, required several hundred kilograms of silver and gold to complete.^[30] One of the more costly endeavours for the museum and France's Fifth Republic has been to repurchase as much of the original furnishings as possible. However, because furniture with a royal provenance – and especially furniture that was made for Versailles – is a highly sought after commodity on the international market, the museum has spent considerable funds on retrieving much of the palace's original furnishings.^[31]

21st century[edit]

In 2003, a new restoration initiative – the "Grand Versailles" project – was started, which began with the replantation of the gardens, which had lost over 10,000 trees during Hurricane Lothar on 26 December 1999. One part of the initiative, the restoration of the Hall of Mirrors, was completed in 2006.^[32] Another major project was the further of restoration of the backstage areas Royal Opera of Versailles, which was completed in 2009.

Architecture and plan[edit]

• 

  The Marble Court and facades of the first Chateau, embellished by Louis Le Vau (1661-68) and then Hardouin-Mansart in (1679–1681)

• 

  Plan of the main floor (c. 1837, with north to the right), showing the Hall of Mirrors in red, the Hall of Battles in green, the Royal Chapel in yellow, and the Royal Opera in blue

• 

  The facade facing the garden, with the royal apartments and the Gallery of Mirrors between them

The Palace of Versailles offers a visual history of French architecture from the 17th century to the end of the 18th century, it began with the original château, with the brick and stone and sloping slate mansard roofs of the Louis XIII style used by architect Philibert Le Roy. It then became grander and more monumental, with the addition of the colonnades and flat roofs of the new royal apartments in the French classical or Louis XIV style, as designed by Louis Le Vau and later Jules Hardouin-Mansart. It concluded in the lighter and more graceful neoclassical Louis XVI style of the Petit Trianon, completed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1768.

The palace was largely completed by the death of Louis XIV in 1715, the eastern facing palace has a U-shaped layout, with the corps de logis and symmetrical advancing secondary wings terminating with the Dufour Pavilion on the south and the Gabriel Pavilion to the north, creating an expansive cour d'honneur known as the Royal Court (Cour Royale). Flanking the Royal Court are two enormous asymmetrical wings that result in a facade of 402 metres (1,319 ft) in length.^[33] Encompassing 67,000 square metres (721,182 sq ft) the palace has 700 rooms, more than 2,000 windows, 1,250 fireplaces and 67 staircases.^[34]

The façade of Louis XIII's original château is preserved on the entrance front. Built of red brick and cut stone embellishments, the U-shaped layout surrounds a black-and-white marble courtyard; in the center, a 3-storey avant-corps fronted with eight red marble columns supporting a gilded wrought-iron balcony is surmounted with a triangle of lead statuary surrounding a large clock, whose hands were stopped upon the death of Louis XIV. The rest of the façade is completed with columns, painted and gilded wrought-iron balconies and dozens of stone tables decorated with consoles holding marble busts of Roman emperors. Atop the mansard slate roof are elaborate dormer windows and gilt lead roof dressings that were added by Hardouin-Mansart in 1679–1681.

Inspired by the architecture of baroque Italian villas, but executed in the French classical style, the garden front and wings were encased in white cut ashlar stone known as the enveloppe in 1668-1671 by Le Vau and modified by Hardouin-Mansart in 1678–1679,^[35] the exterior features an arcaded, rusticated ground floor, supporting a main floor with round-headed windows divided by reliefs and pilasters or columns. The attic storey has square windows and pilasters and crowned by a balustrade bearing sculptured trophies and flame pots dissimulating a flat roof.

The State Apartments of the King[edit]

• 

  The Salon of Hercules

• 

  The Salon of Abundance

• 

  The Salon of Venus

• 

  The Salon of Mercury

The State Apartments of the King were constructed between 1678 and 1686, at the same time as the Hall of Mirrors, they were originally intended as his residence, but the King transformed them into galleries for his finest paintings, and venues for his many receptions for courtiers. During the season from All-Saints Day in November until Easter, these were usually held three times a week, from six to ten in the evening, with various entertainments. ^[36]

The Salon of Hercules[edit]

The Salon of Hercules was originally a chapel, it was rebuilt beginning in 1712 as a showcase for the painting Meal at the House of Simon the Verisee by Veronese, which was a gift to Louis XIV from the Republic of Venice in 1664. The painting on the ceiling, The Apotheosis of Hercules, by François Lemoyne, was completed in 1712, and gave the room its name. ^[36]

The Salon of Abundance[edit]

The Salon of Abundance was the antechamber to the Cabinet of Curios (now the Games Room), which displayed the Louis XIV's collection of precious jewels and rare objects, some of these objects in the collection are depicted in the painting on the ceiling over the door opposite the windows, by Rene Antoine Houasse.

