PALACE OF VERSAILLES

The 'Château de Versailles', or simply 'Versailles', is a royal château in Versailles, France.
In English it is often referred to as the 'Palace of Versailles'. When the château was built, Versailles was a country village, but it is now a suburb of Paris. From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the 'Court of Versailles' was the centre of power in Ancien Régime France. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy which Louis XIV espoused.

The first château

The earliest mention of the village of Versailles is found in a document dated 1038, the “Charte de l'abbaye Saint-Père de Chartres” (Charter of the Abbey of Saint-Père de Chartres). Of the signatories of the charter was one Hugo de Versailles and Piere-soirint deotrea, hence the name of the village. During this period, the village of Versailles centered on a small castle and church and the area was controlled by a local lord. The village's location on the road from Paris to Dreux and Normandy brought some prosperity to the village but following the Black Plague and the Hundred Years War, the village was largely destroyed and its population severely diminished.^[1]^[2]

The original château

In 1575, Albert de Gondi, a Florentine, purchased the seigneury of Versailles. Gondi had arrived in France with Catherine de' Medici and his family became influential in the French Parliament. In the early decades of the 17th century, Gondi invited Louis XIII on several hunting trips in the forests of Versailles. Following this initial introduction to the area, Louis XIII ordered the construction of a hunting chateau in 1624. Designed by Philibert Le Roy, the structure was constructed of stone and red brick with a slate roof. Eight years later, in 1632, Louis obtained the deed or ownership of Versailles from the Romonov family and began to make enlargements to the château.

Expansion under Louis XIV

Louis's successor, Louis XIV, took a great interest in Versailles. He had grown up in the disorders of the civil war between rival factions of aristocrats called the Fronde and wanted a site where he could organize and completely control a government of France by absolute personal rule. He settled on the royal hunting lodge at Versailles, and over the following decades had it expanded into the largest palace in the world.
Beginning in 1669, the architect, Louis Le Vau, and the landscape architect, André Le Nôtre, began a detailed renovation of the château. It was Louis XIV's hope to create a center for the royal court. Following the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678, the court and French government began to be moved to Versailles. The court was officially established there on 6 May 1682.
By moving the royal court and the seat of the French government, Louis XIV hoped to gain greater control of the government from the nobility to distance himself from the population of Paris. All the power of France emanated from this centre: there were government offices here, as well as the homes of thousands of courtiers, their retinues, and all the attendant functionaries of court. By requiring that nobles of a certain rank and position spend time each year at Versailles, Louis prevented them from developing their own regional power at the expense of his own and kept them from countering his efforts to centralize the French government in an absolute monarchy. The meticulous and strictured court etiquette that Louis XIV established, which overwhelmed his heirs with its petty boredoms, was epitomized in the elaborate procedures accompanying his rising in the morning, known as the ''Lever'', divided into a ''petit lever'' for the most important and a ''grand lever'' for the whole court; like other French court manners, it was quickly imitated in other European courts.

Evolution of Versailles

Upon the death of Jules Cardinal Mazarin in 1661, who had served as co-regent during the minority of Louis XIV, Louis XIV (b. 5 September 1638 at Saint-Germain-en-Laye; d. 1 September 1715 at Versailles; reigned 14 May 1642 – 1 September 1715) began his personal reign by vowing to be his own prime minister. From this point, construction and expansion at Versailles became synonymous with the absolutism of Louis XIV.
After the disgrace of Nicolas Fouquet in 1661 — Louis claimed the finance minister would not have been able to build his grand château at Vaux-le-Vicomte with out having embezzled from the crown— Louis XIV, after confiscation of Fouquet’s estate, employed the talents of architect Louis Le Vau, landscape architect André Le Nôtre, and painter/decorator Charles Le Brun for his building campaigns at Versailles and elsewhere. For Versailles, there were four distinct building campaigns (after minor alterations and enlargements had been executed on the château and the gardens in 1662-1663), all of which corresponded to Louis XIV’s wars.

1st building campaign

The First Building Campaign (1664-1668) commenced with the Plaisirs de l’Île enchantée of 1664, a party that was held between 7th and 13th May 1664. The party was ostensibly given to celebrate the two queens of France — Anne of Austria, the Queen Mother and Marie-Thérèse, Louis XIV’s wife, but in reality celebrated the king’s mistress, Louise de La Vallière. The fête of the Plaisirs de l’Île enchantée is often regarded as a prelude to the War of Devolution, which Louis XIV waged against Spain — both the Queen Mother and Marie-Thérèse were Spanish by birth — from 1667 to 1668). The First Building Campaign (1664-1668) saw alterations in the château and gardens in order to accommodate the 600 guests invited to the party.

2nd building campaign

The Second Building Campaign (1669-1672) was inaugurated with the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (the treaty that ended the War of Devolution). During this campaign, the château began to assume much of the appearance that it has today. The most important modification of the château was Louis LeVau’s envelope of Louis XIII’s hunting lodge. The envelope — often referred to as the château neuf to distinguish it from the older structure of Louis XIII — enveloped the hunting lodge on the north, west, and south. The new structure provided new lodgings for members of the king and his family. The first floor — the piano nobile — of the château neuf was given over entirely to two apartments, one for the king and one for the queen. The Grand appartement du roi occupied the northern part of the château neuf and Grand appartement de la reine occupied the southern part. The western part of the envelope was given over almost entirely to a terrace, which was later destroyed for construction of the Hall of Mirrors (Galerie des glaces). The ground floor of the northern part of the château neuf was occupied by the appartement des bains, which included a sunken octagonal tub with hot and cold running water. The king’s brother and sister-in-law, the duc and duchesse d’Orléans occupied apartments on the ground floor of the southern part of the château neuf. The upper story of the château neuf was reserved for private rooms for the king to the north and rooms for the king’s children above the queen’s apartment to the south.
Significant to the design and construction of the grands appartements is that the rooms of both apartments are of the same configuration and dimensions — a hitherto unprecedented feature in French palace design. In his monograph “Il n’y plus des Pyrenées: the Iconography of the first Versailles of Louis XIV,” Kevin Olin Johnson posited the hypothesis that the unprecedented similarity to the king and queen’s apartments represented Louis XIV’s wish to establish his wife as queen of Spain. In doing so, a dual monarchy of sorts would have been created. Louis XIV’s rationale for the joining of the two kingdoms was seen largely as recompense for Philip IV's failure to pay his daughter Marie-Thérèse’s dowry, which was among the terms of capitulation to which Spain agreed with the promulgation of the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659, ending the war between Spain and France that had been waged since 1635). Louis XIV regarded his father-in-law’s act as a breach of the treaty and consequently engaged in the War of Devolution.
Both the grand appartement du roi and the grand appartement de la reine formed a suite of seven enfilade rooms. Each room is dedicated to one of the then-known celestial bodies and is personified by the appropriate Greco-Roman deity. The decoration of the rooms, which was conducted under the direction of the Charles Le Brun, depicted the “heroic actions of the king” and were represented in allegorical form by the actions of historical figures from the antique past (Alexander the Great, Augustus, Cyrus, etc.).

