Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles) Paris, France

Palace and Park of Versailles

Eiffel, Louver and Versailles

The Palace of Versailles was a creation of Louis XIV; it is said that he had made for his amorous trysts. It is located at Versailles few km away from Paris and remains as one of the top destination of tourists along with Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum. Its luxury mansions, expensive internal decorations remind the good old times when France was super power of Europe. The tuileries gardens are so vast that there is a train service for visitors to cover the monuments and the entire garden.

The Palace of Versailles is also a UNESCO certified World Heritage Site which was the center of power in Ancien Regime (the social set up of France between 14^th and 18^th century). This grand palace offers a glimpse in to the life of the royal members as well as the historical turmoil France has undergone in the past 400 years.

A hunting lodge in to a palace

Louis XIV’s third building campaign resulted in the construction of the Hall of Mirrors.

When the chateau (chateau is a French castle or country house belonging to royals or aristocrats) was built Versailles was a remote place and the royal members used to stay in a lodge while on hunting. King Louis XIV wanted some peace of mind to manage the nation as the aristocrats were scrambling for more power and were fighting each other making Paris a virtual cockpit. In 1682 King Louis XIV moved into the hunting lodge and the extension and modification works that started since lasted almost until the death of the king.

King Louis XIV the Sun King (1643 – 1715)

Louis Dieudonne XIV known as The Grand Monarch, Sun King Etc, born in September 5, 1638, wore the crown in May 14, 1643 at the age of five; his mother ruled as regent until he reached 13. Louis was a man with strange manners; he ruled France for 72 years; married Maria Teresa; and was king till his death in September 1, 1715. It was Louis who put an end to the feudalistic rules and made France a modern unified nation. He loved luxury and the physical comforts of life (as reflected from the set up he had made in the Versailles Palace).

Nijmegen Treaty

The Queen’s bedchamber.

The French Government moved to Versailles after signing the treaty at Nijmegen (a Dutch city where the warring feudal lords signed a treaty there by ending internecine wars that raged in almost all over Europe like France, Brandenburg, Sweden, Spain and etc) during the Franco Dutch war. The death of Jules Cardinal Mazarin -who was Co-Regent to France as Louis was minor- made Louis absolutely free to act as per his whims and it so, happened that making Versailles Palace became one of his numerous whims! The 1789 upraise saw the beautiful palace in its expensive interiors getting ransacked by irate mobs; later Napoleon got it renovated and lived there with his family.

Nicholas Fouquet and Vaux le Vicomte

Fouquet was finance minister to the crown and was caught in a crime of embezzling public money and building a chateau by name Vaux le Vicomte. King Louis was not amused and sent Fouquet to prison. But impressed by the style of that chateau the king invited the artists behind the work and entrusted them to the construction of Versailles Palace.

The following are the three artists who made Versailles a classic to be remembered;

Louis Le Vau (1612 – 1670), born in Paris; it was he who redesigned Chateau of Vaux le

Vicomte; was commissioned to renovate and extend the old hunting lodge in to a grand palace; Le Vau was also associated with the works of Louver Museum.

Le Notre (1613 – 1700), he belonged to a family of gardeners; Notre was responsible with the designing of numerous famous gardens like St James Park, Chantilly, Chateau Fontainebleau and etc. At Versailles he was behind the work of turning a marshy forested land in to a world famous garden.

Charles Le Brun (1619 – 1690) was the greatest painter of that time and his works decorate the palace of Versailles as its richest possessions; ‘Halls of War and Peace’ (Salon de la Guerreand de la Paix), ‘Ambassador’s Stair-case’, ‘Great Hall of Mirrors’ (Galarie de Glaces) etc are salons of Versailles enriched by his works.

During the French Revolution in 1789 much damage was done to the Palace as mobs looted and destroyed the rare artifacts of the palace. When Napoleon Bonaparte came to power he chose this palace as his residence and a massive renovation was undertaken to repair the damage happened associated with the protracted revolution.