The Salon of Venus[edit]

This salon was used for serving light meals during evening receptions, the principal feature in this room is the life-size statue of Louis XIV by Jean Warin in the costume of a Roman emperor. On the ceiling in a gilded oval frame is the painting Venus subjugating the Gods and Powers, by Rene Antoine Houasse (1672-1681). Trompe l'oeil paintings and sculpture around the ceiling illustrate mythological themes. ^[37]

The Salon of Mercury[edit]

The Salon of Mercury was the original State Bedchamber when Louis XIV officially moved the court and government to the Palace in 1682, the bed is a replica of the original commissioned by King Louis-Philippe in the 19th century when he turned the Palace into a Museum. The ceiling paintings by the Flemish artist Jean Baptiste de Champaigne depicts the god Mercury in his chariot, drawn by a rooster, and Alexander the Great and Ptolemy surrounded by scholars and philosophers. The Automaton Clock was made for the King by the royal clockmaker Antoine Morand in 1706. When it chimes the hour, figures of Louis XIV and Fame descend from a cloud. ^[38]

• 

  Salon of Mars

• 

  Ceiling in the Salon of Apollo, depicting the Sun Chariot of Apollo

• 

  Bust of Louis XIV by Bernini in Salon of Diana

The Salon of Mars[edit]

The Salon of Mars was used by the royal guards until 1782, and was decorated on a military theme with helmets and trophies, it was turned into a concert room between 1684 and 1750, when galleries for musicians on either side. Portraits Louis XV and his Queen, Marie Leszczinska by the Flemish artist Carle Van Loo decorate the room today.

The Salon of Apollo[edit]

The Salon of Apollo was the royal throne room under Louis XIV, and was the setting for formal audiences, the eight-foot high silver throne was melted down in 1689 to help pay the costs of an expensive war, and was replaced by a more modest throne of gilded wood. The central painting on the ceiling, by Charles de la Fosse, depicts the Sun Chariot of Apollo, the King's favorite emblem, pulled by four horses and surrounded by the four seasons.

Salon of Diana[edit]

The Salon of Diana was used by Louis XIV as a billiards room, and had galleries from which courtiers could watch him play, the decoration of the walls and ceiling depicts scenes from the life of the goddess Diana. The celebrated bust of Louis XIV by Bernini made during the famous sculptor's visit to France in 1665, is on display here. ^[39]

The Grand Gallery[edit]

• 

  The Peace Salon

• 

  The Peace Salon; Louis XV sharing benefits of peace by François Lemoyne

• 

  Guerdirons in the Hall of Mirrors

• 

  The Galerie des Glaces or Hall of Mirrors

• 

  Relief of Louis XIV in the Salon of War, by Antoine Coysevox (1715)

The Grand Gallery is a set of three highly decorated reception rooms, dedicated to the celebration of the political and military successes of Louis XIV, and used for important ceremonies, celebrations and receptions.

The War Salon[edit]

The War Salon commemorates the victorious campaign of Louis XIV against the Dutch, which ended in 1678, the centerpiece is an enormous sculpted medallion of Louis XIV, on horseback, crossing the Rhine in 1672, created by Antoine Coysevox. Above the fireplace is a painting of Clio, the Muse of History, recording the exploits of the King.

The Hall of Mirrors[edit]

The Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors), is perhaps the most famous room in the château of Versailles, it took the place of the rooftop terrace overlooking the gardens which formerly connected the apartments of the King and Queen. The construction of the room began in 1678 and finished in 1689, the gallery is more than than 70 metres (230 ft) meters long, and it is lined with 17 wide arcaded mirrors, designed to match and reflect the windows opposite facing the gardens. Charles Le Brun painted thirty scenes of the early reign of Louis XIV on the ceiling. The centerpiece is a painting of the King titled, "The King Governing Alone", it shows Louis XIV, facing the powers of Europe, turning away from his pleasures to accept a crown of immortality from Glory, with the encouragement of Mars. ^[40]

