Palace of Versailles

Gold, gold, and
more gold!
Marvelous
paintings on
every ceiling!
Stunning
gardens!
Welcome to the
Palace of
Versailles.

If you’ve seen
the recent
movie, Marie
Antoinette, you
know about the
Palace of
Versailles. If not,                                                Photo by Jasonb42882
you probably recall hearing about Versailles in history class. The treaty that ended World War I was signed here.


Back in the day, the palace of Versailles was France’s ultimate royal palace. It is still just as impressive. There is gold everywhere – or gilded bronze, if you want to get technical – but it accents everything in the palace. The fireplaces are so large, you could stand in them, and the ceilings are amazing. The Palace of Versailles is definitely a must see for anyone traveling to France.

JUMP TO:     When to Go     Cost      History     What to See

• Versailles began as Louis XIII’s hunting lodge. Within 50 years, it had transformed into an extravagant palace.



• The transformation of Versailles began in 1661, with approximately 40,000 workers draining marshes and moving forests. Louis XIV had set out to build a palace that would be the envy of Europe. Wishing to keep an eye on the nobles, Louis XIV had them live with him at Versailles. He amused them with constant entertainment and lavish banquets – some were even awarded the task of holding the hem of his robe. Woo hoo!



• Under Louis XIV, Versailles became the center of political power. More like a town than a palace, it was the seat of French power for more than 100 years. It kept members of the royal family safely cushioned from their subjects in Paris (until the bloodthirsty revolutionary mob cam a-knocking!)



• Louis XIV died in 1715, and his great grandson Louis XV succeeded him. Louis XV continued with his great grandfather’s outrageous pomp, though he is said to have predicted the outcome: “Après moi le deluge” (After me, the deluge). His wife, on the other hand, Marie Leszczynska, was shocked at the blatant immortality at Versailles, including her husband’s promiscuous behavior.



• France’s next monarch, Louis XVI, found his grandfather’s behavior scandalous. In fact, upon gaining the throne, he immediately ordered that the “stairway of indiscretion” (secret stairs leading to king’s bedchamber) be removed.



• Louis XVI and his child bride, Marie Antoinette, were a well intentioned but weak pair on the throne. At first, they were well liked, but eventually the queen’s frivolity and spending led to their downfall. Louis and Marie Antoinette were at Versailles on October 6, 1789 when a revolutionary mob seized them, and forced them back to Paris. As predicted, the deluge had arrived.



• During the Revolution, Versailles was ransacked, with much of its furniture and other objects destroyed.



• Napoléon stayed at Versailles, but never seemed fond of it. Louis-Philipe, who reigned from 1830-1948, prevented the destruction of the palace by converting it into museum dedicated to glory of France. To do that, he had to surrender some of his own riches. Decades later, John D. Rockefeller contributed toward the restoration of Versailles and work on the palace continues to this day.
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• The ceilings



• The Grand Apartments
  
  (The Hall of Mirrors, the King's and Queen's state apartments, the Royal Chapel, the library, the clock room, the salons, and the Opera)



• The gardens



• The fountains



• The Grand Trianon



• The Petit Trianon and the estate
  of Marie Antoinette

• The salons are
  magnificent. They are
  in the Louis XIV style,
  and each room is
  dedicated to an Olympian deity.


The best known and largest is the Hercules Salon, its ceiling painted by Francois Lemoine, depicting the Apotheosis of Hercules.

In the Mercury Salon, the body of Louis XIV was put on display in 1715 as a tribute – his 72 year reign was the longest in history. The ceiling was painted by Jean-Baptiste Champaigne.

A marble statue of Louis XIV stands in the middle of the room in the Salon de Venus. In the Salon de la Guerre, the room’s theme of war is reinforced by Antoine Coysevox’s stuccoed relief of Louis XIV riding to victory.

The Salon d’Apollon was designed by Le Brun and is dedicated to god Apollo. This salon was Louis XIV’s throne room, and a copy of Hyacinthe Rigaud’s famous portrait of the king hangs here.


• The King’s state apartment is a lavish shrine to the power and grandeur of Louis XIV. The ceilings are painted with scenes of thunderous gods and the walls are richly clad with marble and gilded bronze.



• The Queen’s State Apartment runs parallel to the King’s state apartment, with the Hall of Mirrors forming a lavish corridor between the two. In the Queen’s bedchamber, she was dressed daily by aids in front of the public!
  
  She also suffered through the ordeal of giving birth to royal children in public view, to prove the royal heirs were real. Crazy! Marie Antoinette was the last queen to occupy this room, and the portraits of her family decorate the walls.



• The Hall of Mirrors is the most famous room at Versailles. As you enter it, you’re bathed in a sea of chandeliers, natural light, and opulence.
  
  

  It was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in 1678 in the Louis XIV style, and was decorated by Le Brun with 17 great mirrors, made up of smaller, beveled mirrors, facing tall arched windows. The Hall of Mirrors was completed in 16886, and is approximately 240 ft (73) m long.
  The Hall of Mirrors has
  served as a venue for
  royal wedding
  celebrations, a place for
  greeting foreign
  dignitaries, and even a
  corridor. On June 28,
  1919, the treaty ending
  World War I was signed
  right here in this room.
  
  More than 350 mirrors
  catch the light pouring in
  and the huge arched
  windows give a
  spectacular view of the
  gardens and canals. The
  omnipresent Louis XIV is,
  of course, depicted in
  the ceiling paintings,
  showing episodes from
  the king’s reign.



• Louis XVI had a luxurious library, designed by Jacques-Ange Gabriel. The neo-classical panels are delicately carved and the room has been restored and refinished. Check out the King’s terrestrial globe.
  
  
• The Clock Room contains Passement’s astronomical clock, encased in gilded bronze. It took twenty years to make, and was finished in 1752. The clock is supposed to keep time until the year 9999! At age 7, Mozart played for the court in this room.



• The Opera was designed by Gabriel for Louis XV in 1748, but it wasn’t completed until 1770. In its heyday it took 3000 candles to light the place. Don’t take pictures in here – you’ll be yelled at!



• Hardouin-Mansart built the harmoniously gold and white Royal Chapel in 1669, dying before its completion. Louis XVI married Marie Antoinette here in 1770, while he was the dauphin. I think this chapel is breathtaking!

At the peak of
Versailles' glory,
1400 fountains
spewed forth.
It is a pity that
on most days
these famous
fountains
remain still.

The Apollo
fountain guards
the entrance to
the Grand
Canal. It shows
Photo by Edwin Lee                                                     the sun god
rising out of the water on a chariot, symbolizing the rise of the Sun King’s reign. The Latona fountain depicts Apollo’s mother asking Jupiter to turn the Lycian peasants into frogs.

Don’t miss Neptune fountain, with groups of sculptures spraying spectacular jets of water. Try to catch the fountain show – it’s a must see!