Palace of Versailles. Palaces and castles of France during the reign of Louis XIV

A striking palace in the suburbs of Paris has become a symbol of the absolute monarchy and luxury of the latter. French kings.

He made such a strong impression on his contemporaries that many rulers of other states ordered their architects to create something similar for them.

Although all visitors to Versailles associate this palace primarily with the personality of the legendary Louis XIV, the dignity of this town was appreciated even by the grandfather of the Sun King, King Henry IV, who loved to hunt in the local forests. Henry's son and heir, Louis XIII, in 1623 ordered the construction of a small hunting pavilion there. In the early 1630s, the king bought the territory adjacent to his possessions from the Gondi family and the archbishop of Paris, and ordered a new, more representative building from Philibert Leroy.

The palace of Louis XIII was completed in 1634. It was a rectangular two-story building with two wings perpendicular to the main building.

In the central part there was a royal bedroom, it was surrounded by halls for receptions. Fragments of this layout can be seen in the building of the palace that exists today: the facades around the so-called Marble Court (Cour de Marbre) differ from all others with dark red brick facing, contrasting with light architectural details - window framing, cornices and decorative elements made of cream sandstone.

Favorite residence of Louis XIV

When his father died in 1643, Louis XIV was barely four years old and moved frequently. Officially, the Louvre was still the main royal residence, but the young king did not like Paris. Every year, together with his court, he left the capital for several months and lived in the castles of Vincennes, Fontainebleau, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

He first visited Versailles only in 1651, and since then this place has become his favorite residence. Soon the king decided to rebuild it in order to be able to spend time together with the whole court for various entertainments. To realize this plan, he invited artists and architects.

The building was designed by the famous architect Louis Levo. two artists were involved - Charles Errard and Noel Coypel, the redevelopment of the gardens fell to André Le Nôtre, whose task also included the design of the greenhouse. The work began in 1661, and three years later the king was already able to invite guests to the first palace celebrations dedicated to theatrical performances, including Moliere's plays. At this time, Louis XIV decided to further rebuild the palace. According to the project of Levo, in 1668-1681 enveloppe were erected - two massive wings, north and south, which surrounded and almost absorbed the palace of Louis XIII. The wings, located parallel to the central axis of the palace and park complex, were oriented towards the entrance from the city, and the so-called Royal Court (Cour Royal) was located on the space formed between them. From the side of the garden facade, between the risalits of the two wings, Levo placed an arched enfilade, above which he arranged an open terrace on the upper tier. The southern wing was intended for the apartments of the ruler, while the northern one served the queen and her ladies-in-waiting.

Hall full of mirrors

Louis XIV not only made Versailles his permanent residence, but also decided to transfer the government there. To accommodate a large retinue and officials, another large-scale rebuilding was required, which began in 1678. Levo had already died by that time, and was replaced by another royal architect, Jules Hardouin-Mansart. He designed the impressive Mirror Gallery (Galerie des Glares), built on the side of the garden between the projections on the site of the former observation deck. The gallery overlooks the garden with seventeen high semicircular windows, opposite which mirrors are placed on the inner wall, corresponding in shape and size to the windows.

During the day, when the garden was reflected in the mirrors, the gallery turned into an arched pavilion, surrounded on both sides by extensive flower beds, while in the evenings the mirrors multiplied the lights of the candles illuminating the gallery, increasing their brightness. On the plafond were presented plots glorifying the Sun King and his military achievements. This decoration, completed in 1686, was made from sketches and under the direction of the famous painter Charles Le Brun.

On both sides of the gallery, on the first floor of the risalits, designed by Levo, two luxurious halls were arranged - the Hall of War in the apartments of the king and the Hall of Peace in the wing that belonged to the queen.

Hardouin-Mansart also designed two massive wings with courtyards, located perpendicular to the central axis of the entire structure. The southern wing was completed in 1684, but the construction of the northern wing was suspended due to the ever-increasing cost of the project and resumed only in the 19th century. The architect rebuilt two pavilions built on the left side of the city, which were located separately from the city, placing a spacious courtyard between them, which was called the Court of Ministers (Cour des Ministres).

Louis XIV with his court moved to Versailles on May 6, 1682, when construction work was in full swing and even the royal chambers were still unfinished. Despite the inconveniences associated with life on the construction site, the king did not change his place of permanent residence, and the Palace of Versailles remained the residence of the French rulers until the 1789 revolution.

The last completed part of the Hardouin-Mansart project was the Royal Chapel, conceived by the architect as an independent building, connected to the northern wing of the palace.

Monarchs' private quarters

Despite numerous reconstructions, the Palace of Versailles looks like a harmonious whole from the inside, the features of classical baroque dominate in a single sustained style. The interiors - in particular, the so-called Grands Appartaments of Louis XIV and his wife, consisting of many rooms and connected by the Mirror Gallery - amaze with the luxury of decoration, an abundance of sculptures, stucco, gold and wall paintings representing the exploits of the Olympian gods.

In the palace and park ensemble of Versailles there was a place for other buildings. After the purchase and demolition of the small village of Trianon in 1668, Louis Leveaux built the Porcelain Trianon in its place - an ensemble of pavilions lined with white and black faience tiles.

More than ten years later, Jules Hardouin-Mansart received a decree from the king to build a new palace, which was intended for the personal needs of the ruler. In the lower part of the vast complex, located between the courtyard and the garden, you can see recreated village buildings, and elegant sculptural decorations and pink marble cladding the facade and colonnades give the entire structure an intimate sophistication.

The Trianon Palace became known as the Great (Grand) when a new residence of a similar design, called the Small (Petit) Trianon, appeared nearby. It was ordered to be built in 1761-1768 by Louis XV, the great-grandson and heir of the Sun King, for his favorite, Madame de Pompadour. Jacques-Ange Gabriel was the author of the Petit Trianon. In comparison with other buildings of Versailles, the palace really looks small, and its interiors combine features of rococo and classicism. The Petit Trianon was the favorite residence of Queen Marie Antoinette, who received it as a gift from Louis XVI.