The hall was originally furnished with solid silver furniture designed by Le Brun, but these furnishings were melted down in 1689 to help pay for war expenses. The King kept a silver throne, usually located the Salon of Apollo, which was brought to the Hall of Mirrors for formal ceremonies, such as the welcome of foreign ambassadors, including a delegation from the King of Siam in 1686, it was also used large events, such as full-dress and masked balls. Light was provided by candelabra on large gilded guerdirons lining the hall, those on display today were made in 1770 for the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, based on the moldings of earlier silver versions made by LeBrun that had been melted down. The twenty-four crystal chandeliers were hung only for special occasions. Courtiers gathered in the Hall to watch the King walk from his apartments to the chapel, and sometimes took he occasion to present him with requests. ^[40]

The Peace Salon[edit]

The Peace Salon is decorated to illustrate the role of France as the arbiter and peacemaker of Europe under Louis XV, the painting on the ceiling by François Lemoyne, Louis XV offering an olive branch to Europe, illustrates this theme. During the reign of Louis XV, the Queen, Marie Leszczyńska, used this salon as a music room, organizing concerts of secular and religious music each Sunday.^[41]

Royal Apartments[edit]

• 

  The King's bedchamber

• 

  The Queen's bedchamber

• 

  The gilded cabinet of Marie-Antoinette

• 

  Billard Room of Marie-Antoinette

As a result of Le Vau's enveloppe of Louis XIII's former hunting lodge transforming it, between 1631 and 1634, into a red brick and white stone small château, with a black tile roof, the king and the queen had new apartments in the new addition, known at the time as the château neuf. The grands appartements (Grand Apartments, also referred to as the State Apartments^[42]) are known respectively as the grand appartement du roi and the grand appartement de la reine. They occupied the main or principal floor of the château neuf, with three rooms in each apartment facing the garden to the west and four facing the garden parterres to the north and south, respectively. Le Vau's design for the state apartments closely followed Italian models of the day, as evidenced by the placement of the apartments on the next floor up from the ground level—the piano nobile—a convention the architect borrowed from 16th- and 17th-century Italian palace design.^[43]

Plan of the main floor in the central part of the palace (c. 1742),^[44] showing the grand appartement du roi in dark blue, the appartement du roi in medium blue, the petit appartement du roi in light blue, the grand appartement de la reine in yellow, and the petit appartement de la reine in red

The king's apartment consisted of an enfilade of seven rooms, each dedicated to one of the known planets and their associated titular Roman deity, the queen's apartment formed a parallel enfilade with that of the grand appartement du roi. It served as the residence of three queens of France - Marie-Thérèse d'Autriche, wife of Louis XIV, Marie Leczinska, wife of Louis XV, and Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI. Additionally, Louis XIV's granddaughter-in-law, Princess Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy, duchesse de Bourgogne, wife of the Petit Dauphin, occupied these rooms from 1697 (the year of her marriage) to her death in 1712.^[b] After the addition of the Hall of Mirrors (1678–1684) the king's apartment was reduced to five rooms (until the reign of Louis XV, when two more rooms were added) and the queen's to four.

Private Apartments of the King[edit]

The apartments of the King were the heart of the chateau; they were in the same location as the rooms of Louis XIII, the creator of the chateau, on the first floor (second floor US style). They were set aside the personal use of Louis XIV in 1683, he and his successors Louis XV and Louis XVI, used these rooms for official functions, such as the ceremonial lever ("Waking Up") and the coucher ("Going to bed") of the monarch, which were attended by a crowd of courtiers.

The King's apartment was accessed from the Hall of Mirrors from the Oeil de Boeuf antechamber past the Guardroom and the Grand Couvert, the ceremonial room where Louis XIV often took his evening meals, seated alone at a table in front of the fireplace, his spoon, fork and knife were brought to him in a golden box. The courtiers could watch as he dined.^[45]

The King's bedchamber had originally been the State Drawing Room and had been used by Queen Marie-Theresa, but after her death in 1701 Louis XIV took it over to use as his own bedroom. Louis IV died in the room on September 15, 1751. Both Louis XV and Louis XVI continued to use the bedroom for their official awakening and going to bed, on October 6, 1789, from the balcony of this room Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, joined by the Marquis de Lafayette, looked down on the hostile crowd in the courtyard, shortly before he was forced to return to Paris.^[45]

