Versailles

We, and several thousand other invited guests,were greeted at Versailles by King Louis XIV, who built the castle by expanding his father's small hunting lodge. He built Versailles 10 miles west of Paris, and used it to further his goal of creating the first modern centralized state by consolidating scattered ministries so that he could control policy. He moved the court, and its 6,000 people, to Versailles in 1682; ensuring that all of the nobles lived a life of enforced idleness, thereby posing no threat to his reign. Versailles remained the political capital and seat of the Royal Court until 1789 when revolutionaries massacred the palace guard and took Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette back to Paris where they were eventually guillotined.

King Louis XIV, who ruled for over 70 years, was evidently quite a renaissance man and for all his grandeur was known as a polite and approachable king who was able to put commoners at ease. Versailles was the cultural heartbeat of Europe around 1700 when French culture was at its most influential.

 

Greek gods and goddesses played a very large role in the paintings and decorations at Versailles, and most of the rooms are named after the gods/goddesses featured in the ceiling paintings.

 

 

Sculpture of King Louis XIV by Bernini above; and the stunning Hall of Mirrors below:

The hall is almost 250 feet long, with 17 armed mirrors matched by 17 windows with the breathtaking view of the gardens. In 1871, in this room, Bismarck declared the establishment of the German empire after the Prussians defeated the French; and in 1919, the Allies signed the Treaty of Versailles here.

The Royal Chapel, where the King worshipped from above, looking down at the altar, while his nobles knelt on the first floor with their backs to the altar looking at the Sun King! Here 16 year old Louis XVI and 14 year old Marie Antoinette were married.

 

Above is the Royal Opera House built specifically for their wedding reception. It is made entirely of wood, carved to look like columns and painted to simulate marble. The floor could be converted to a ballroom with machinery that raised the auditorium floor to the same level as the stage.

The view down the Royal Drive above: the grounds are magnificent, with gardens, groves, parks, fountains, grand canals - a model of the French formal garden with lots of pruned trees and neat pathways.

 

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The Grand Trianon, another palace about a 30 minute walk away, was built for the Royal Family as a recreational escape from the rigors of court life in Versailles. Louis XV built yet another palace nearby, the Petit Trianon, for his mistress; Louis XVI gave it to Marie Antoinette. Both of these palaces also had extensive formal gardens. It's a wonder that it took so long for the French people to storm the gates given the disparity in living conditions.

 

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