After the French Revolution broke out in October 1789, the royal family had to leave Versailles and the palace was looted. It regained its brilliance during the time of Louis Philippe, who ordered that a museum of the history of France be built here. After the final overthrow of the monarchy, Versailles held meetings of the Congress and parliamentary elections for the President of the Republic, and the Trianon Palace served as a venue for diplomatic meetings. In the Mirror Gallery on June 28, 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending the First World War.

famous gardens

The modest garden that once surrounded the palace, erected by Louis XIII, was constantly changing during the reign of his heir - it was expanded and brought to perfection, so that with its luxury it would correspond to the splendor of the building itself. André Le Nôtre, designing the garden in 1661, outlined its main features that remained unchanged during the 40 years of the project. Painters and sculptors worked together with Le Nôtre - the environment of the palace had to meet the aesthetic requirements embodied in its interiors. Closer to the garden façade, floral parterres with a strict chess composition were placed, which passed into higher so-called cabinets and bosquets, formed by trellises of sheared shrubs and trees topped with crowns of a strictly defined shape. Parterres created a frame for two fountains, decorated sculptural compositions. Closer to the palace is a multi-tiered fountain dedicated to the goddess Leto (Latone), the mother of Apollo and Artemis. A wide alley with lawns stretches from it to the fountain of Apollo. In the center is a statue of the sun god driving a chariot, surrounded by tritons and dolphins. The author of these sculptures is Jean-Baptiste Turby.

A harmonious combination of strict geometric figures of greenery and water surface is also characteristic of the far part of the garden, where Le Nôtre built two canals intersecting at right angles. The larger one, called the Grand Canal, ended in an oval pond.

Channels, numerous small fountains, waterfalls and artificial grottoes, since 1664, constituted an important part of the scenery of all kinds of performances and palace celebrations. By Grand Canal, in addition to traditional sailing boats, there were gondolas that Louis XIV received as a gift from the Venetian doges. It is noteworthy that during the time of this ruler, the costs associated with the creation and maintenance of the water system amounted to one third of the cost of building the entire Versailles.

Garden complex, sustained in strict geometric proportions, with clearly marked viewing platforms, decorated with many statues and flowerpots on pedestals, has become the quintessence of features " french garden”, which in the 17th and 18th centuries was broken in many residences in Europe and America. The garden occupies an impressive area of ​​​​93 hectares, but in Versailles itself it is called the Petit Pare, because beyond it it extends incomparably large territory- more than 700 hectares - Grand Parc, where the garden surrounding the palace is located Grand Trianon. It is arranged according to a similar geometric principle and is decorated with parterres reminiscent of oriental carpets.

The Palace of Versailles is located in the city of the same name, located 16 km southwest of Paris. It was the residence of the French kings Louis XIV, XV and XVI. Also here from May 6, 1682 to October 6, 1789 lived the French royal court.

The castle consists of many elements combined into an architectural ensemble. It occupies more than 63 thousand square meters, consists of 2300 rooms, of which 1000 are museum premises today.

The park of the Palace of Versailles extends over 815 hectares (before the Revolution - 8,000 hectares), of which 93 hectares are gardens. It consists of several elements: the Petit and Grand Trianon (Napoleon I, Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis-Philippe I and Napoleon III lived here), the queen's farm, the Grand and Small Canals, a menagerie (destroyed), a greenhouse and a water basin.

The first mention of the settlement of Versailles is found in 1038 in the charter of the abbey of Saint-Pere de Chartres. In 1561, Versailles with a knight's castle was sold to Martial Lomeny, secretary of finance under Charles IX.

Then the Italian favorite of Catherine de Medici, Count de Retz Albert de Gondi, becomes the owner of the lands and the castle.

In 1589, a month before becoming king of France, Genih IV, the king of Navarre stops at Versailles. Then he returns there in 1604 and 1609. to hunt. At the age of 6, the future king Louis XIII came here for the first time to hunt.

Versailles under Louis XIII

The king began to acquire possessions in Versailles from 1623. At that time, only one windmill stood on the site of the palace.

In 1623, Louis XIII, suffering from attacks of agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and wanting spiritual rest, decides to build a modest stone and brick hunting pavilion on the top of the Versailles plateau, on the road between Versailles and Trianon. He buys the mill and the miller's house, which stood on this hill surrounded by swamps. Louis is personally present during the development of the architectural plan of the pavilion and the adjacent gardens. The building was modest and utilitarian. Together with the earthen ramparts and ditches surrounding it, it rather resembled an old feudal castle. From time to time, Queen Mother Marie de Medici and his wife, Queen Anne of Austria, visit Louis in this modest dwelling. True, always passing through, without spending the night, because the building did not provide for women's quarters. The royal chambers consisted of a small gallery where a painting depicting the siege of La Rochelle was hung out, four rooms where the walls were hung with carpets. The royal room occupied the center of the building, its placement later corresponds to the bedroom of Louis XIV.

In 1630, Cardinal Richelieu secretly came to Versailles to negotiate with the king on the occasion of excessive influence on the policy of the queen mother. This was the first important political event within the walls of the castle. Richelieu remained Prime Minister, and the Queen Mother was expelled.

In 1632, Louis XIII buys the possession of Versailles from Jean-Francois Gondi. A year before, work began on the expansion of the palace: small pavilions were added in each corner. In 1634, the wall surrounding the courtyard was replaced by a stone portico with six arcades with metal decorations. For the first time, the new castle receives a floral frame: the gardens are laid out in the French manner by Boisseau and Menur, decorated with arabesques and ponds. The facades are reinforced with brick and stone. In 1639, in front of the main facade of the castle, a promenade terrace with an ornamented balustrade was built. That castle corresponds to the modern part of the palace surrounding the famous Marble Court.

In 1643, Louis XIII dies, his four-year-old son, Louis XIV, ascends the throne, and the reins of government are transferred to the Queen Mother, Anna of Austria. Versailles ceases to be a royal residence for 18 years.

Versailles under Louis XIV

The royal family lives at this time in Paris. It is known that for the first time Louis XIV visited Versailles in 1641, where he was sent along with his younger brother during the chickenpox epidemic in, the place royal residence of that era.

Since 1651, the king has visited the castle several times during hunting trips. It was also during the hunting trip after his marriage to Maria Theresa of Austria in 1660 that the king took a real interest in his father's former residence. The first changes affected the garden. The king wanted to straighten out the shape and increase the area, as well as surround it with a wall.

In 1661, the artist Charles Errard was commissioned to put the rooms of the castle in order. Along with the changes in the composition of the royal family (the expectation of the birth of the future dauphin and the wedding of the king's brother) came the need to redistribute the rooms. The castle was divided into the chambers of the king and the prince, with separate staircases in the side wings. The staircase of Louis XIII in the center of the loggia is destroyed.