The bed of the King is placed beneath a carved relief by Nicolas Coustou titled France watching over the sleeping King. The decoration includes several paintings set into the paneling, including a self-portrait of Antony Van Dyck.^[45]

Private apartments of The Queen[edit]

The petit appartement de la reine is a suite of rooms that were reserved for the personal use of the queen. Originally arranged for the use of the Marie-Thérèse, consort of Louis XIV, the rooms were later modified for use by Marie Leszczyńska and finally for Marie-Antoinette. The Queen's apartments and the King's Apartments were laid out on the same design, each suite having seven rooms. Both suites had ceilings painted with scenes from mythology; the King's ceilings featured male figures, the Queen's featured females.

Royal Chapel[edit]

• 

  The Royal Chapel, the tallest building of the Palace

• 

  Royal Chapel seen from the ground floor

• 

  The Royal Chapel, seen from the Royal Gallery

• 

  Altar and organ of the Royal Chapel

• 

  Glory holding a portrait of Louis XV, by Antoine Vassé, in the chapel vestibule

The Chapel was the last building at Versailles to be completed during the reign Louis XIV, it was consecrated in 1710, and was dedicated to Louis IX of France, the ancestor and patron saint of the King. Construction was begun by Hardouin-Mansart in 1699, and was completed by de Corte. Daily services, wedding ceremonies and baptisms were held in this chapel until 1789. Like other royal chapels, it had two levels; the King and family worshipped in the Royal Gallery on the upper level, while ordinary courtiers stood on the ground level. ^[46]

The paintings on the ceiling depict scenes depicting the three figures of the trinity; in the center is The Glory of the Father Announcing the Coming of the Messiah by Antoine Coypel. Above the altar is The Resurrection of Christ; and above the royal gallery, is The Holy Spirit Descending Upon the Virgin and the Apostles. The corridor and vestibulethat connected the Chapel the State Apartments included later art, commissioned by Louis XV, intended to portray the link between Divinity and the King; a statue of Glory Holding the Medallion of Louis XV, by Antoine Vassé; and Royal Magnanimity by Jacques Bousseau.^[47]

Royal Opera[edit]

• 

  Foyer of the Royal Opera

• 

  The Royal Opera during the celebration of the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette (1770)

• 

  State of the Royal Opera

• 

  Ceilng of the opera, painted by Louis Jean-Jacques Durameau

The Royal Opera of Versailles was originally commissioned by Louis XVI in 1682, to be built at the end of the North Wing with a design by Mansart and Vigarani. However, due to the expense of the King's continental wars, the project was put aside, the idea was revived by Louis XV with a new design by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1748, but this also was temporarily put aside. The project was revived and rushed ahead for the planned celebration of the marriage of the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, and Marie-Antoinette, for economy and speed, the new opera was built almost entirely of wood, which also gave it very high quality acoustics. The wood was painted to resemble marble, and the ceiling was decorated with a painting of the Apollo, the god of the arts, preparing crowns for illustrious artists, by Louis Jean-Jacques Durameau, the sculptor Augustin Pajou added statuary and reliefs to complete the decoration. The new Opera was inaugurated on May 16, 1770, as part of the celebration of the royal wedding. ^[48]

In October 1789, early in the French Revolution, the last banquet for the royal guardsmen was hosted by the King in the opera, before he departed for Paris. Following Franco-German War and the Paris Commune in 1871 until 1875, the French National Assembly met in the opera, until the proclamation of the Third French Republic and the return of the government to Paris. ^[8]

Museum of the History of France[edit]

• 

  Louis Philippe dedicates the Gallery of Battles, by François-Joseph Heim (1837)

• 

  The Gallery of Battles in the Museum of the History of France

• 

  The Battle of Taillebourg, by Eugene Delacroix (1837)

• 

  Louis Philippe and his sons pose before the gates of Versailles, by Horace Vernet History Gallery, (1846)