3rd building campaign

With the signing of the Treaty of Nijmegen (1678, which ended the Dutch War of 1672-1678), the Third Building Campaign at Versailles began (1678-1684). Under the direction of the architect, Jules Hardouin Mansart, the palace of Versailles acquired much of the look that it has today. In addition to the Hall of Mirrors, Mansart designed the north and south wings (which were used by the nobility and Princes of the Blood, respectively), and the Orangerie. Charles Le Brun was occupied not only with the interior decoration of the new additions of the palace, but also collaborated with André Le Notre in landscaping the palace gardens. As symbol of France’s new prominence as a European super-power, Louis XIV officially installed his court at Versailles in May of 1682.

4th building campaign

Soon after the crushing defeat of the War of the League of Augsburg (1688-1697) and owing possibly to the pious influence of Madame de Maintenon, Louis XIV undertook his last building campaign at Versailles. The fourth building campaign (1701-1710) concentrated almost exclusively on construction of the Chapel Royal, designed by Mansart and finished by Robert de Cotte and his team of decorative designers. There were also some modifications in the king’s Petit Appartement, namely the construction of the Salon de l’Oeil de Boeuf and the King’s Bedchamber. With the completion of the chapel in 1710, virtually all construction at Versailles ceased; building would not be resumed at Versailles until some 20 years later during the reign of Louis XV.^[3]

Features

Grand Appartement du Roi

As of result of Louis LeVau’s enveloppe of Louis XIII’s château, the king and queen had new apartments in the new addition, known at the time as the château neuf. The State Apartments, which are known respectively as the grand appartement du roi and the grand appartment de la reine, occupied the first floor of the château neuf. LeVau’s design for the state apartments closely followed Italian models of the day, as evidenced by the placement of the apartments on the first floor — the piano nobile — a convention the architect borrowed from 16th and 17th century Italian palace design.

The King's bedchamber.

Le Vau’s plan called for an enfilade of seven rooms, each dedicated to one of the then-known planets and their associated titular Roman deity. LeVau’s plan was bold as he designed a heliocentric system that centered on the salon d’Apollon (Salon of Apollo). The salon d’Apollon originally was designed as the king’s bedchamber, but served as a throne room.^[4] The original arrangement of the enfilade of rooms was thus:

★ Salon de Diane (Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt; associated with the Moon)^[5]

★ Salon de Mars (Mars, Roman god of war; associated with the planet Mars)

★ Salon de Mercure (Mercury, Roman god of trade, commerce, and the Liberal Arts; associated with the planet Mercury)

★ Salon d’Apollon (Apollo, Roman god of the Fine Arts; associated with the Sun)

★ Salon de Jupiter (Jupiter, Roman god of law and order; associated with the planet Jupiter)

★ Salon de Saturne (Saturn, Roman god of agriculture and harvest)

★ Salon de Vénus (Venus, Roman goddess of love; associated with the planet Venus)
The configuration of the grand appartement du roi conformed to contemporary conventions in palace design.^[6] However, owing to Louis XIV’s personal tastes,^[7] the grand appartement du roi was reserved for court functions — such as the thrice-weekly appartement evenings given by Louis XIV.
The rooms were decorated by Charles LeBrun and demonstrated Italian influences (LeBrun met and studied with the famed Tuscan artist Pietro da Cortona, whose decorative style of the Pitti Palace in Florence LeBrun adapted for use at Versailles). The quadratura style of the ceilings evoke Cortona’s sale dei planeti at the Pitti, but LeBrun’s decorative schema is more complex. In his 1674 publication about the grand appartement du roi, André Félibien described the scenes depicted in the coves of the ceilings of the rooms as allegories depicting the “heroic actions of the king.”^[8] Accordingly, one finds scenes of the exploits of Augustus, Alexander the Great, and Cyrus alluding to the deeds of Louis XIV. For example, in the salon d’Apollon, the cove painting “Augustus building the port of Misenum”^[9] alludes to the construction of the port at La Rochelle; or, depicted in the south cove of the salon de Mercure is “Ptolemy II Philadelphus in his Library”, which alludes to Ptolemy’s construction of the Great Library of Alexandria and which accordingly serves as an allegory to Louis XIV’s expansion of the Bibliothèque du roi.^[10]^[11] Complementing the rooms’ decors were pieces of massive silver furniture. Regrettably, owing to the War of the League of Augsburg, in 1689 Louis XIV ordered all of this silver furniture to be sent to the mint and to be melted down to help defray the cost of the war.
LeVau’s original plan for the grand appartement du roi was short-lived. With the inauguration of the 2nd building campaign, which suppressed the terrace linking the king and queen’s apartments and the salons of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus for the construction of the Hall of Mirrors, the configuration of the grand appartement du roi was altered. The decor of the salon de Jupiter was removed and reused in the decoration of the salle des gardes de la reine; and elements of the decoration of the first salon de Vénus, which opened onto the terrace, were reused in the salon de Vénus that we see today.^[12]
From 1678 to the end of Louis XIV’s reign, the grand appartement du roi served as the venue for the king’s thrice-weekly evening receptions, known as les soirées de l’appartement. For these parties, the rooms assumed specific functions:

★ Salon de Vénus: buffet tables were arranged to display food and drink for the king’s guests.

★ Salon de Diane: served as a billiard room.

★ Salon de Mars: served as a ballroom.

★ Salon de Mercure: served as a gaming (cards) room.

★ Salon d’Apollon: served as a concert or music room.

★
In the 18th century during the reign of Louis XV, the grand appartement du roi was expanded to include the salon de l’Abondance — formerly the entry vestibule of the petit appartement du roi — and the salon d’Hercule — occupying the tribune level of the former chapel of the château.

Grand Appartement de la Reine

Forming a parallel enfilade with that of the grand appartement du roi, the grand appartement de la reine served as the residence of three queens of France — Marie-Thérèse d’Autriche, wife of Louis XIV; Marie Leszczyska, wife of Louis XV; and Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI (additionally, Louis XIV’s granddaughter-in-law, Marie-Adélaïde de Savoie, as duchesse de Bourgogne, occupied these rooms from 1697 (the year of her marriage) to her death in 1712).

The Queen's bedchamber. There is a barely discernible hidden door in the corner near the chest of drawers that Marie Antoinette escaped through the night the mob attacked Versailles.