Serious work on changing the castle began in 1664. Initially, the castle was criticized by the court, especially its location: Versailles seemed an unsightly, sad place in which there was nowhere to look - no forests, no water, no earth, and around only sand and swamps.

Officially, the Louvre was still a royal residence. However, more and more often it was in Versailles that court holidays began to be arranged. The courtiers were able to "appreciate" the inconvenience of this small castle, because many of them could not find a roof to sleep on. The project to increase the area of ​​​​Ludovik instructed Le Vaux, who proposed several options: 1) destroy everything that was, and build a palace in this place in the Italian style; 2) leave the old hunting castle and surround it on three sides with new buildings, thus, as it were, enclosing it in a stone envelope. The king supported the preservation of the paternal house more from financial than sentimental motives. And Le Vaux increased the area of ​​​​the palace three times, elegantly decorated it, developing the theme of the sun, which is ubiquitous in Versailles. The king most of all liked the decoration of the garden by the sculptors Girardon and Le Hongre - in 1665 the first statues were installed, the Tethys grotto, a greenhouse, and a menagerie were built. Two years later, the construction of the Grand Canal began.

The second construction campaign began after the signing of a peace treaty between France and Spain. On this occasion, on July 18, 1668, a feast was organized, now known as "The Great Royal Amusements at Versailles". And again, not everyone could fit in the palace, which again led to the need to increase the building.

At this time, the palace begins to acquire features familiar to us. The most important innovation is the stone envelope, or new castle, which surrounded the castle of Louis XIII from the north, west and south. The new palace contained the new apartments of the king, queen and members of the royal family. The second floor was completely occupied by two chambers: the king (north side) and the queen ( South side). On the first floor of the new palace, two apartments were also equipped: on the north side - the Bath Room, on the south - the apartments of the king's brother and his wife, the Duke and Duchess of Orleans. To the west, the terrace overlooked the gardens; it was demolished a little later so as not to interfere with the passage between the apartments of the king and queen. The famous Mirror Gallery was built in its place. The third floor housed the chambers of other members of the royal house and courtiers.

On the second floor there are Ionic columns, high rectangular windows, niches with sculptures and bas-reliefs. The third floor received the decor of the Corinthian order, a balustrade with trophies rose here.

After the conclusion of a peace treaty with Holland, the third campaign for the arrangement of Versailles began. Under the leadership of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the palace took on a modern look. The mirror gallery with twin salons - the salon of War and the salon of Peace, the northern and southern wings ("Noble wing" and "Princes' wing"), further improvement of the garden are the distinctive characteristics of this era of the Sun King's reign.

Chronicle of construction:

1678:

- alteration of the facade in front of the gardens;

— two bathtubs made of white marble with gilded bronze;

— start of work on laying out the Swiss pond and the Neptune basin, a new greenhouse;

1679:

- The Mirror Gallery, the Salon of War and the Salon of Peace replace the terrace and offices of the King and Queen;

— the central building from the side of the marble courtyard is increased by one floor; the new facade was decorated with a clock surrounded by statues of Mars Marcy and Hercules Girardon;

- Orbe begins construction of the second staircase - the Queen's Stairs, intended to become a pair to the Ambassadors' Stairs;

- Upon completion of work with the ministerial wings, the construction of the Large and Small stables was undertaken;

Garden work continues: more statues and bosquets.

1681:

- Charles Le Brun finishes the decoration of the King's Grand Chambers;

- Marley's car starts pumping water from the Seine;

- the Grand Canal and the Swiss Pond were dug;

— the number of bosquets and fountains in the gardens has been increased.

1682:

In this year, the king decides that the court and the center of French political power should henceforth be located in Versailles. Thousands of people come to the palace: the royal family, courtiers, ministers, servants, employees, workers, merchants - everyone on whom the normal functioning of the castle and the state depends.

After the failure in the war against the League of Augsburg and under the influence of the pious Madame de Maintenon, Louis undertakes the last building campaign at Versailles (1699-1710). At this time, the last chapel (the modern Versailles chapel) was erected, built according to the plans of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, completed after his death by Robert de Côte. In the palace itself, the royal chambers are expanding, work is being completed on the arrangement of the Oval Window salon and the king's bedroom.

Versailles under Louis XV

The next king of France - Louis XV - was born on February 15, 1710 in Versailles. After the death of his father in 1715, he moved with the regent to the Parisian residence - Palais-Royal.

In 1717, Russian Tsar Peter I visited Versailles and lived in the Grand Trianon.

In 1722, at the age of 12, Louis XV becomes engaged to the Spanish infanta Maria Anna Victoria, and the court returns to Versailles after 7 years spent in Vincennes, then in the Tuileries. Such a long absence of the owners led to the decline of the palace, so it took a lot of money to get it back to its former glory.

Under Louis XV, the salon of Hercules was equipped in the palace, the royal opera was added, and Neptune's pond appeared in the garden. The royal chambers have been drastically changed. The ceremonial chambers of the king were on the second floor. On the third floor, Louis arranged small chambers with an office for personal use.

In 1723, the Bath Room was redesigned: deer heads appeared on the facade of one of the courtyards, which is why the courtyard was nicknamed Deer. The initiative of the king showed his interest in hunting.

In 1729, work began on updating the decor of the queen's chambers, which lasted until 1735.

1736 - work was completed in the salon of Hercules. It is located on the site of the chapel, destroyed in 1710. The construction took place under the direction of Robert de Cotes, the decorator of the new royal chapel. The ceiling of the salon was painted by François Lemoine in 1733-1736. It depicts the Apotheosis of Hercules. On one of the walls hangs a huge canvas by Veronese "Supper at Simon the Pharisee", presented to Louis XIV in 1664 by the Venetian Republic. The grand opening of the salon took place in 1739 during a ball on the occasion of the wedding of the eldest son of the king with the Spanish infanta. Various ceremonial events were held in the salon: the wedding of the Duke of Chartres, the birth of the Dauphin, the reception of ambassadors from the Sultan.

1737 - Louis XV remodels the central part of the second floor along the Marble Court on the north side into private chambers intended for living and working. The silk coverings of the royal chambers are being renewed. In the same year, the royal kennel was built.

1750 - appears in the palace new type royal rooms - a dining room for eating on returning from hunting.

1752 - the stairs of the Ambassadors, the small gallery and the Cabinet of Medals were destroyed. These glorious witnesses to the reign of Louis XIV are destroyed so that in their place the chambers of the eldest royal daughter appear.