Shortly after becoming King in 1830, Louis-Philippe I decided to transform the Palace, which was empty of furnishings and in poor repair, into a museum devoted to "All the Glories of France," with paintings and sculpture depicting famous French victories and heroes, the walls of the apartments of the courtiers and lesser members of the royal family on the first floor (second floor U.S. style) were demolished, and turned into a series of several large galleries; the Coronation Room, which displays the celebrated painting of the coronation of Napoleon I by Jacques Louis David; the Hall of Battles; commemorating French victories with large-scale paintings; and the 1830 room, which celebrated Louis-Philippe's own coming the power in the French Revolution of 1830. Some paintings were brought from the Louvre, including works depicting events in French history by Philippe de Champaigne, Pierre Mignard, Laurent de La Hyre, Charles Le Brun, Adam Frans van der Meulen, Nicolas de Largillière, Hyacinthe Rigaud, Jean Antoine Houdon, Jean Marc Nattier, Elisabeth Vigée Le Brun, Hubert Robert, Thomas Lawrence, Jacques-Louis David, and Antoine Jean Gros. Others were commissioned especially for the museum by prominent artists of the early 19th century, including Eugène Delacroix, who painted Saint Louis at the French victory over the British in the Battle of Taillebourg in 1242. Other painters featured include Horace Vernet and François Gérard. A monumental painting by Vernet features Louis Philippe himself, with his sons, posing in front of the gates of the Palace. ^[49]

The overthrow of Louis Philippe in 1848 put an end to his grand plans for the museum, but the Gallery of Battles is still as it was, and is passed through by many visitors to the royal apartments and grand salons. Another set of rooms on the first floor has been made into galleries on Louis XIV and his court, displaying furniture, paintings and sculpture; in recent years, eleven rooms on the ground floor between the Chapel and the Opera have been turned into a history of the palace, with audiovisual displays and models.^[49]

Gardens and Fountains[edit]

• 

  Bassin de Flore (1672-1679)

• 

  The Orangerie garden

• 

  Fountain of Latona, with the Grand Canal in the background

The park and gardens of Versailles were begun by André  Le Nôtre beginning in 1670. They are the finest example of the   jardin à la française, or the French formal garden.  They were originally designed to be viewed from the terrace on the west side of the Palace, and to create a grand perspective that reached to the horizon, illustrating the King's complete dominance over nature.  

The Parterre D'Eau and the Parterre and Fountain of Latona[edit]

The features closest to the Palace are the two water parterres, large pools which reflect the facade of the Palace, these are decorated with smaller works of sculpture, representing the rivers of France, which are placed to not interfere with the reflections in the water.  Down a stairway from the Parterre d'eau is the Latona Fountain,  created in 1670. illustrating the story of Latona taken from the Metamorphoses of Ovid. According the story, when the peasants of Lycia insulted Latona, the mother of Apollo and Diana, the god Jupiter transformed the peasants into frogs. The fountain was begun in 1670 by Le Nôtre, then enlarged and modified by Hardouin Mansart, who placed the statue of Latona atop a marble pyramid. ^[50]

Fountain of the Chariot of Apollo and the Grand Canal[edit]

The Grand Perspective of the Palace continues from the Fountain of Latona south along a grassy lane, the Tais Vert or green carpet, to the Basin of the Chariot Apollo. Apollo, the sun god, was the emblem of Louis XIV, featured in much of the decoration of the Palace, the chariot rising from the water symbolized the rising of the sun. It was designed by Le Brun and made by the sculptor Jean Baptiste Tuby between 1668 and 1670, cast in iron and then gilded. Beyond the fountain, the Grand Canal extends 1800 meters to to south end of the park. ^[50]

North Parterre, Dragon Basin and Basin of Neptune[edit]

Another group of formal gardens is located on the north side of the water parterre, it includes two bouquets or groves: the grove of the Three Fountains, The Bosquet of the Arch of Triumph, and north of these, three major fountains, the Pyramid Fountain, Dragon Fountain and the Neptune Fountain. The fountains in this area all have a maritime or aquatic theme; the Pyramid Fountain is decorated with Tritons, Sirens, dolphins and nymphs. The Dragon fountain is one of the oldest Versailles; and has the highest jet of water, twenty-seven meters. It is not actually a dragon, but python, a mythical serpent that was killed by Apollo, the Neptune fountain was originally decorated only with a circle of large lead basins jetting water; Louis XV added statues of Neptune, Triton and other gods of the sea. ^[51]

South Parterre and the Orangerie[edit]

The South Parterre is located beneath the windows of the Queen's apartments and on the roof of the Orangerie, it is decorated with box trees and flowers in arabesque patterns. The underground orangerie was designed to hold over a thousand citrus fruit, palms and oleanders, and other southern-climate trees during winter, they are taken out into the gardens from mid-May until mid-October.^[51]

