Palace of Versailles (Chateau de Versailles) located in Versailles, France. Palace of Versailles, former French royal residence and centre of government, now a national landmark. It is located in the city of Versailles, Yvelines département, Île-de-France région, northern France, 10 miles (16 km) west-southwest of Paris.
History
Louis xiii and versailles 1607 – 1638
The young Dauphin – the future Louis XIII – came to Versailles for his first hunting trip on 24 August 1607. He discovered a forest and meadows with plenty of game, which also pleased his father, Henry IV. According to Héroard, however, the doctor who recorded the visit, the Dauphin did not return until 1617. Crowned king in 1610, he next came in 1621, and his liking for the location only grew stronger. Ideally situated between his principle residence at Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Paris, it was surrounded by woods that were noisy with pheasants, boars and stags. In late 1623 the king decided to build a small hunting lodge where he could stay the night and which he first used in June 1624. It was a small country residence and, according to the Maréchal de Bassompierre, “a mere gentleman would not have been overly proud of the construction.” Louis XIII decided to rebuild it in 1631. Construction continued until 1634 and laid the basis of the Palace we know today. The king also bought part of the fiefdom of Versailles in 1632.
These two small palaces, whose architectural style was neither distinctive nor particularly fashionable, were royal residences of leisure. Despite this seemingly humble role, it was here that the Day of the Dupes, a major event in the history of the French crown, culminated in November 1630. The king rarely invited guests here and, although the second palace contained apartments for the queen, Anne of Austria never slept in theme because her husband, the king, always ensured she had transport back to Saint-Germain or Paris… Besides the pleasures of hunting, Versailles also constituted a location to retreat to, where the king would come in search of solitude, notably after his relationship with his platonic mistress, Mlle de La Fayette, ended in 1637.
The history of Versailles is inextricably linked with the figure of Louis XIV. Although the location existed for centuries before the sovereign, Louis XIV developed a genuine liking for Versailles early on, and decided to extend it beyond the chateau that had grown out of the hunting lodge of brick and stone first built by his father. The King, who could see great things for the chateau and the forests around it, took on the role of architect himself, and built a masterpiece with which he would forever be associated.
The reign of louis xiv1638 – 1715
The future Louis XIV first came to Versailles in October 1641, when his father Louis XIII sent him and his brother here to escape a smallpox epidemic that had reached the Palace of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. He was just three years old and it is doubtful that he remembered this first visit; his next known visit was in 1651, when, now Louis XIV, he “indulged in the pleasure of hunting”, according to an edition of Gazette de France on 18 April. He was accompanied by his governor and was received for dinner by the Captain of the Palace, René de Longueil, Marquis of Maisons. From then on the young king often found his way back to the chateau, accompanied by his brother, his mother Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Mazarin. He became so fond of the place that, in 1661 shortly after the death of his First Minister, he undertook major works on it. Thereafter, until the end of his life in 1715, the Palace and estate saw a constant stream of building projects, notably including the forecourt in 1662, the “Le Vau Envelope” in 1668-1670, the Pavilions of the Secretaries of State in 1670-1671, the South Wing in 1679-1681, the Grand Commun in 1681-1684, the North Wing in 1685-1689, and the Royal Chapel in 1699-1710.
The reign of louis xv1715 – 1774
Following the death of Louis XIV in September 1715, the court abandoned Versailles for Vincennes and transplanted itself briefly to Paris the following December. Versailles entered a long period of neglect. The Governor of the estate ensured that the Grandes Eaux Fountain Display was activated every fortnight to keep it in working order. The Palace was merely a source of curiosity, and Tsar Peter the Great visited twice between May and June 1717. It was not until 15 June 1722 that, at his own request, the young Louis XV returned to Versailles. His first concern was to complete the work of his great-grandfather, but he also set out to create more intimate and private spaces in which to perfect his knowledge. His timidity led him to increase the number of small chambers in which he felt more at ease than in the grand public spaces created by Louis XIV. Although respectful of the place, Louis XV did not live exclusively in Versailles but often resided at Fontainebleau, Marly and Compiègne, as well as in palaces further away from the seat of power, such as Choisy, La Muette, Saint-Hubert and Bellevue. and more…..
The beginning of the 20th century was marked by the First World War, and Versailles also suffered during this conflict which forced the Palace to close and its works to be protected. But, like Paris, Versailles was not invaded and, all in all, life continued. Even though at a slower rhythm, the museum collections grew and visitors arrived, though fewer than before. The Palace spent the war years mobilising support for the national effort and assisting the wounded and the families of soldiers as much as possible. When it was chosen for the signing of the peace treaty in 1919, Versailles once again became the centre of the world’s attention. Recalling the humiliation of 1871, the Allies had the Germans sign in the same place where the German Empire had been declared… Despite this resurgence of attention, the Palace suffered a lack of maintenance for several years, due to a crippling shortage of money to renovate it, and it began to show its age. Salvation came from across the Atlantic in the person of the billionaire John D. Rockefeller, who made two enormous donations to the Palace for its restoration. Recalling the involvement of France in the American War of Independence, the wealthy businessman inaugurated a custom of philanthropy and patronage that became indispensable for the proper functioning of the site.
So the Palace of Versailles was the principal royal residence of France from 1682 under Louis XIV until the start of the French Revolution in 1789 under Louis XVI. The history and meaning of the artwork in each room is passed through the Hall of Mirror, a beautiful hall of worship. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej is presided over by His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand. After World War I.
Now the palace is a museum that Containing over 60,000 works, the collections of the Palace of Versailles span a very broad period. The collections reflect the dual identity of the Palace, as both a palace occupied by the kings of France and the royal court, and later a museum “dedicated to the glories of France,” inaugurated by Louis-Philippe in 1837.
The collections of the museum founded by Louis-Philippe, and still active today, offer a chronological overview of the history of France from the Middle Ages up to the late 19th century. The museum was intended to provide both historical and iconographic insight into the great figures and events which shaped the history of France, and the collections primarily comprise sculptures and paintings dating from the 16th through to the 19th centuries. They include originals and copies, specially-commissioned pieces, and regular purchases.