1755 - The former Cabinet of the Sun King merges with the Cabinet of Thermae to form large saloon Council. Jules Antoine Rousseau makes wall paneling in gilded wood. Gabriel uses antique panels to decorate the walls. There is no gilding in the royal part of the palace: a variety of bright colors are used here for the statues, painted in a technique invented by Martin. The main "highlight" of the chambers is a small gallery near the Marble Court with paintings by Boucher, Carl van Loo, Pater and Parrosel, hung on multi-colored walls.

Louis XV had 8 princesses. In order to place them in the palace, various alterations were undertaken: the bathing chambers, the stairs of the Ambassadors, the partition of the Lower Gallery disappeared. After the chambers of the princesses were dismantled by Louis Philippe, but a few magnificent wall panels remained and demonstrate the luxury in which the ladies lived.

According to the tradition that appeared under Louis XIV, the crown prince and his wife lived in two chambers on the first floor under the queen's chambers and the Mirror Gallery. There was a magnificent decoration, lost in the 19th century. The only thing that survived is the Dauphin's bedroom and his library.

1761 - 1768 Ange-Jacques builds the Petit Trianon.

1770 - opening of the Royal Opera, the pinnacle of Gabriel's work. Construction work began in 1768, the grand opening took place simultaneously with the wedding of the crown prince, the grandson of the king, and Marie Antoinette of Austria. The opera building is designed in the rules of classical architecture with small inclusions of baroque. Two stone galleries lead to the opera: through one of them, the king got into the opera on the second floor of the palace. The plan of the hall was innovative for that time: it is a truncated oval, the traditional lodges are replaced by simple balconies one above the other. This arrangement is favorable for viewing and listening - the acoustics were excellent. In addition, the building was built of wood, and the hall resonated like a violin. The proportions are perfect, the colonnade on the fourth floor is delightful, the half-chandeliers are reflected in the mirrors to infinity, which gives elegance to the architecture. The decor is exceptionally sophisticated. The central plafond is painted by Louis-Jacques Duramo, it depicts Apollo distributing crowns to the Muses, and cupids are depicted on the twelve small plafonds of the colonnade. Their color scheme is in harmony with the color of the hall, painted in marble, with a predominance of green and Pyrenean marble (red with white veins). The bas-reliefs of the first row of lodges are made by Augustin Page, these are the profiles of the muses and graces on an azure background, the faces of the gods and goddesses of Olympus; on the second row of boxes - cupids, symbolizing the most famous operas, and the signs of the zodiac. Antoine Rousseau is the author of stage decorations with musical instruments and weapons. The opera stage, as was often the case in palace theaters, could be transformed into a spacious hall for a costume ball in 24 hours. Special mechanisms made it possible to raise the parquet of the parterre in order to elevate it to the level of the amphitheater and the stage. The stage of the Versailles Opera is one of the largest in France.

1771 - Gabriel presents to the king the "Great Project" for the reconstruction of the facades of the palace from the side of the city. The project followed the rules of classical architecture. The king agreed, and in 1772 work began, but was not completed, but gave birth to the wing of Louis XV.

During this era, Versailles was the most luxurious royal palace in Europe. While Gabriel reconstructed, the brilliant and luxurious life of the court continued with balls and holidays. The aristocrats' favorite pastime was the theater, Voltaire's tragedies were especially appreciated. Louis XV destroyed several brilliant halls and buildings from his father's time, but he managed to create a magnificent interior decoration. The gardens and the Trianon were enriched by the French Pavilion and the Petit Trianon.

Versailles under Louis XVI

Under Louis XVI, the life of the court at Versailles continued, but financial difficulties increasingly began to affect it. Maintaining the palace in good condition cost money. In addition, renovation work was required - there were no amenities that were becoming familiar in that era (bathrooms, heating). Queen Marie Antoinette invested a lot of money in the arrangement of the Petit Trianon, which was one of the reasons for her unpopularity.

Upon accession to the throne, Louis XVI wants a rest room for himself. The choice falls on the library. Its decor is designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel and executed by the sculptor Jules-Antoine Rousseau. Jean-Claude Kervel makes a large table from a monolith of wood, where Louis puts Sevres biscuits. Two globes - earth and sky - complement the decor in 1777.

1783 - The Gilded Cabinet is created. This room was conceived to store the collections of Louis XIV. Under Louis XV, it served as a room for exhibiting the royal gold service, hence one of its names - “gold service cabinet”. Then she was attached to the chambers of the daughter of Louis XV Adelaide, and she became a music salon, where Adelaide took harp lessons from Beaumarchais. Mozart played there for the royal family in 1763. Under Louis XVI, the room again becomes an exhibition hall. In 1788, he placed his own acquisition there - the Butterfly Study.

Versailles after the Bourbons

Versailles witnessed the apogee of Bourbon royalty and their downfall. It was in Versailles that the meeting of the Estates General took place in 1789, which gave rise to the French Revolution. On October 5, 1789, the Parisians advanced on Versailles, captured it and brought the royal family to Paris. The palace was abandoned.

In 1791, paintings, mirrors and emblems of the king were pulled from the walls and ceilings. Works of art were transferred to the Louvre, which became central museum in 1792

In 1793-1796. the furniture of the palace was sold out. The most beautiful interior items went to England in Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

The revolutionary government at one time was going to destroy the palace. The poor people tore out the flowers in the garden to plant potatoes and onions in their place. The Petit Trianon turned into a tavern, and revolutionaries sat in the Opera House and the royal chapel.

For some time the castle served as a warehouse for property confiscated from aristocrats. In 1795 it becomes a museum.

Under Napoleon, the palace was transferred to the imperial property. Napoleon arrives and decides to settle in the Grand Trianon. And again, improvement work began: in 1806, a series of tapestries were ordered for the palace and statues were ordered from museums. Numerous plans for the improvement and alteration of the palace under Napoleon could not be implemented.

After the Restoration, Louis XVIII undertook a series of works with the aim of turning the palace into his summer residence. However, he understands that living in Versailles will reflect badly on his image, and refuses the idea.

In 1833, King Louis-Philippe entrusts his minister, Camille Baschasson, with the task of turning the palace into a museum of French history, dedicated to the military victories of the Ancien Régime, the French Revolution, the Empire and the Restoration. The restoration of the palace was undertaken by the architect Pierre Fontaine. For his personal use, Louis-Philippe orders the Grand Trianon to be put in order. In 1837, the wedding of his daughter, Princess Mary, is celebrated there.