The Groves[edit]

• 

  Grove of the Three Fountains

• 

  The Ballroom Grove

• 

  The Grove of the Collonade

The largest part of the garden is divided into bouquets or groves of trees, eight on the north side of the garden, and six to the south, the groves were created between 1680 and 1690, were lined with high trees, carefully trimmed in cubic forms to resemble rooms with walls of greenery, Each grove had its own theme, and fountains, statuary, grottoes and other decoration. Some were highly formal, like the Grove of the Collonade, with a circle of columns alternating with fountains, while others imitated nature, they were often used for concerts, or theatrical performances. The most famous groves are the Ballroom Grove and Collonade Grove, both restored to the way they were under Louis XIV. Other restored groves include the Dome Grove, the Enceladus Grove, the Water Theater Grove, and the Baths of Apollo Grove. Some are now decorated with contemporary works of art.^[52]

The Grand Trianon and Petit Trianon[edit]

• 

  Peristyle of the Grand Trianon

• 

  West facade of the Petit Trianon

• 

  The Temple of Love

• 

  The Queen's Theater at the Petit Trianon

In 1668 Louis XIV decided to build a smaller palace some distance from the main palace, where he could spend quieter time away from the crowds and formality of his Court, he purchased a village called Trianon which adjoined the park, and constructed a pavilion covered with blue and white porcelain in the fashionable Chinese style; it was finished in 1670, and became known as the Porcelain Trianon. In 1687, he replaced it with the Grand Trianon, a larger and more classical pavilion designed by Mansart, with a terrace and walls faced with of different colored slabs of marble, after the Revolution, the Trianon served as a residence for both Napoleon I and later for King Louis-Philippe when they visited Versailles. It is decorated today largely as it was under Napoleon and Louis-Philippe.^[52]

The Petit Trianon was created between 1763 and 1768 by Ange-Jacques Gabriel for Louis XV, the square shaped building, with each facade different, was a prototype of Neoclassicism in France. The most ornate facade, with Corinthian columns, faced the French landscape garden. Louis XVI gave the Petit Trianon as a gift to his bride, Marie-Antoinette, she asked the architect Richard Mique and painter Hubert Robert to design a new English-style landscape garden to replace the formal French garden. Not far from the Petit Trianon she had the Rock Pavilion constructed, and added the classical rotunda of the Temple of Love, built in 1777; in 1780, she built a small theater at the Petit Trianon. In her theater she played a part in one of the first performances of the play The Marriage of Figaro by Pierre Beaumarchais, which helped ensure its success. She was at the Petit Trianon in July 1789 when she first heard the news from Paris of the storming of the Bastille and the beginning of the French Revolution. ^[52]

The Hamlet of Marie Antoinette[edit]

One of the most celebrated features of the park is the Hameau de la Reine, small rustic hamlet near the Petit Trianon created for Queen Marie Antoinette between 1783 and 1785 by the royal architect Richard Mique with the help of the painter Hubert Robert. It replaced a botanical garden created by Louis XV, and consisted of twelve structures, ten of which of still exist, in the style of villages in Normandy, it was designed for the Queen and her friends to amuse themselves by playing peasants, and included a farmhouse with dairy, a mill, a boudoir, a pigeon loft, a tower in the form of a lighthouse from which one could fish in the pond, a belvedere, a cascade and grotto, and a luxuriously furnished cottage with a billiard room for the Queen.^[53]

Modern Political and ceremonial functions[edit]

The palace still serves political functions. Heads of state are regaled in the Hall of Mirrors; the bicameral French Parliament—consisting of the Senate (Sénat) and the National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)—meet in joint session (a congress of the French Parliament) in Versailles^[54] to revise or otherwise amend the French Constitution, a tradition that came into effect with the promulgation of the 1875 Constitution.^[56] For example, the Parliament met in joint session at Versailles to pass constitutional amendments in June 1999 (for domestic applicability of International Criminal Court decisions and for gender equality in candidate lists), in January 2000 (ratifying the Treaty of Amsterdam), and in March 2003 (specifying the "decentralized organization" of the French Republic).^[54]