The main sights of the Museum

The Marble Court was the last work of Le Vau after; this building was paved with marble during the second campaign of construction and was named after the marble that was paved. Its design was done in a style known as the ‘envelop design’ as the new building enveloped the old chateau without dismantling it. Its western side is richly decorated with bas reliefs and medallions. The southern side is place for Greek Gods and in the south is the Grotte de Thettis and the reservoirs.

Tuileries (The Grand Garden) attached to Versailles was the creation of Le Notre; it emerged to be a natural extension of the Italian renaissance art. At that in France every thing existed in relation with the king and the garden was so turned to match the French psyche of that time. Its sculptures, fountains, canals, balustrades, cropped plants, geometrical plant beds, urns all gave a combined impression of discipline and order on the viewer and he could only return with awe and high esteem about the king, the palace and things that were going in the land.

Galerie de Glaces was designed by Jules Mansart; built in great pomp baroque style; 73 meters long and 10.5 meters wide; it was here Louis XIV used to meet important guests. 17 big arched widows made with alternatively the head of Apollo and lion of Nemea on the top. 357 mirrors arranged to reflect images in thousands of multiples to dazzle the visitors. Its ceiling was painted by Le Brun depicting the great events of the king’s life.

Salon Hercules; got its name from the painting done on its ceiling by Lemoyne (picturing Hercules Entering the Kingdom of Gods; which took full three years for the artist to complete); Salon de Hercules was the swansong of Lemoyne as shortly after completing the work he committed suicide.

The Grand Apartment du roi consists of The Great Hall of Mirrors (Galerie de Galces), Salon de Hercules and the royal bedrooms that were made in the name of the seven planets known at that time; all decorated by Le Brun.

Salon de L’ Abondance The royal hall for buffets; of the three one served liquors and other two only usual foods; worked during days when the king (Louis XIV) held court.

Salon de Diane (representing Goddess of hunt –Diana; planet Moon),

Salon de Mars (God of war; planet Mars),

Salon de Mercure (Roman God of Trade planet Mercury),

Salon de Apollon (Roman God of Arts; planet Sun; it was meant to be king’s bedroom; later came to be used as the throne room),

Salon de Jupiter (Roman God of law and order; represents planet Jupiter)

Salone de Saturne (Roman God of Agriculture; planet Saturn),

Salone de Venus (Roman Goddess of Love; planet Venus) all are apartments made one each for the planets known at that time.

Salone de la Guerre (hall of war) was dedicated Bellona the Roman Goddess for war; exquisite display of armory, like shields, thunderbolts, war-trophies, the gilded ceiling frieze (broad horizontal band of sculpted decoration) with war ornamentation.

Salon de la Paix was made between 1680 and 86 as a counterpart to Salon de la Guerra at the other end of the hall of mirrors,

Napoleon’s Bedroom in pomp this room matches the majesty of the emperor; during the French Revolution all the invaluable furniture arranged in this hall was auctioned off; Napoleon and his wife Marie Louise lived here.

A statement of royal might!

The Salon d’Apollon was originally designed to serve as the king’s bed chamber

The Versailles Palace was built to express statement of strength and majesty of France and its absolute ruler King Louis XIV; it was the virtual ‘power house’ of France when the king, his ministers and court all got concentrated in this magnificent palace.

King Louis never hesitated to flaunt his royal style and affluence and it was displayed before the dignitaries who visited his country. At his time France emerged as a super power of Europe and King Louis was the strongest figure of that continent.

Still busy

Lit de parade, Salon of Mercury.

Louis Phillippe converted the palace in to a Historical Museum in 1837; and now the palace is busy displaying the old charm of the kings to millions of people who visit this museum every year. The Versailles Palace is a UNESCO approved World Heritage Site and stands as one of the three ‘trump cards’ Paris has in its arsenal (Eiffel, Louver and Versailles).

The peace treaty that was signed putting an end to First World War in June 28, 1919 by the warring factions (The Treaty of Versailles) had virtually lifted the Palace of Versailles to the top of all monuments as Versailles played its role in shaping the destiny of the world.

The USP of Versailles is the opulence of life style of its Sun King that is flaunted lavishly; visitors watch them with awe; the royal bedrooms, garden, royal buffet and every thing that are royal!