When Louis Le Vau’s enveloppe of the château vieux was completed, the grand appartement de la reine includes a suite of seven enfilade rooms with an arrangement that mirrored almost exactly the grand appartement du roi. The configuration was:

★ Chapel — which was pendant with the salon de Diane in the grand appartement du roi^[13]

★ Salle de gardes — which was pendant with the salon de Mars in the grand appartement du roi

★ Antichambre — which was pendant with the salon de Mercure in the grand appartement du roi

★ Chambre — which was pendant with the salon d’Apollon in the grand apartment du roi

★ Grand cabinet — which was pendant with the salon de Jupiter in the grand appartement du roi

★ Oratory — which was pendant with the salon de Saturne in the grand appartement du roi

★ Petit cabinet — which was pendant with the salon de Vénus in the grand appartement du roi^[14]
As with the decoration of the ceiling in the grand appartement du roi, which depicted the heroic actions of Louis XIV as allegories from events taken from the antique past, the decoration of the grand appartement de la reine depicted heroines from the antique past and harmonized with the general theme of a particular room’s decor.^[15]
With the construction of the Hall of Mirrors, which began in 1678, the configuration of the grand appartement de la reine changed. The chapel was transformed into the salle des gardes de la reine and it was in this room that the decorations from the salon de Jupiter were reused.^[16] The salle des gardes de la reine communicates with a loggia that issues from the escalier de la reine, which formed a parallel pendant, albeit smaller, staircase with the escalier des ambassadeurs in the grand appartement du roi. The loggia also provides access to the appartement du roi, the suite of rooms in which Louis XIV lived. Toward the end of Louis XIV’s reign, the escalier de la reine became the principal entrance to the château, with the escalier des ambassadeurs used on rare state occasions. After the destruction of the escalier des ambassadeurs in 1752, the escalier de la reine became the main entrance to the château.
From 1682, the grand appartement de la reine included:

★ Salle des gardes de la reine

★ Antichambre (formerly the salle des gardes)

★ Grand cabinet

★ Chambre de la reine
With the death of Louis XIV in 1715, the court moved to Vincennes and later to Paris. In 1722, Louis XV reinstalled the court at Versailles and began modifications to the château’s interior. Among the most noteworthy of the building projects during Louis XV’s reign, the redecoration of the chamber de la reine must be cited.
To commemorate the birth of his only son and heir, Louis-Ferdinand, in 1729, Louis XV ordered a complete redecoration of the room. Elements of the chamber de la reine as it had been used by Marie-Thérèse and Marie-Adélaïde de Savoie were removed and a new, more modern decor was installed.^[17]
During her life at Versailles, Marie Leszczynska (1703-1768) lived in the grand apartment de la reine, to which she annexed the salon de la paix to serve as a music room. In 1770, when the Austrian archduchess Marie-Antoinette married the dauphin, later Louis XVI, she took up residence in these rooms. Upon Louis XVI’s ascension to the throne in 1774, Marie-Antoinette ordered major redecoration of the grand appartement de la reine. At this time, the queen’s apartment achieved the arrangement that we see today.

★ Salle des gardes de la reine — this room remained virtually unchanged by Marie-Antoinette.^[18]

★ Antichambre — this room was transformed into the antichambre du grand couvert. It was in this room the king, queen, and members of the royal family dined in public. Occasionally, this room served as a theater for the château.

★ Grand cabinet — this room was transformed into the salon des nobles. Following the tradition established by her predecessor, Marie-Antoinette would hold formal audiences in this room. When not used for formal audiences, the salon des nobles served as an antechamber to the queen’s bedroom.

★ Chambre de la reine — this room was used as the queen’s bedroom. On the night of 6/7 October 1789, Marie-Antoinette fled from the Paris mob by escaping through a private corridor that connected her apartment with that of the king.

Appartement du Roi (King's Private Apartments)

Overlooking the cour de marbre, these rooms, which are situated in the château vieux, were once the private apartment of Louis XIII. During Louis XIV’s 3rd building campaign, this suite of rooms were enlarged and decorated for the king’s daily use. In 1684, the apartment du roi comprised the following rooms:

★ Salle des gardes — this room served as a guard room for the king’s body guard (this room issued from the loggia and landing of the Queen’s Staircase).

★ Première antichambre or antichambre du grand couvert — in this room, Louis XIV ate in public, a ceremony known as the grand couvert. Additionally, once a week Louis XIV would personally accept petitions from his subjects.

★ Antichambre des Bassans — this room took its name from the collection of paintings by the 16th century Venetian master Jacop Bassano that were displayed in this room.

★ Chambre du roi — this was the king’s bedchamber, until 1701.

★ Salon du Roi — located in the center of the château, this room served for the king’s grand levé — the daily morning ritual in which the king was dressed in public.

★ Cabinet du roi — the room served as a council room for Louis XIV.

★ Cabinet des termes — this room was thus named owing to its decoration; it served, however, as the room in which Louis XIV’s wigs —- more than 500 — were kept.
In 1701, as part of Louis XIV’s 4th building campaign, the configuration of the appartement du roi altered.

★ The salle des gardes remained unchanged.

★ Première antichambre or antichambre du grand couvert — this room likewise remained unchanged.

★ The antichambre des Bassans and the chamber du roi were combined to form the seconde antichambre — better known as the salon de l’oeil de boeuf.

★ The salon du roi was converted into the chamber du roi.

★ The cabinet du roi and cabinet des termes remained until 1755 at which time Louis XV combined them to create the cabinet du conseil.

Le petit appartement du Roi; l’appartement interieur du Roi

From 1683 to 1693, during the Louis XIV’s 3rd building campaign, the king ordered the construction of the appartement des collections (also know as the appartement des raretés). This apartment comprised:

★ le Salon ovale

★ le cabinet aux tableaux

★ le cabinet aux coquilles

★ le cabinet aux médailles

★ la petite galerie (with its two salons)^[19]

★ le cabinet du billard
The appartement des collections housed the rarest and most valuable of the artworks in the Louis XIV’s collection. Access to these rooms was by personal invitation of Louis XIV, but there descriptions of the collections have survived. These are some of the objects housed in the appartement des collections:

★ Large vases garnished with gold and diamonds

★ Antique busts

★ A nef (a vessel used at meals in which a damp napkin was kept to wipe one's fingers — these types of vessels were common before the practice of eating with a fork became popular) garnished with diamonds and rubies (this nef, which was stripped of its gems and melted down during the French Revolution, was, nevertheless, depicted in the ceiling of the salon de l’Abondance.)

★ Chinese and Japanese porcelains

★ Vases carved from various semi-precious stones

★ Paintings^[20]
Between 1738 and 1760, Louis XV ordered significant changed to the appartement des collections. In 1738, the king ordered the construction of new bedroom — la nouvelle chambre — as Louis XIV’s old bedroom was too uncomfortable in the winter to use for anything but his morning lévé. The arrangement of the petit appartement du roi ca. 1760 was:

★ La nouvelle chambre — this room was constructed on the site of Louis XIV's billiard room.

★ Le cabinet de la Pendule — this room was designed by the surpassing the staircase of Louis XIII and combining it with the cabinet aux tableaux. The room, which served as a gaming room, derives its name from the astronomical clock built by Passemant and Dauthia (the gilt-bronze case of the clock is by Caffieri).

★ Le cabinet des Chiens — this room was reserved for Louis XV’s hunting dogs.

★ La salle à manger des retours de chasse — this was a small dining room used by Louis XV to entertain his friends after hunting.^[21]

★ Le cabinet intérieur du roi — was constructed in 1755 and was used as a private workroom for Louis XV. The room’s main feature is the roll-top desk by Oeben and Riesener, which by turning one key opens the roll-top and the drawers of the desk. This is the only piece of furniture original to Versailles that was neither sold during the Revolution nor removed from the château.

★ La pièce de la vaisselle d'or or le Cabinet de Mme Adélaïde — constructed in 1752, after the destruction of the escalier des ambassadeurs (this room was originally one of the two salons of the petite gallerie), this room served as the room in which Louis XV’s gold table ware was displayed and were his daughter, Mme Adélaïde, had her music room.^[22]

★ La Bibliothèque — dating from 1774, the library, which occupies the site of the petite gallerie — was Louis XVI’s most significant contribution to Versailles.