In 2009, President Nicolas Sarkozy addressed the global financial crisis before a congress in Versailles, the first time that this had been done since 1848, when Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte gave an address before the French Second Republic.^[57][58][59] Following the November 2015 Paris attacks, President François Hollande gave a speech before a rare joint session of parliament at the Palace of Versailles.^[60] This was the third time since 1848 that a French president addressed a joint session of the French Parliament at Versailles,^[61] the president of the National Assembly has an official apartment at the Palace of Versailles.^[62]

The Fountains and the shortage of water[edit]

Supplying water for the fountains of Versailles was a major problem for the royal government, the 18th-century waterworks at Marly— the Machine de Marly that fed the fountains— was possibly the biggest mechanical system of its time. The water came in from afar on monumental stone aqueducts which have long ago fallen into disrepair or been torn down, some aqueducts, such as the unfinished Canal de l'Eure, which passes through the gardens of the château de Maintenon, were never completed for want of resources or due to the exigencies of war. Despite enormous investment in canals and machinery for hoisting water, Versailles never had a sufficient water supply for its hundreds and fountains. When the King promenaded in the gardens, fountains were turned on only when the King was approaching them, and turned off after he departed. Today, only a few fountains are supplied with water, and only operate on a very limited schedule.

Cost[edit]

One of the most baffling aspects to the study of Versailles is the cost – how much Louis XIV and his successors spent on Versailles. Owing to the nature of the construction of Versailles and the evolution of the role of the palace, construction costs were essentially a private matter. Initially, Versailles was planned to be an occasional residence for Louis XIV and was referred to as the "king's house".^[63] Accordingly, much of the early funding for construction came from the king's own purse, funded by revenues received from his appanage as well as revenues from the province of New France (Canada), which, while part of France, was a private possession of the king and therefore exempt from the control of the Parliaments.^[64]

Once Louis XIV embarked on his building campaigns, expenses for Versailles became more of a matter for public record, especially after Jean-Baptiste Colbert assumed the post of finance minister. Expenditures on Versailles have been recorded in the compendium known as the Comptes des bâtiments du roi sous le règne de Louis XIV and which was edited and published in five volumes by Jules Guiffrey in the 19th century. These volumes provide valuable archival material pursuant to the financial expenditures of all aspects of Versailles from the payments disbursed for many trades as varied as artists and mole catchers.^[65]

To counter the costs of Versailles during the early years of Louis XIV's personal reign, Colbert decided that Versailles should be the "showcase" of France.^[66] Accordingly, all materials that went into the construction and decoration of Versailles were manufactured in France. Even the mirrors used in the decoration of the Hall of Mirrors were made in France. While Venice in the 17th century had the monopoly on the manufacture of mirrors, Colbert succeeded in enticing a number of artisans from Venice to make the mirrors for Versailles. However, owing to Venetian proprietary claims on the technology of mirror manufacture, the Venetian government ordered the assassination of the artisans to keep the secrets proprietary to the Venetian Republic.^[66] To meet the demands for decorating and furnishing Versailles, Colbert nationalised the tapestry factory owned by the Gobelin family, to become the Manufacture royale des Gobelins.^[66]

Louis XIV visits the Gobelins with Colbert, 15 October 1667. Tapestry from the series, "Histoire du roi" designed by Charles Le Brun and woven between 1667 and 1672. Articles of Louis XIV's silver furniture are seen in this tapestry.

In 1667, the name of the enterprise was changed to the Manufacture royale des Meubles de la Couronne, the Gobelins were charged with all decoration needs of the palace, which was under the direction of Charles Le Brun.^[66]

One of the most costly elements in the furnishing of the grands appartements during the early years of the personal reign of Louis XIV was the silver furniture, which can be taken as a standard – with other criteria – for determining a plausible cost for Versailles. The Comptes meticulously list the expenditures on the silver furniture – disbursements to artists, final payments, delivery – as well as descriptions and weight of items purchased. Entries for 1681 and 1682 concerning the silver balustrade used in the salon de Mercure serve as an example:

• Year 1681

II. 5 In anticipation: For the silver balustrade for the king's bedroom: 90,000 livres

II. 7 18 November to Sieur du Metz, 43,475 livres 5 sols for delivery to Sr. Lois and to Sr. de Villers for payment of 142,196 livres for the silver balustrade that they are making for the king's bedroom and 404 livres for tax: 48,861 livres 5 sol.
II. 15 16 June 1681 – 23 January 1682 to Sr. Lois and Sr. de Villers silversmiths on account for the silver balustrade that they are making for the king's use (four payments): 88,457 livres 5 sols.
II. 111 25 March – 18 April to Sr. Lois and Sr. de Villers silversmiths who are working on a silver balustrade for the king, for continued work (two payments): 40,000 livres

