The magnificent Château de Versailles is a testimony
of the Sun King's extravaganza. The Palace and its magnificent formal
garden became the quintessential model for palaces in Europe.
Brief History
Versailles Palace
Versailles Palace
Versailles Palace and garden
Facade of the Versailles Palace
The town of Versailles sits about 20 kilometers
outside of Paris. The first mention of the town and estate was in 1038,
when the name appeared in a charter of the Abbey of Saint-Père de
Chartres. By the end of the
11th century, Versailles was a country
village
enveloping a castle and the church of Saint-Julien, remaining
prosperous until well into the 13th century. After the Hundred Years
War, however, only a handful of people lived there.
Royal Presence
In the 16th century, the Gondi family became the
rulers of Versailles and the town began to gain acclaim when future King
Louis XIII visited and became enamored with the site. He purchased land
in the area and proceeded to build a small brick and stone lodge there
in 1622.
Statue of King Louis XIV, Venus Room, Versailles
Statue of Louis XIV
Ornate door in the Venus Room
Ten years later, he became the lord
of Versailles and began enlarging his lodge. Soon, he purchased more
land as well as Gondi's estate. Louis XIII dies in 1643.
The Sun King
In 1662, the new king - Louis XIV - took an earnest
interest in Versailles. Louis XIV, also known as The Sun King,
distrusted the Parisians and wanted to move his Royal Residence away
from the Louvre Palace,
which was at the heart of constant political turbulence. The Sun King
was largely responsible for the expansion that resulted in the building
that still stands today. He hired architect Louis Le Vau along with
artist Charles Le Brun to carry out the work on this Baroque
masterpiece, which became the quintessential model for all palaces in
Europe. Famed gardener André le Nôtre was responsible for the unequalled
Versailles Garden.
After Le Vau's death, Jules Hardouin- Mansart was
commissioned to triple the size of the palace.
Under his watchful eye, the northern and southern wings, the Orangerie,
the Grand Trianon (a chateau) and the Royal Chapel were constructed.
Later additions included the Opera and the Petit Trianon (a small
chateau), which was built between the years 1761 - 1764 for Louis XV and
Madame de Pompadour.
The French Revolution
During the French Revolution, the incredible
collection of paintings, antiques, and other works of art that had been
amassed at Versailles were transferred to the Louvre
and other important items went to the National Library and Conservatory
of Arts and Crafts. Most of the furniture, historians say, was sold at
auction.
A Palatial Museum
Royal palace
After the Revolution, Napoleon spent his summers at
Versailles until he abdicated. Later, it was Louis-Phillipe who, in
1830, transformed the chateau into a grand museum, dedicated to "the
glory of France." The Chapel, the Opera, and the Hall of Mirrors were
preserved but many smaller apartments were destroyed to make room for
spacious exhibition halls. In the 1960s, however, curator Pierre Verlet
was responsible for getting some of the furnishings back and restoring a
number of the royal apartments.
Today, visitors to Versailles can visit much of the interior of this spectacular palace, as well as its world-famous garden.
Interior
Notable rooms include:
-
The Hall of Mirrors - Some call this
Louis XIV's most notable contribution to Versailles. The main feature of
the hall is the seventeen mirrored arches that reflect the seventeen
arcaded windows which look out onto Versailles equally- magnificent
garden. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors, for a total of 357 in
all. This magnificent hall measures 73 meters long, 10.5 meters wide,
and 12.3 meters high (240x34x40ft). Statues and busts line the walls.
The Hall of Mirrors has always played an important role in history
including in 1919, as the First World War officially ended when Germany
signed the Treaty of Versailles in this hall.
Hall of Mirrors, Versailles Palace
Detail of the Hall of Mirrors in the Versailles Palace
Corridor in the Versailles Palace
Royal Chapel, Versailles Palace
Ornately decorated ceiling, Versailles Palace
Chapel
of Versailles - The current chapel of Versailles is the fifth at the
palace. Construction began in 1689 and was completed around 1710. It
features a "tribune" on the same level as the royal apartments,
overlooking the nave, where the kings would sit when they attended mass.
The architecture is a combination of Gothic and Baroque. Many of its
features resemble cathedrals of medieval times, including the gargoyles
and pointed roof, but other features are more reminiscent of the era in
which it was built, including colored marble tile floors, columns, and
carved pillars.- The Grand Apartment - Originally known as the Apartment of the
Planets (the 7 salons of this apartment each featured a painting of a
planet),
The Queen's bedroom
- this
was King Louis XIV's apartment. While the entire apartment and all its
salons are amazing, most notable are the ceilings, painted by Painter to
the King, Charles Le Brun and his team of artists.
Salle des Gardes, Versailles Palace
- Royal Opera - The auditorium of the Opera is fashioned entirely from
wood, making it one of the most acoustically "live" theaters in the
world. Though it was a court theater and not meant for a huge public
audience, it seats more than 700. Gold, pink, and green dominate the
decor for the Opera, which wasn't constructed until 1770. It was first
used for the wedding ball of future king Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
and boasts a unique mechanical system that raises the floor to the level
of the stage. Today, it is still used for concerts and operas.
The Garden
Geometric Garden
A row of statues in the Versailles Garden
Le Buffet d'Eau, Garden of the Grand Trianon, Versailles
At 100 hectare (about 250 acre), the garden of the Versailles Palace is
Europe's largest palace garden. It was created in the 17th century by
landscape gardener André Le Nôtre who designed what could be considered
the quintessential formal French garden. The garden is laid out in a
geometric pattern of paths, bushes, flowerbeds and trees. Le Nôtre also
drained the swampy, sloping terrain and created a series of basins and a
large canal, known as the Grand Canal.
Latona Fountain
Dragon Fountain, Versailles
Flowers and fountain at Versailles
Ceres Fountain, Versailles
Neptune Fountain, Versailles
Pyramid Fountain, Versailles
Apollo Fountain, Versailles
Deux Amours et une Fillette
La Garonne, Versailles
Several fountains adorn the basins. The most famous are the Latona
Fountain - with a statue of the goddess Latona - and the Apollo Fountain
- named after the sun god and depicting the Sun King riding a chariot.
There are several other fountains in the garden, such as the Neptune
Fountain.
The fountains were installed to entertain the many guests invited to the
lavish parties organized by King Louis XIV.
Another noteworthy decoration in the garden is the Colonnade, a circular
row of marble columns, designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
Petit Trianon -Versailles Palace
La France Triomphante, Versailles
There
are also a couple of smaller palaces in the garden: the Grand Trianon
and the Petit Trianon. Some 10,000 people worked in the Versailles
Palace, so privacy was minimal. Hence King Louis XIV ordered the
construction of the Grand Trianon, a palace almost as luxurious as the
main palace where the king could escape the formalities of the court and
arrange rendezvous with his mistress. His successor, king Louis XV
later built the smaller Petit Trianon for the same reason.