For the museum of military glory of France in the southern wing of the palace, instead of the prince's chambers, the Batal Gallery is arranged, striking in its size (120 m long and 13 wide). It was adorned with 32 huge paintings celebrating the victories of France from the Battle of Tolbiac in 496 to the Battle of Wagram in 1809. The paintings of Horace Vernet were the most sought after.The museum has become very popular.

During the Second Empire, a hall was added to the museum in honor of the victories in the Crimean and Italian campaigns. Napoleon III maintained the palace in good condition. And Empress Eugenia contributed to the partial return of the original furniture.

In 1870, France was defeated by the Prussian troops, and Versailles became the headquarters of the Prussian headquarters during the siege of Paris. A hospital is located in the Hall of Mirrors; The Crown Prince of Prussia rewards his officers at the statue of Louis XIV. Versailles proclaims the birth of the German Empire.

In 1871, the control of France passes to the Paris Commune, its administrative bodies are located in Versailles. The National Assembly meets in the former royal opera, 23,000 prisoners are brought to the greenhouse, many of whom are executed in the park. In 1879, the parliament moved to Paris, but until 2005, both chambers retained their premises in Versailles.

An important role in the preservation of Versailles was played by the historian Pierre de Nolyac, who was appointed guardian of the palace in 1887. By that time, the palace and gardens had been desolate for 20 years, so that even the names of the ponds were forgotten. Nolyak plans to equip a real historical Museum organized according to all the rules of science. He seeks to return the palace to its pre-revolutionary appearance. high society rushes to the opening of the new Versailles. Nolyak invites foreign guests, arranges receptions for potential patrons.

On June 28, 1919, an agreement was signed in Versailles to end the First World War, called the Treaty of Versailles. The place was not chosen by chance: France was waiting for revenge after a humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.

The palace and gardens suffer from a lack of finances. In 1924 and 1927, John Davison Rockefeller donated to the restoration of palace art works and fountains. The nobility of the American millionaire prompted the French government to allocate budget money for restoration.

Second world war the Germans have the palace again.

In the post-war period, the curator of Versailles, Moricho-Beaupré, is once again concerned with raising funds for the restoration of the palace and park. In 1952, he addresses the French on the radio: “To say that Versailles is in ruins is to say that western culture loses one of his pearls. This is a masterpiece, the loss of which will be a loss not only for French art, but also for the image of France, which lives in each of us and which cannot be replaced by anything else.” The call was heard, many French people took part in raising funds for the restoration of Versailles.

Versailles becomes state palace at the disposal of the president. It hosts foreign heads of state, such as John F. Kennedy in 1961, Elizabeth II in 1957 and 1972, the Shah of Iran in 1974, Mikhail Gorbachev in 1985 and Boris Yeltsin in 1992. In 1959 General de Gaulle is undertaking work on the reconstruction of the Grand Trianon for the residence of foreign guests; one wing is assigned to the French president. In 1999, these rooms are refurbished to their original state.

The history of Versailles in a mini-movie:

1. from the Louis to the Revolution -

2. after the Revolution -

3. Versailles gardens -

June 6th, 2013 , 12:51 pm

When we hear the word "Versailles", we certainly mentally imagine a magnificent palace complex against the backdrop of delightful gardens and parks that convey the idea of ​​Andre Le Nôtre who created them. Luxurious gardens of Versailles with unique fountains, graceful sculptures, pools, grottoes and cascades very quickly gained popularity among the French nobility and became the venue for unimaginable magnificent festivities.

Facade of the Palace of Versailles

Since the Middle Ages, the French kings often changed their residences, choosing either Paris or other places in the kingdom. Endless wars, the economic backwardness of the regions and political considerations sometimes forced them to settle in remote areas (a vivid example of this is the royal castles in the Loire Valley that have survived to this day).

Justus van Egmont. Louis XIII (1601-1643), King of France and Navarre

Charles Le Brun. Portrait of Louis XIV, King of France and Navarre

Adam Frans van der Melen - construction of the Palace of Versailles

Adam Frans van der Meulen - View of the Palace of Versailles in 1669

Pierre Patel (1604-1676) Palace of Versailles

Pierre Denis Martin. View of the Palace of Versailles from the Place d'Armes in 1722

Jean-Baptiste Martin - View of the city and the palace of Versailles from Montboron

Jean-Baptiste Martin - Stables at Versailles

marble yard

Royal Chapel.

The last building in Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV. Consecrated in 1710, dedicated to St. Louis, ancestor and patron saint of the royal family.
The upper gallery was intended for the monarch, members of the royal family and important persons of the court. The lower floor was reserved for all other courtiers.

Jacques Rigaud. View of the chapel of the castle of Versailles from the courtyard

View from the royal balcony, this is where the king went to worship

Castle of Vaux-le-Vicomte was built in 1661 Louis Levo(interiors - arch. C. Lebrun; a park - André Le Nôtre; rice. 36, 1, 2). There is still a lot of earlier architecture in this building: high roofs, separate above each volume; in the central part of the building, along the main facade, there is a floor order of rusticated columns. The entrance portal with a pediment decorated with reclining sculptures is reminiscent of the works of S. de Brosse or Ducerceau (Fig. 36, 3). The interiors of the castle are magnificent. In the park, Le Nôtre first outlined an axial system of composition of flat parterres, subordinate to the palace. However, here the heavy palace has not yet merged into a single organism with the park, and the axial development of the park from the palace, into the distance, to infinity, is disturbed by the transverse arrangement of the pool at the end of the garden. These problems will be solved by Le Nôtre at Versailles. However, all this does not reduce the enormous artistic merit of this outstanding work of France.

Rice. 36. Vaux-le-Vicomte castle, department of Seine and Marne, 1661, L. Levo, interior - Ch. Lebrun, park - A. Lenotre: 1 - general view of the palace and park; 2 - plan of the palace; 3 - facade

Country palaces - castles, called until the XVIII century. "Chateau", had various planning and facade solutions. In the 2nd half of the XVII century. throughout France they continued to build according to the type of old castles, the plans of which are characterized by a closed square, forming a courtyard. These are Saint Sepulcre and Rancy (L. Levo, fig. 37, 2), Linier (Francois Levo), Vilaser (Goggar), Bagnole and others. These buildings were surrounded by ditches with water. Many castles received as a result of reconstructions at the end of the 17th century. U-shaped plan; having lost their isolation, they continued to maintain individual roofs over volumes. The old castle layout and appearance was preserved by J. A. Mansart in the castle Dampier-sur-Bouton, built by him in 1675-1683. (Fig. 38).