★ La salle à manger aux salles neuves — also known as the salle des porcelains, it was in this room that the royal family during the reign of Louis XVI dined in private. Every year during the Christmas season, samples of that year’s production from the porcelain factory at Sèvres would displayed in this room. This room originally was one of the two salons of the petite gallerie.

★ La salle de Billard and le salon des Jeux were built in 1795 and occupy space in what was part of Mme de Montespan’s apartment. The rooms issue from the salle à manger aux salles neuves and were used by the royal family for evening entertainment.

Le petit appartement de la Reine

These rooms, situated behind the grand appartement de la reine, and which now open onto two interior courtyards, were the private domain of the queens of France, Marie-Thérèse, Marie Leszczyska, and Marie-Antoinette. Evolving with the building campaigns of Louis XIV, the petit appartement de la reine^[23] likewise evolved.
'Marie-Thérèse'
At the completion of the LeVau’s ''enveloppe'', a suite of small rooms that opened onto the cour de marbre (rooms later incorporated into the appartement du roi) and onto a small interior courtyard — at the time called the cour de la reine. In these rooms, Marie-Thérèse led her private and family life. Very little information survived about the décor or the arrangement of these rooms, owing largely to her early death in 1683. What is known is that a redecoration of these rooms occurred in 1697 when Marie-Adélaïde de Savoie married Louis XIV grandson, the duc de Bourgogne. When Marie-Adélaïde died in 1712, the rooms were divided among the king and various other residents.
'Marie Leszczyska'
From the time of her marriage, the petit appartement de la reine underwent a number of transitions. One of the more significant transitions occurred when additional rooms were built. With these new rooms, the cour de la reine was divided into two courtyards — the cour du dauphin (to the east) and the cour du Monseigneur (to the west). With regard to these rooms, Pierre de Nolhac published a partial description of the petit appartement de la reine as it appeared at the time of the death of Marie-Leszczyska:

★ oratory

★ annex to the oratory

★ boudoir

★ grand cabinet

★ bathroom

★ laboratory (Marie-Leszczyska was known to have had a strong interest in science.)
None of the décor of the petit appartement de la reine — except for a small room that communicates between the grand cabinet and the appartement du roi — has survived. When Marie-Antoinette moved into these rooms in 1774, a complete reorganization and redecoration of the rooms, under the direction of Richard Mique, was ordered.
'Marie-Antoinette'
The fame of the petit appartement de la reine rests squarely in the hands of the last queen of France during the Ancien Régime. The restored state of the rooms that one sees today at Versailles replicate the petit appartement de la reine as it probably looked during Marie-Antoinette’s day. The principle rooms of the petit appartement are:

★ cabinet doré (former grand cabinet of Marie Leszczyska)

★ library

★ annex to the library^[24]

★ billiard room

★ cabinet de la méridienne

★ bathroom

★ toilette à l’anglaise^[25]

★ various service rooms

★ fun rooms
During Marie-Antoinette day, these rooms served the queen’s daily private life. For example, in the morning, the cabinet de la méridienne, which was decorated by Richard Mique to commemorate the birth of the dauphin, was the room in which Marie-Antoinette would choose the clothing she would wear that day.^[26]
Of all the features of the petit appartement de la reine, the so-called secret passage that links the grand appartement de la reine with the appartement du roi must be cited. The passage actually dates from the time the Marie-Thérèse and had always served as a private means by which the king and queen could communicate with each other.^[27] It is true, however, that Marie-Antoinette, who was sleeping in the chambre de la reine in the grande appartement de reine, escaped from the Paris mob on the night of 6/7 October 1789. The entrance to the so-called secret passage is through a door located on the west side of the north wall of the chambre de la reine.

Galerie des Glaces

The hall of mirrors

As central feature of Louis XIV’s third building campaign, construction on the ''galerie des glaces'' — The Hall of Mirrors — began in 1678. To achieve the galerie des glaces as well as the ''salon de la guerre'' and the ''salon de la paix'', which connect the ''grand appartement du roi'' with the grand ''appartement de la reine'', architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart suppressed three rooms from each apartment^[28] as well as the terrace that separated the two apartments. The principal feature of the room is the seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows that overlook the gardens. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors with a total complement of 357 used in the decoration of the ''galerie des glaces''.
In the 17th century, mirrors were one of the most expensive items to possess and at the time, the Venetian Republic held the monopoly on the manufacture of mirrors. In order to maintain the integrity of his philosophy of mercantilism, which required that all items used in the decoration of Versailles be made in France, Jean-Baptiste Colbert enticed several workers from Venice to make mirrors at the Gobelins Factory^[29] for use in Versailles.^[30]
The ''galerie des glaces’'' dimensions are 73.0 m × 10.5 m × 12.3 m (239.5 ft × 34.4 ft × 40.4 ft) and is flanked by the ''salon de la guerre'' (north) and the ''salon de la paix'' (south). Construction on the galerie and its two salons continued until 1684, at which time it was pressed into use for court and state functions. The ceiling decoration is dedicated to the military victories of Louis XIV. The present decorative schema represents the last of three that were presented to Louis XIV. The original decorative plan was to have depicted exploits of Apollo — which was consistent with the imagery associated with the Sun-King, Louis XIV. However, when the king learned that his brother, Philippe d’Orléans, had commissioned Pierre Mignard to decorate the ceiling of the grand galerie of his brother’s residence at the Château de Saint-Cloud, Louis XIV rejected the plan. The next decorative plan was one in which the exploits of Hercules — as allegories to the actions of Louis XIV — were to be depicted. Again, as with the first plan, the Hercules theme was rejected by the king. The final plan represents military victories of Louis XIV starting with the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) to the Treaty of Nijmegen (1678-1679). In a departure form the decoration of the ceilings in the ''grand appartement du roi'', LeBrun has depicted Louis XIV and has ceased to refer to the king in allegorical guises. In this way, themes such as good governance are rendered with Louis XIV as the key figure.

Gilded sculptured guéridons were commissioned to replace part of the silver furniture.

During the 17th century, the ''galerie des glaces'' was used daily by Louis XIV when he walked from his private apartment to the chapel. At this time, courtiers assembled to watch the king and member of the royal family pass and to make a particular request by intoning: “Sire, Marly?”^[31] However, of all the events that transpired in this room during the reign of Louis XIV, the Siamese Embassy of 1685-1686 must be cited as the most opulent. At this time, the ''galerie des glaces'' and the ''grands appartements'' were still appointed with silver furniture. In February 1715, Louis XIV held his last embassy — which could be regarded as the swan song for his absolutism — in the ''galerie des glace'', one in which he received Mohamed Reza Beg, ambassador of the Shah of Persia. It was later revealed that the ambassador was bogus and that the entire ceremony was orchestrated for the benefit of Louis XIV (who died in September of the same year).
In the successive reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, the ''galerie de glaces'' continued to serve for family and court functions. Embassies, births, and marriages were fêted in this room; however, perhaps the most celebrated event of the 18th century occurred on 25 February 1745: the celebrated Bal des Ifs (Ball of the Yew Trees). It was during this costume ball that Louis XV, who was dressed as a yew tree, met Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson d'Étiolles, who was costumed as Diana, goddess of the hunt. Jeanne-Antoinette, who became Louis XV’s mistress, is better known to history as the Marquise de Pompadour.
In the 19th century, at the conclusion of the Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian king, William I, was declared German emperor — thus establishing the (second) German Empire — on 18 January 1871 in the Hall of Mirrors. On 28 June 1919, Clemenceau chose the Hall of Mirrors to sign the Treaty of Versailles that ended World War I. The Hall of Mirrors is still pressed into service for state occasions of the Fifth Republic, such as receptions for visiting heads of state.