• Year 1682

II. 129 21 March to Sr. Jehannot de Bartillay 4,970 livres 12 sols for the delivery to Sr. Lois and de Villers silversmiths for, with 136,457 livres 5 sol to one and 25,739 livres 10 sols to another, making the 38 balusters, 17 pilasters, the base and the cornice for the balustrade for the château of Versailles weighing 4,076 marc at the rate of 41 livres the marc^[c] including 41 livres 2 sols for tax: 4,970 livres 12 sols.^[65]

Accordingly, the silver balustrade, which contained in excess of one ton of silver, cost in excess of 560,000 livres, it is difficult – if not impossible – to give an accurate rate of exchange between 1682 and today.^[d] However, Frances Buckland provides valuable information that provides an idea of the true cost of the expenditures at Versailles during the time of Louis XIV; in 1679, Mme de Maintenon stated that the cost of providing light and food for twelve people for one day amounted to slightly more than 14 livres.^[67] In December 1689, to defray the cost of the War of the League of Augsburg, Louis XIV ordered all the silver furniture and articles of silver at Versailles – including chamber pots – sent to the mint to be melted.^[68]

Clearly, the silver furniture alone represented a significant outlay in the finances of Versailles. While the decoration of the palace was costly, certain other costs were minimised, for example, labour for construction was often low, due largely to the fact that the army during times of peace and during the winter, when wars were not waged, was pressed into action at Versailles. Additionally, given the quality and uniqueness of the items produced at the Gobelins for use and display at Versailles, the palace served as a venue to showcase not only the success of Colbert's mercantilism, but also to display the finest that France could produce.^[69]

Estimates of the amount spent to build Versailles are speculative. An estimate in 2000 placed the amount spent during the Ancien Régime as US$2 billion,^[70] this figure being, in all probability, an under-evaluation. France's Fifth Republic expenditures alone, directed to restoration and maintenance at Versailles, undoubtedly surpass those of the Sun King.

In popular culture[edit]

Films

• Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted (2012) is an animated film in which sophisticated chimpanzees Mason and Phil dress up as "King of Versailles" in reference to the Palace of Versailles
• Marie Antoinette (2006) is a film written and directed by Sofia Coppola and starring Kirsten Dunst. It is based on the life of Queen Marie Antoinette in the years leading up to the French Revolution, filmed on location at the Palace of Versailles.

Music

• "The Palace of Versailles" is a song by singer-songwriter Al Stewart, detailing the French Revolution, The Terror, and Napoléon Bonaparte's military coup, from the perspective of "the lonely Palace of Versailles"
• On 2 July 2005, the French Live 8 was held in the courtyard of Versailles

Television

• In the Doctor Who episode, "Girl in the Fire Place" (2005), The Doctor met the Madame de Pompadour in the Palace of Versailles
• Let Them Eat Cake, a 1999 BBC comedy starring Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French, is set within the Palace.
• Versailles is a 2015 British-American-Franco-Canadian television series set during the construction of Versailles Palace during the reign of Louis XIV

Video games

• Assassin's Creed Rogue is set in Versailles at the end of the game
• Assassin's Creed Unity is set in Versailles at the beginning of the game
• Castlevania: Bloodlines is a Konami video game in which Versailles is the fifth stage

Gallery[edit]

• 

  Panoramic view from the park

• 

  Panoramic view from the city

See also[edit]

• Bureau du Roi

• List of Baroque residences
• Paris Peace Conference, 1919
• Peterhof Palace
• Style Louis XIV
• Tennis Court Oath (French: serment du jeu de paume) in the Saint-Louis district
• Treaty of Versailles
• Versailles Cathedral

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

Footnotes[edit]

Works cited[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Palace of Versailles.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Versailles.

• Palace of Versailles Official Site
• Virtual Tour of the Palace (fullscreen panoramic tour)
• Large Versailles photo gallery
• Flickr : Le Parc de Versailles
• Versailles on Paper (exhibition website)
• 3D evolution of the Palace of Versailles