But at the same time, castles appear that completely lose all signs of the former military structures. These are Dessouci-en-brie(Louis Levo; fig. 37, 1), D'Issy(Bullet), linier And Bercy(Francois Levo). New in their image and layout are the castles of Navarre (1686) in Eure and Marly (1696-1699), near Versailles, J. A. Mansart. Castle of Navarre(Fig. 39, 1; rebuilt in the 19th century) two-storey, in the form of a cube, had a central hall, illuminated by a wide drum with a dome. Navarre Castle served as the prototype for the Royal Pavilion in Marly.

marley(Fig. 39, 2) was created as an intimate royal residence, for the king's chosen friends, but here, among friends, Louis wanted to shine like the sun. The pavilion of the king and 12 pavilions for the courtiers (to the east and west of it) were supposed to allegorically depict the sun and 12 months of the year. The pavilions, exquisite in architecture, were located in the park created by Le Nôtre and J. A. Mansart. Marley, located in a swampy lowland, among the hills, required high costs and therefore was not completed.

Absolutely special place among everything castle building takes Versailles- the residence of the king (the work of Levo, J. A. Mansart, Lebrun, Le Nôtre and J. A. Gabriel). Huge construction and park works are being carried out here, an architectural ensemble of the palace, park and city, unknown before in grandeur and integrity, is being created. Voltaire wrote about Versailles: “If Louis XIV spent on Paris one-fifth of what the victory over nature at Versailles cost him, then Paris would be as good throughout its entire length as it is good near the Tuileries and the Palais Royal, and he would become the most beautiful city in the world." The idea for the sake of which this complex, unsurpassed in brilliance and grandeur, was built seemed higher and more important than urban planning work even in the capital.

Rice. 40. Versailles: 1 - palace and park, 1661, plan of the palace, L. Levo; 2 - Menagerie, 1662, L. Levo and J. A. Mansart; 3 - Marble Court, 1662, L. Levo

The restructuring of the Little Castle of Louis XIII during the reign of Cardinal Mazarin was entrusted to the arch. Levo, who started it in 1661 (Fig. 40, 1). Levo's work at Versailles was carried out in two stages. In 1661, the decorative decoration of the palace was updated, the Orangery was built, the Menagerie was rebuilt (1662; Fig. 40.2). In 1668-1671. the castle of Louis XIII was built with new premises so that the walls of the buildings forming the Marble Court (Fig. 40, 3), facing east, towards the road to Paris, were preserved; the walls of the outer facades of the castle were largely destroyed. As a result of this, the western, park facade was tripled, and Levo built up the old building only on the first floor; its upper two floors now opened onto a terrace, which created a kind of propylaea that connected the park with the Marble Court. Southern and northern facades also lengthened due to two exquisitely shaped buildings, which formed a wider courtyard in front of the Marble Court. In the northern, new extension, the stairs of the Ambassadors were placed, and in the south - the stairs of the Queen. Levo died without completing the design of the front part of the courtyard, which was carried out by Francois d'Orbe, who placed a lattice with two pavilions along the line of the eastern ends of the palace. This is how the "Royal Court" was formed.

As a result of this second building cycle, Versailles formed into an integral palace and park ensemble, which is a wonderful example of the synthesis of arts - architecture, painting, sculpture and landscape gardening art of French classicism of the 17th century. However, after the death of Mazarin, Versailles, created by Levo, began to seem not majestic enough to express the idea of ​​\u200b\u200babsolute monarchy, the embodiment of which in the architecture of the royal residence was considered a matter of paramount national importance.

For this purpose, in 1678, J. A. Mansart was invited to rebuild Versailles (Fig. 41), whose name is associated with the third building period in the history of the creation of this complex (1678-1708). Mansart further enlarged the palace by erecting two wings, each 500 m long, along the line of the outbuildings of Louis XIII, at right angles to the southern (1678-1682) and northern (1684-1689) facades of the palace.

Rice. 41. Versailles: 1 - view of the Marble and Royal Courts from the king's bedroom; 2 - palace; 3 - basin of the Chariot of Apollo; 4 - park, view from the Mirror Gallery of the palace, A. Lenotre
Rice. 42. Versailles. Church, 1699-1710, J. A. Mansart. Interiors, 1709, R. de Cotte. Plan, section and interior
	Rice. 43. Versailles: 1 - Mirror Gallery, 1686, J. A. Mansart and Ch. Lebrun; 2 - War Hall, 1680-1686, J. A. Mansart and Ch. Lebrun; 3 - staircase of the Ambassadors, 1678-1679, L. Levo and Ch. Lebrun

In the northern wing, he placed a church (1699-1710; fig. 42), the vestibule of which ended Robert de Cotte(1709-1710). Besides, Mansart built two more floors above the Levo terrace, creating a Mirror Gallery along the western facade (Fig. 43, 1), closed by the halls of War and Peace (1680-1686). On the axis of the palace towards the entrance on the second floor. Mansart placed a royal bedroom overlooking the city and an equestrian statue of the king, placed later at the vanishing point of the trident of the roads of Versailles. In the northern part of the palace there were the chambers of the king, in the south - the queen (1671, 1673-1681). Mansart also built two buildings of the Ministers (1671-1681), which formed the third, the so-called "court of Ministers", and connected these buildings with a rich, gilded lattice.

All this completely changed the appearance of the structure, although Mansart left the same height of the building. Gone are the contrasts, the well-known freedom of fantasy, nothing remains but the extended horizontal of the three-story building, united in the structure of its facades with the basement, front and attic floors. Almost no variety, other than juxtaposing main floor windows with small square mezzanine openings. The impression of grandeur that this brilliant architecture produces is achieved by the large scale of the whole, by the simple and calm rhythm of the whole composition.

The interiors of the palace were also created over several building periods. The principles of the "grand style" are especially clear in them. french architecture time of Louis XIV, a combination of sober logic of composition with decorative enrichment of forms.