Chapels of Versailles

One of the more curious aspects of Versailles is the chapels. The reign of Louis XIV, Versailles saw no fewer than five chapels.
'1st Chapel'

The château’s first chapel dated from the time of Louis XIII and was located in detached pavilion at the northeast of the château (today, La pièce de la vaisselle d'or or le Cabinet de Mme Adélaïde occupies the approximate site). This chapel, which followed the palatine model^[32] — a chapel of two floors, the upper floor reserved for the monarch and members of the royal family, the lower floor used by members of the court and the royal household — was destroyed in 1665 when the Grotto de Thétis was built.
'2nd Chapel'

The château’s second chapel was created during Louis XIV’s second building campaign. When the enveloppe of Louis LeVau was completed, the chapel was situated in the grand apartment de la reine (it formed the symmetrical pendant with the salon de Diane in the grand appartement du roi). This palatine model chapel was short-lived. When Louis XIV began his third building campaign, this chapel was converted to the salle des gardes de la reine.
'3rd Chapel'

Located next to the new salle des gardes de la reine, this chapel was transitory. Soon after its construction, Louis XIV found it inconvenient and impractical for his needs as well as those of his court. In 1682, this room was converted into the grande salles des gardes de la reine (known also as la salle du sacre).
'4th Chapel'

With the construction of the aile Nord, a new palatine model chapel was built. Construction of the North wing necessitated the destruction of the Grotto de Thétis; it was on this site that the new chapel was built in 1682.^[33] This chapel remained in use by the king and court until 1710.^[34]
'5th Chapel'

Versaille's chapel is one of the palace's grandest interiors.

As the focal point of Louis XIV fourth building campaign, the final chapel of the château of Versailles is a masterpiece. Began in 1689, construction was halted due to the War of the League of Augsburg; Jules Hardouin-Mansart resumed construction in 1699. Hardouin-Mansart continued working on the project until his death in 1708, at which time his brother-in-law, Robert de Cotte, finished the project.
Dedicated to Saint Louis, the chapel was consecrated in 1710. The palatine model of the chapel is traditionally; however, the Corinthian colonnade of the tribune level is of a classic style that anticipates the neo-classicism of the late-18th century. The tribune level is accessed by vestibule that was constructed at the same time as the chapel^[35] The floor of the chapel is inlaid with multi-colored marbles and at the foot of steps leading to the altar is Louis XIV’s crowned monogram of interlaced “L”. Adhering to ecclesiastical decoration, the chapel’s decoration refers to both the Old Testament and the New Testament: the ceiling of the nave represents “God the Father in his glory bring to the world the promise of redemption” and was painted by Antoine Coypel; the half-dome of the apse is decorated with Charles de LaFosse’s “The Resurrection of Christ”; and, above the royal tribune is Jean Jouvenet’s “The Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Virgin and the Apostles.”
During the 18th century, the chapel witnessed many court events. Te Deums were sung to celebrate military victories and the births of children born to the king and queen; marriages were also celebrated in this chapel, such as the wedding of the dauphin — later Louis XVI — to Marie-Antoinette in 1770. However, of all the ceremonies held in the chapel, those associated the Order of Holy Spirit were among the most elaborate.
Today the chapel, which has been re-consecrated, serves a venue for chamber concerts.

L’Opéra

Since the time of Louis XIV, the château of Versailles had wanted — and needed — a permanent theater. Before the construction of l’Opéra, temporary theaters were constructed either in the gardens or in the château — grands appartements, escalier des ambassadeurs, aile de Midi — where the salle de spectacle of Louis XIV was short-lived — la grande écurie, la cour de marbre, etc. However, in 1740, Louis XV ordered Jacques-Anges Gabriel to build a permanent theater at the northern end of the aile de Nord, on the site that had been that chosen by Louis XIV^[36] The project required some thirty years to complete based on financial restraints rising from the Seven Years War and relocating residents from the northern end of the aile de nobles. Construction work on the Opéra began in earnest in 1765 and was completed in 1770; at the time, it represented the finest example in theater design — having 712 seats, it was the largest theater in Europe at the time — and today remains one of the few theaters to survive the 18th century. Lully’s ''Persée'' inaugurated the Opéra on 16 May 1770 in celebration of the marriage of the dauphin — the future Louis XVI — with Marie-Antoinette.
Gabriel’s design for the Opéra was unique for the time as it featured an oval plan. As an economy measure, the floor the orchestra level can be raised to the level the stage, thus doubling the floor space. It was planned that the Opéra serve not only as a theater, but also as ballroom or banqueting hall.^[37] Built entirely of wood, which is painted in faux marbre to represent stone, the Opéra has excellent acoustics and represents one of the finest examples of neo-classical decoration. The theme of the decoration is related to Apollo and the Olympian deities. The decoration of the Opéra was directed by Augustin Pajou, who executed the bas-reliefs panels that decorate the front of the loges. The ceiling features a canvas by Louis Jean Jacques Durameau in which Apollo and the Muses are depicted.
In spite of the excellent acoustics and the opulent setting, the Opéra was not often used during the reign of Louis XVI, largely on grounds of costs. For a single performance to be held in the Opéra, no less than 3,000 candles were required. Given that tallow candles burned quickly and emitted soot and unpleasant odor, beeswax candles were used. During Louis XVI’s reign one beeswax candle represented approximately what one peasant earned in one week.
When the royal family left Versailles in October 1789, the château and the Opéra were closed. While the château did see some activity under Napoléon I (redecoration of the parts of the queen’s apartment for the empress Marie-Louise) and Louis XVIII, the Opéra did not reopen again until 1837, when Louis-Philippe redecorated the theater and presented Molière’s ''Le Misanthrope''. In 1872, during the Commune de Paris, the Opéra was converted by Edmond de Joly for use by the Assemblée nationale, who used the Opéra until 1876; between 1876 and 1879, the Sénat convened here.^[38] 1952-1957 witnessed major restoration of the Opéra when it was restored to its 1770 state. The Opéra officially reopened 9 April 1957 in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom with a presentation of Act II of Rameau’s ''Les Indes Galantes''. Since its restoration, the Opéra has been pressed into service for state functions as well as a variety of operatic and musical events.
It was in this opera that Marie Antoinette broke court tradition by clapping for the performers. She was frowned upon at first, but this particular action caught on with all of the spectators at Versailles.

Social History

The politics of display

Versailles became the home of the French nobility and the location of the royal court - thus becoming the center of French government. Louis XIV himself lived there, and symbolically the central room of the long extensive symmetrical range of buildings was the King's Bedchamber (''La Chambre du Roi''), which itself was centered on the lavish and symbolic state bed, set behind a rich railing not unlike a communion rail. All the power of France emanated from this centre: there were government offices here; as well as the homes of thousands of courtiers, their retinues and all the attendant functionaries of court. By requiring that nobles of a certain rank and position spend time each year at Versailles, Louis prevented them from developing their own regional power at the expense of his own and kept them from countering his efforts to centralize the French government in an absolute monarchy.

''Lit de parade'', Salon of Mercury

At various periods before Louis XIV established absolute rule, France like the Holy Roman Empire lacked central authority and was not the unified state it was to become during the proceeding centuries. During the Middle Ages some local nobles were at times more powerful than the French King and, although technically loyal to the King, they possessed their own provincial seats of power and government, culturally influential courts and armies loyal to them not the King and the right to levy their own taxes on their subjects. Some families were so powerful, they achieved international prominence and contracted marriage alliances with foreign royal houses to further their own political ambitions. Although nominally Kings of France, de facto royal power had at times been limited purely to the region around Paris.

Court etiquette

Life at the court was narrowly regulated by court etiquette. Etiquette became the means of social advancement for the court.
Louis XIV’s elaborate rules of etiquette included the following:
#People who wanted to speak to the king could not knock on his door. Instead, using the left little finger, they had to gently scratch on the door, until they were granted permission to enter. As a result, many courtiers grew that fingernail longer than the others;
#A lady never held hands or linked arms with a gentleman. Besides being in bad taste, this practice would have been impossible because a woman’s hooped skirts were so wide. Instead, she was to place her hand on top of the gentleman’s bent arm as they strolled through the gardens and chambers of Versailles. It is also mentioned that the ladies were only allowed to touch fingertips with the men.
#When a gentleman sat down, he slid his left foot in front of the other, placed his hands on the sides of the chair and gently lowered himself into the chair. There was a very practical reason for this procedure. If a gentleman sat too fast, his tight trousers might split;
#Women and men were not allowed to cross their legs in public;
#When a gentleman passed an acquaintance on the street, he was to raise his hat high off his head until the other person passed;
#A gentleman was to do no work except writing letters, giving speeches, practising fencing, or dancing. For pleasure he engaged in hawking, archery, indoor tennis, or hunting. A gentleman would also take part in battle and would sometimes serve as a public officer, paying the soldiers;
#Ladies’ clothing did not allow them to do much besides sit and walk. However, they passed the time sewing, knitting, writing letters, painting, making their own lace, and creating their own cosmetics and perfumes.[1]

Park and garden

Garden in Versailles

The grounds of Versailles contain one of the largest formal gardens ever created, with extensive parterres, fountains and canals, designed by André Le Nôtre. Le Nôtre modified the original gardens by expanding them and giving them a sense of openness and scale. He also liked to enjoy sunbathing in his wonderful work of art. He created a plan centered around the central axis of the Grand Canal. The gardens are centered on the south front of the palace, which is set on a long terrace to give a grand view of the gardens. At the foot of the steps the Fountain of Latona is located. This fountain tells a story taken from Ovid's poem Metamorphoses and served — and still serves — as an allegory of the Fronde. Next, is the Royal Avenue or the Tapis Vert. Surrounding this to the sides are the formal gardens. Beyond this is the Fountain of Apollo. This fountain symbolizes the regime of Louis XIV, or, the "Sun King". Beyond the Fountain lies the massive Grand Canal. The wide central axis rises on the far side. Even farther into the distance lie the dense woods of the King's hunting grounds.

Outbuildings

Petit Trianon

Several smaller buildings were added to the park of Versailles, starting with the Ménagerie, which was built between 1663 and 1665 and modified in the 1690s for the use of Louis XIV's granddaughter, the duchess de Bourgogne, followed by the Grand Trianon (originally the Porcelain Trianon), continuing with additions by Louis XV and Louis XVI including the Petit Trianon, and the Hamlet of Marie Antoinette known as the le Hameau.

Cost

Versailles was grand, luxurious, and expensive to maintain. It has been estimated that upkeep and maintenance, including the care and feeding of staff and the royal family, consumed as much as 25 percent of the total income of France . Although at first glance this may seem extraordinarily large, the Palace of Versailles was the centre of government as well as the royal residence. Additionally, the 25 percent figure is disputed by some historians who believe the number has been exaggerated by those who would exaggerate the role of royals' extravagance as causation for the French Revolution. Recent estimates suggest a number closer to 6 percent.
The book, ''World History: Patterns of Interactions'' (Mcdougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 2001) places the value at approximately US$2 billion (1994). This valuation is regarded by many as a gross underestimate. Surviving government records from the period mention 65 million golden ''livres''. It is unclear whether this "golden" ''livre'' references the standard ''livre'', or the ''Louis d'Or'' (a gold coin then valued at 24 ''livres''). If accurate, using today's values for gold (US$600 per ounce, 2006) and silver (US$12 per ounce, 2006), the value of the Versailles estate soars to a staggering US$13-US$300 billion.

The Grand Trianon, 1678, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, architect

Another way to look at this controversy over the costs of Versailles, is to consider the benefits that France drew from this royal palace. Versailles, by locking the nobles into a golden cage, effectively ended the periodical aristocratic groups and rebellions that had plagued France for centuries. It also destroyed aristocratic power in the provinces, and enabled a centralization of the state, for which a majority of modern Frenchmen are still thankful to Louis XIV, although French centralization, as further developed during the French Revolution, and later the Third Republic, is currently the subject of much debate and overhauling. Versailles also had a tremendous influence on French architecture and arts, and indeed on European architecture and arts, as the court tastes and culture elaborated in Versailles influenced most of Europe. From the start, Versailles was conceived as much as a showcase of French arts and craftsmanship organized in the royal workshops of the Gobelins manufactory, as a home for a king. Modern Frenchmen, even the least sympathetic to the former monarchy, are still generally quite proud of the lasting influence that French arts developed in Versailles have had in the world.

War uses

After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the palace was the main headquarters of the German army from 5 October 1870 until 13 March 1871, and hosted the opening of the Paris Peace Conference on 18 January 1919.
The German Empire was declared in the Hall of Mirrors in 1871, with Wilhelm I being crowned the first German Emperor, whilst Germany was ironically punished for causing the First World War in the same room on 28th June 1919.
The ravages of war and neglect over the centuries left their mark on the palace and its huge bushes. Modern French governments of the post-World War II era have sought to repair these damages. They have on the whole been successful, but some of the more costly items, such as the vast array of fountains, have yet to be put back completely in service. As spectacular as they might seem now, they were even more extensive in the 18th century. The 18th-century waterworks at Marly— the ''machine de Marly'' that fed the fountains— was probably the biggest mechanical system of its time. The water came in from afar on monumental stone aqueducts, which have long ago fallen in disrepair or been torn down.