The royal family was located in the central part of the palace, and the guards and courtiers were in the huge wings attached by Mansart. The state rooms of the royal couple occupied the second floor. One group of royal chambers was enfilade along the outer wall of the palace, facing the park, the other - along the Marble Court. Each room was dedicated to various ancient deities, whose names were allegorically associated with members of the royal family. Scenes from the life of the gods are depicted on the plafonds and above the fireplaces, and easel paintings hung on the walls, which later formed the first fund of the Louvre.

TO large apartments the staircase of the Ambassadors (1678-1679; fig. 43, 3) led the king, to the large apartments of the queen - the staircase of the Queen.

The interior of the church, completed in 1710 by Robert de Cotes, is one of the links in the general artistically unified chain of the grand interiors of the palace; it is full of secular brilliance and refined pomp. The interior of the central part of the palace is much richer in terms of the variety of artistic means involved than the facades. This principle of the relationship between the external and internal appearance of the structure, which was formed in Versailles, later became widespread in Rococo hotels.

Almost all the interiors of the central part of the palace were made by Lebrun himself, or in collaboration with Mansart, with constant consultation of the Perrault brothers. For these works, Lebrun attracted the largest painters, sculptors, coppersmiths, carvers and organized a special school. Under the direction and according to the sketches of Lebrun, a tapestry manufactory worked. Up to 250 workers constantly worked with him.

Charles Lebrun(1619-1690), painter and decorator, one of the founders of the "grand style" of art of the time of Louis XIV. In 1634-1637. student of S. Vue. In 1642-1646. located in Italy. In 1648, he participated in the creation of the Academy, since 1660 its president. Creator of a number of brilliant interiors in the hotels of Paris: Bacinier, Zhar, Ezelin, Lambert (1648) and others; Louvre (1661), Versailles - Ambassadors' staircase (1674-1678), Mirror gallery, War and Peace halls (1679-1684). Decoration of festivities in Versailles and Saint-Germain. Collaborated with Louis Leveau and J. A. Mansart.

During the period of work with Levo, Lebrun's work had baroque tendencies, clearly expressed in the staircase of the Ambassadors, where the master uses the techniques of illusory perspective, applied very skillfully and interestingly. In the Mirror Gallery, as well as in the halls of War and Peace, created by Lebrun together with Mansart, nothing resembles baroque anymore. Clarity of design, compositional clarity, refined splendor of architectural form make these interiors outstanding monuments of classicism of the late 17th century.

The buildings located next to the palace are one with it in their architectural images. Greenhouse Levo under the southern parterre in 1681-1688. was enlarged 4 times and rebuilt by Mansart on the model of Roman baths. It is connected to the southern parterre by two colossal staircases, between which it is located. The idea of ​​the grandiose seemed to find its adequate form in the image of these stairs. When looking from the parterre of the Swiss, which lies at the foot of the greenhouse, the meaning of the whole idea emerges especially clearly. The scale of the stairs, the huge planes of which seem to go into the sky, are incommensurable with a person: they were created for the "idea" that prevails here.

In the same plan, built by Mansart in 1679-1686. Large and Small stables (opposite the palace, from the city of Versailles). They took a place between the rays of the trident of roads (Fig. 44).

The Palace of Versailles is inconceivable without its park. This park was created by a wonderful master, architect-gardener Lenotre.

André Le Nôtre(1613-1700) grew up and developed creatively in a family of gardeners Molley. He created and redesigned according to the principles of the regular "French" park of classicism of the 17th century: Vaux-le-Vicomte (1661-1663), Clagny (1674), So and Meudon (1680), Chantilly and Choisy (1693), Pinon, Versailles ( 1663-1600), Marly (1699), Saint Cloud; in Paris, the Champs Elysees and the Tuileries Park (1664-1672).

In his gardens and parks, Le Nôtre consistently pursues the principles of classicism - regularity, strict symmetry, clarity of composition, clarity of subordination of the main and the secondary. According to Le Nôtre, the palace should be well surveyed and surrounded by air. From the center of the palace should go the main alley, the axis of symmetry of the park. It should not be closed, but, going to infinity, it should merge with the distance. Le Nôtre does not like limited spaces; he captivates with the boundless opening of space. The main alley is crossed by transverse alleys forming rectangular or square sections of bosquets. The bosquets, being placed symmetrically, however, do not have to be the same inside. In front of the building, well-visible stalls and pools with water should be laid out on terraces. The entire park must be clearly visible. A good garden cannot be like a forest with its disorganization and arbitrariness. Laying these principles at the basis of his compositions, Le Nôtre creates parks striking in scope and grandeur, comparable only to the construction of cities.

Rice. 46. ​​Versailles: 1 - Porcelain Trianon (Trianon de Porslin), L. Levo, engraving; 2 - Grand Trianon, 1687, J. A. Mansart and R. de Cotte, plan and fragment of the facade

Through skillful planting and cutting trees, Le Nôtre reproduced clear and precise architectural volumes in living material, making landscape art three-dimensional for the first time. He creates walls of cut trees, spared to each other without gaps, like a continuous row of houses, as if creating the space of a street. He does not like virtuoso and colorful stalls. His element is a composition of bosquets and ponds, a symphony of color and texture combinations. He assigns a subordinate place even to sculpture, although there is a lot of it in the gardens and parks he created.

The Palace of Versailles is given a west-east orientation, which makes it seem especially brilliant in the rays of the setting sun. Le Nôtre in the Versailles park created three beams converging at the top of the Grand Canal. In the composition of the park, he applied the optimal number three, building a park of three parts: parterres in front of the palace, bosquets on both sides of the main axis and an array of freely growing greenery, grouped around a large canal, which in 1671 received the shape of a cross. The connection of the palace with the park is especially felt from the windows of the Mirror Gallery, from where all three sides of the green carpets of lawns are visible: from the north - the water planes of the Dragon Fountain, from the south - the parterres of the Cross and the Swiss. Numerous sculptures by F. Girardon and A. Coisevox (Fig. 45) are of great planning importance, helping to establish order reigning everywhere. In the third, wooded part of the park, vases and sculpture also abound. Le Nôtre freely departs from his strict principles in the side alleys, closed by the Latona fountain, which do not have a free perspective. For the device of water parterres and fountains, an aqueduct was built, supplying water to Versailles from Clagny, from the rivers Juyn and Loire.

The park of Versailles suggests the movement of the viewer. Harmoniously combining a strict layout and a change of various complexes, it has the power of a decorative effect. There is not a single object in Versailles that would not be perceived either as very large or as very small. The palace seems majestic up close, but when moving away from it to the canal, it becomes a narrow strip.