Post-royal: the monument-museum

Marie-Antoinette's pastoral pond side ''Hameau'' in the park, built in 1783

After the Revolution the paintings and sculpture, like the crown jewels, were consigned to the new Musée du Louvre as part of the cultural patrimony of France. Other contents went to serve a new and moral public role: books and medals went to the Bibliothèque Nationale, clocks and scientific instruments (Louis XVI was a connoisseur of science) to the École des Arts et Métiers. Versailles was still the most richly-appointed royal palace of Europe until a long series of auction sales on the premises, which unrolled for months during the Revolution, emptying Versailles slowly of every shred of amenity, at derisory prices, mostly to professional ''brocanteurs''. The immediate purpose was to raise desperately-needed funds for the armies of the people, but the long-range strategy was to ensure that there was no Versailles for any king ever to come back to. The strategy worked. Though Versailles was declared an imperial palace, Napoleon never spent a summer's night there.
Versailles remained both royal and unused through the Restoration. In 1830, the politic Louis Philippe, the "Citizen King" declared the château a museum dedicated to "''all'' the glories of France," raising it for the first time above a Bourbon dynastic monument. At the same time, boiseries from the private apartments of princes and courtiers were removed and found their way, without provenance, into the incipient art market in Paris and London for such panelling. What remained were 120 rooms, the modern "''Galeries Historiques''".[2] The curator Pierre de Nohlac began the conservation of the palace in the 1880s, but did not have the necessary funding until John D. Rockefeller's gift of 60 million francs in 1924-1936. Its promotion as a tourist site started in the 1930s and accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s.^[39]
In the 1960s, Pierre Verlet, the greatest writer on the history of French furniture managed to get some royal furnishings returned from the museums and ministries and ambassadors' residences where they had become scattered from the central warehouses of the Mobilier National. He conceived the bold scheme of refurnishing Versailles, and the refurnished royal ''Appartements'' that tourists view today are due to Verlet's successful initiative, in which textiles were even rewoven to refurbish the state beds.

Buildings inspired by Versailles

Würzburg Residenz: garden front

As the centralizing organization of modern national government formulated by Richelieu was perfected by Louis XIV and his advisors, other European states hastened to copy it. As they followed the French model in administration and particularly in military affairs (which is why some American government and military vocabulary, such as bureau, personnel, and materiel, are still French), most princes had to construct new buildings to house the new bureaucracies. Because government in those days was still centered on the household of the prince, Versailles ignited a competitive spate of building palaces in fountain-filled gardens among the power elite of Europe.
Ironically, the most direct homage to Versailles came when the age of feudal governments ended at the end of the nineteenth century. Ludwig II of Bavaria, a constitutional monarch, further constrained by doctors because of his incipient insanity, commissioned a nearly identical copy of Versailles, Herrenchiemsee, to be built on an island on the bucolic Chiemsee lake in the countryside of Bavaria. His funds ran out too soon but the central portion was finished, along with its hall of mirrors, and formal French gardens were planted around it.
But during the Baroque period the great palaces and their dependencies housed working governments. When Peter I of Russia structured a new, Western-style government for Russia, he visited Versailles in a "Grand Embassy" and later decided to build a residence in the outskirts of Saint Petersburg. He had the Peterhof complex of buildings, gardens, and parks built.
Efforts in England, where power during the period centered on Parliament and particularly on politically powerful nobles rather than on the monarchy, were limited. They included renovations at Hampton Court, and the all-but-royal Chatsworth. The direct British answer to Versailles is Blenheim Palace, built as a national monument for Louis' nemesis, the Duke of Marlborough.
In the courts of Germany, several Versailles-like palaces were constructed, including Schloss Wilhelmshöhe at Kassel, Schloss Augustusburg in Brühl, Ludwigsburg, Schloss Schleissheim and the Residenz in Würzburg. Many others still stand, tiny and often exquisite little palaces that once ruled their postage-stamp principalities.
In Sweden, there is Drottningholm; in Austria Schönbrunn, and in Hungary Eszterháza, the administrative center of the vast estates of a princely family rather than that of a monarch.
In Italy, there are the "would-be Versailles" including Caserta Palace, the Ducal Palace of Colorno and the Palazzina di Stupinigi.
In the Iberian peninsula two competitors for Versailles stand out: La Granja near Madrid, and Queluz in Portugal.
In Kapurthala, Punjab, India the famous Jagatjit Palace is also based on this building made by the last Maharajah of the princly state of Kapurthala and designed by a French architect M. Marcel.
Poland, with an elected king having less power than monarchs of other countries, had few opportunities for royal construction, and really nothing along the lines of Versailles was possible. However, the last king of Poland did construct Łazienki, essentially an exceptionally large pavilion like those built by French courtiers as weekend residences away from Versailles. The most developed baroque palace complex there, the Branicki Palace in Białystok, was built by a powerful noble.

Fountain and Facade at Powerscourt

In Ireland Mervyn Wingfield, 7th Viscount Powerscourt took inspiration from the Palace when building the Powerscourt House in Enniskerry in Co. Wicklow.

Musical Events

On record, Versailles has held two musical events.
In 1988 on June 21st and 22nd, its courtyard played host to Pink Floyd during their "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" European Tour which was filmed. "The Great Gig in the Sky" footage from the show was used on the "Delicate Sound Of Thunder" DVD.
On July 2nd 2005, the French Live 8 was held in the courtyard.

The Palace in pop culture

The Palace of Versailles was used as an area in the Sega Genesis video game '', especially the Hall of Mirrors.
In 2006, the French Government gave permission to American director Sofia Coppola to film her movie, ''Marie Antoinette'', in the Palace of Versailles. This included the Hall of Mirrors for the wedding ball scenes, even though it was being renovated at the time.
Singer-songwriter Al Stewart released a song entitled ''"The Palace of Versailles"'', a song detailing the French Revolution, The Terror, and the military coup of Napoleon Bonaparte, from the perspective of ''"the lonely Palace of Versailles"''.