When looking at the park from the palace, its spaces expand and go to the very horizon. If you go down into it, it turns out to be filled with peculiar closed worlds. The statues of the park are commensurate with a person up close, but when viewed from the terraces of the palace, they become small, and their scale emphasizes the grandeur of the surrounding space.

In general, in Versailles, the scale of the palace and the park, the greenery of the parterres and the water surface of the pools seem exaggerated, and their volumes are two-dimensional.

The feeling of the material and its stereometry is lost, everything becomes flat and intangible.

A feature of the Versailles park is the allegorical meaning of its sculpture, the mythology of which is conditional, and this is emphasized. The fountain of Apollo - the god of the Sun - is the central figure of the Versailles park. Latona - the mother of Apollo - opens a brilliant procession of gods and goddesses. images antique statues as if intertwined with the royal persons of the 17th century. It was first conceived and carried out at the Château de Richelieu and then completed at Versailles.

The work at Versailles cost the state 250 million livres.

The Palace of Versailles and the Versailles Park overwhelm with their grandeur. To make it easy and pleasant to live here, in the depths of the free part of the park, the so-called Porcelain Trianon (Trianon de Porslin; fig. 46, 1) was built in 1670. This picturesque building with a roof of gilded lead and decor of blue, yellow and white porcelain later ceased to meet the strict requirements of style, and in 1687 the Porcelain Trianon was broken, and in its place, J. A. Mansart, with the participation of Robert de Cotte, built a new , Big Trianon (Fig. 46, 2) - a one-story building with a flat roof, made of precious marbles. The appearance of this building, refined and refined, reflects the intimate life of the palace.

Thus, in the castle of Versailles, two main functions of this building were clearly demarcated: one - official representative, state and the other - intimate, connected with the personal life of the king and his entourage.

Chapter "Architecture of the time of the French absolute monarchy of the XVII-XVIII centuries." section "Europe" from the book " General history architecture. Volume VII. Western Europe And Latin America. XVII - the first half of the XIX centuries. edited by A.V. Bunina (responsible editor), A.I. Kaplun, P.N. Maksimov.

What is interesting about Versailles in the vicinity of Paris. What to see and do in the palace itself and the surrounding park, all interesting places Versailles.

Even in France, with its abundance of architectural masterpieces, the Palace of Versailles is absolutely exceptional in its beauty and historical significance monument. The king spent a colossal amount on the construction of the palace, amounting to 260 billion euros in terms of current money, and the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe internal halls alone reaches 67,000 square meters. meters. A visit to Versailles is a must for all tourists who are lucky enough to spend more than one day in Paris. Those who doubt this will be persuaded by the following 10 reasons to visit the favorite residence of Louis XIV, nicknamed the Sun King.

Popular tours in Versailles

Most interesting excursions are routes from local residents on Tripster. It’s more interesting to start with (see all the interesting places and outline walking routes). And then set aside a day for a trip to the palace of Louis XIV: - 4-hour tour of the halls of the palace and the park.

Palace of Versailles: 10 most interesting places

1. Role model

When, by order of the Sun King, the construction of the palace in Versailles began in 1661, he hardly expected that the completion of construction and finishing work would take place already under his successors. The palace complex was supposed to demonstrate the power and grandeur of royal power. The architects of Versailles - L. Levo and A. Le Nôtre - managed to design a building in the spirit of classicism, striking not only in size, but also in internal harmony. The aristocratic beauty of the facades was organically combined with the luxury of the interior decoration and the park, which had no equal in Europe.

Very quickly, Versailles gained a reputation as the ideal home of the monarch, and the rulers of other countries wished to build something similar.

Impressed by the residence of the French kings, Peter the Great erects his symbol of imperial greatness in Peterhof. To surpass the French model was not only Peterhof Palace, but also the park, and, admittedly, thanks to the Grand Canal, this was possible. Without the Palace of Versailles, the residence of the Savoy kings, Venaria Reale near Turin, and one of the pearls of Bavaria, the residence of Ludwig II Herenchiemsee, would not have been built. Even centuries later, Versailles continued to inspire kings and architects.

2. Excursions in Russian

Huge line of tourists in Versailles

Before visiting Versailles, it is not necessary to immerse yourself in historical monographs and download a map of the area: in Paris it is easy to find both group and individual excursions with transfer. Their subject matter is varied. If you want to be told in great detail the history of the construction of Versailles, or if you want, they will tell you the secrets of the relationship between kings and their favorites. There are excursions to Versailles of Louis XIV and Versailles of Marie Antoinette, to the Russian places of Versailles (yes, there are some), in the park, etc. Their cost depends on the program and duration: the most inexpensive one will cost € 40-50. But the main advantage of visiting the palace with a tour is the ability to get inside without a queue, the guide will take care of tickets in advance.

Travel agencies offering excursions to Versailles are widely represented on the Web: you can search on Google, you can on. By booking a tour in advance, you will save yourself from queues and be able to explore the palace with maximum comfort.

By the way, tickets cannot be called very expensive: a visit to one palace costs € 18, and a comprehensive tour, including the palace, the Trianons and the garden, costs € 20.

3. Transport accessibility

If in the 17th century Versailles was considered separate locality, then today it is actually a suburb of Paris: the palace and the capital are separated from each other by less than 20 km. Getting to Versailles on your own is very easy: just take one of the RER trains (line C), leaving every 20 minutes.

A train ticket costs only € 7, the journey takes about 40 minutes. Another train leaves from Saint-Lazare and Montparnce stations - SNCF (travel time - 35 minutes, ticket price is about € 3.5), but the station where it arrives is quite far from palace complex. Bus number 171 also runs to Versailles: it is not only cheaper than an electric train (only € 3), but also drives up almost to the very entrance.

4. Mirror gallery in Versailles

Little has changed in the gallery since the time of Louis XIV: 357 mirrors still reflect the gilded decor, 17 huge windows still look out onto the garden, and giant crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling. The only thing missing is silver furniture, which was melted down in the 17th century, but its absence is compensated by gilded statues, luxurious vases and a magnificent painting of the vaults of the ceiling, reaching a height of 10.5 m. Since the length of the gallery is 73 m (width - 11 m) , then it is not surprising that while the courtiers walked unhurriedly from one end to the other, romances and intrigues had time to flare up between them.

Palace of Versailles on the map of Paris

Versailles is located at: Place d'Armes, Versailles, France.

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