Notes

1. “Histoire du Château de Versailles” (1911-1918) Pierre de Nolhac, Paris: André Marty
2. Pierre Verlet (1961) “Versailles”, Paris: Librarie Arthèmem Fayard
3. Sources:
André Félibien, Description sommaire du chasteau de Versailles, (Paris, 1674).
Pierre de Nolhac, La création de Versailles, (Versailles, 1901).
———, Versailles, résidence de Louis XIV, (Paris, 1925).
———, Histoire de Versailles. 3 vol. (Paris, 1911).
Kevin Olin Johnson, “Il n’y plus de Pyrenées : Iconography of the first Versailles of Louis XIV,” Gazette des Beaux-Arts (6e pér., vol. 97, janvier 1981) : 29-40.
4. During the reign of Louis XIV (until 1689), a solid silver throne stood on a Persian carpet covered dais on the south wall of this room.
5. This room originally served as the west landing of the Ambassadors’ Staircase and formed the main entrance to the grand appartement du roi.
6. Baillie, Hugh Murray. "Etiquette and the Planning of State Apartments in Baroque Palaces," Archeologia CI (1967): 169-199.
7. Owing to the apartment’s northern exposure, Louis XIV found the rooms too cold and opted to live in the rooms previously occupied by his father.
8. André Félibien, Description sommaire du chasteau de Versailles, (Paris, 1674).
9. Located in the western cove of the salon d’Apollon and painted by Charles de LaFosse ca. 1674.
10. Located in the southern cove of the ceiling of the salon de Mercure and painted by Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne ca. 1674.
11. For a more detailed discussion regarding the ceilings’ decor of the grand appartement du roi, see Gérard Sabatier, “Versailles, ou la figure du roi,” (Paris: Albin Michel, 1999). For an analysis of the symbolism in the decor of the grand appartement du roi, see Edward Lighthart, “Archétype et symbole dans le style Louis XIV versaillais: réflexions sur l’imago rex et l’imago patriae au début de l’époque moderne,” (Doctoral thesis, 1997).
12. Originally, the room that is known today as the salon de Vénus formed part of the apartment of the king’s mistress, Madame de Montespan. Owing to her involvement with Affair of the Poisons, during which time its was alleged she had been giving the king love potions, she fell from grace in 1678 and her apartments were taken over by Louis XIV at which time the new salon de Vénus was installed.
13. This chapel was the second of chapels built in the château of Versailles
14. Owing to the construction of the Hall of Mirrors — central project of Louis XIV’s 3rd building campaign — and the death of Marie-Thérèse in 1683, the grand cabinet, the oratory, and the petit cabinet were destroyed for the construction of the Hall of Mirrors and the Salon de la paix. Of these three rooms, only fragments of the ceiling decoration of the Grand cabinet have survived; no evidence regarding the decoration of the oratory or the petit cabinet has been found. See Nicole Reynaud and Jacques Villain, “Fragments retrouvés de la décoration du Grand Appartement de la Reine Marie-Thérèse,” Revue du Louvre, #4-5 (1970): 231-238.
15. On an interesting note, not only were women depicted in the decoration of the grand appartement de la reine, but women contributed to the decoration of these room. Most notably is Madeleine de Boulogne, who painted the over-door painting in the salle des gardes.
16. With the creation of this room, a new chapel — the château’s third — was built in the adjacent room to the east. In 1682, when the third chapel was built (where the salon d’Hercule is now located), this room was renamed la grande salle des gardes de la reine. In the 19th century, this room was rebaptized salle du sacre owing to the installation of Jean-Louis David’s Coronation of Napoléon I.
17. The decoration of this room was an important expression in French interior design. It heralded the transition from the Regency style, which prevailed from the death of Louis XIV through to 1732(with the decoration of the Salon de la princesse at the Hôtel de Soubise), and the Rococo (or style Louis XV), the style that prevailed for the greater part of the reign of Louis XV.
18. It was via this room that the Paris mob, which stormed the château during the night of 6/7 October 1789, gained access to the château. During the mêlée, member of the garde Suisse, which formed part the queen’s bodyguard, were killed in their attempts to protect the queen.
19. The petite galerie and its two salons were originally part of the apartment of the king’s mistress, Mme de Montespan. When she fell from grace, the king occupied part of her former rooms. The decoration of the petite gallerie and the two salons was executed by Charles LeBrun’s archrival, Pierre Mignard.
20. It is worth noting that all of the painting in the royal collection by Leonardo da Vinci were kept in this apartment — including the Jaconde or the Mona Lisa. (From: Madeleine de Scudéry, Correspondence.)
21. In constructing and decorating the cabinet des chiens and salle à manger des retours de chasses, Louis XV ordered his architect to use the paneling and other decorative elements from Louis XIV’s cabinet du billard.
22. In 1764, the young Mozart performed a harpsichord concert for the royal family.
23. These rooms are also known as les petits cabinets de la reine and l'appartement intérieur de la reine
24. Contrary to common belief, Marie-Antoinette was well read — a quality that her mother, the Empress Maria Theresa, insisted all her daughters cultivate.
25. The term “toilette à l’anglaise” refers to a flush toilet, similar to today’s modern convenience.
26. Books containing drawings of the queen’s dresses and other garments would be presented to Marie-Antoinette. She would indicate her preference by inserting a pin into the page that depicted the dress she wanted to wear.
27. The only other option would be to cross the public rooms, which were always crowded with people.
28. The rooms that were destroyed were the ''salon de Jupiter'', ''salon de Saturn'', and the ''salon de Vénus'' from both the king and queen’s state apartment.
29. The Gobelins, which still exist today, was nationalized in the 1660s by Colbert for the express purpose of making furniture and other decorative items for Versailles and other royal residences.
30. According to legend, in order to keep its monopoly, the government of the Venetian Republic sent agents to France to poison the workers whom Colbert had brought to France.
31. This was the manner in which one was able to obtain a much sought-after invitation to one of the king’s house parties at Marly-le-Roi, the villa Louis XIV built north of Versailles on the route to Saint-Germain-en-laye.
32. This plan was widely used in France. Sainte-Chapelle in Paris is a prototypical example; all successive chapels at Versailles followed the palatine model
33. When the 4th chapel was constructed, the salon de l’Abondance, which had served as entry to the petit appartement du roi, was rebaptized the vestibule of the royal tribune — so named as it was from this upper level of the chapel that the royal family head daily mass.
34. This chapel witness most of the baptisms and wedding of members of the court and royal family during the reign of Louis XIV. Today the salon d’Hercule and the lower vestibule occupy the space of the 4th chapel.
35. The bas-relief sculpture, Louis XIV crossing the Rhine, was sculpted by Nicolas et Guillaume Coustou and was originally intended to decorate the salon de la Guerre.
36. Owing to the financial burdens that Louis XIV faced at the end of his reign, the theater was never built.
37. On 1 October 1789, the gardes du corps du roi held a banquent to welcome the Flanders Regiment, which had just arrived to strengthen protection for the king a royal family against the revolutionary rumblings that were being heard in Paris. At this banquet, Louis XVI, Marie-Antoinette, and the dauphin received the pledge of loyalty from these guards when they ripped off the blue-white-red cockades they had been wearing and replaced them with white ones — the color that symbolized the Bourbon monarchy. This was the last event held in the Opéra during the Ancien Régime.
38. Today, when the Assemblée nationale and the Sénat meet in joint session, they do so at Versailles, not in Paris. On these occasions, Versailles becomes the de-facto capital of France. To accommodate the members of the Sénat, the north wing of the château in the part that faces the city of Versailles, over 300 apartments have been arranged for the private use by members of the upper house of France’s parliament.
39. Fabien Oppermann, "Images et usages du château de Versailles au XXe siècle", thesis, Ecole des Chartes, 2004.[3]

External links

★ Official Site

★ Photos of Palace and Gardens of Versailles

★ Extensive photo gallery of Versailles

★ Palace of Versailles Independent study article with photographs

★ The Story of Versailles by Francis Loring Payne, from Project Gutenberg

★ French The Hall of Mirrors Restoration

★ French Pictures of : "Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes"

★ Palace of Versailles photos

★ Visiting information Palace of Versailles

★ Comprehensive audio guide covering history and culture of the Chateau.

★ Podcasts describing Versailles

★ Extensive Images on the Design of Versailles

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★ Satellite image from Mapygon

★ Article on Versailles Gardens

★ Laguiole Corkscrews made with wood from Gardens of Versailles

★ Swan Lake at the Palace of Versailles

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