Day 7 - Versailles

After our visit to the LDS Paris temple, we headed to Versailles to spend the remainder of our day. As we crossed the Parade Ground, we were greeted by this equestrian statue of Louis XIV.

We passed through the first railings - the Grille d'Honneur - and entered the Ministries Courtyard which is flanked by the Wings of the Ministries. These were built in 1679-1681 as extensions of pavilions that had been constructed earlier to house the four secretaries of state, their families, and respective offices. I was amazed at the sheer size of everything!

This second set of railings is the Royal Railings and it separates the forecourt from the Royal Courtyard. The original had been erected in 1679-82 but had been demolished in 1794. The railings were entirely reconstructed in the early 2000's and the only original elements are the groups of sculpture which surmount the two sentry boxes.

The Royal Courtyard, flanked by the Old Wing on the left to the south and the Gabriel Wing on the right to the north. The Royal Courtyard leads to the Marble Courtyard which corresponds to Louis XIII's Chateau.

On either side of this clock are the statues of Hercules and Mars.

The statues standing on the balustrades symbolize the virtues of good government, as well as the various regions of the world. The outside was absolutely spectacular and we couldn't wait to get inside! The line was outrageously long and it didn't help that it was lightly raining and we had smokers right in front of us. Thank goodness it didn't take too long to get in.

It was nice to get outside of the rain and put away the dang umbrella! We each grabbed a listening device that gave us information about the rooms we would be visiting and the items residing there.

The chapel which comprises two floors. Above the entrance, the royal tribune was reserved for the king and the members of his family and the side tribunes were for the royal princes as well as the principal dignitaries of the court. The rest of the worshippers were consigned to the ground floor. The paintings on the arched ceiling were magnificent (I found myself repeating that word throughout the day) as were the carvings in stone, other reliefs, trophies, bronze medallions, and the organ.  The king attended Mass every day in the royal tribune and the royal chapel was used for other religious ceremonies of the Court.  One of the most famous events that took place here was the wedding of the Dauphin, the future Louis XVI, and the Archduchess Marie-Antoinette.

The first rooms we explored, which were once inhabited by the members of the royal family and royal princes, now serve as an introduction to the chateau and the reign of Louis XIV. Just some of the items we saw included an impressive model of the chateau in its contemporary form, a family tree of the senior branch of the Bourbons and the House of Orleans, too many portraits and paintings to count, sketches, carvings, furniture, small modeled figures, sculptures, and a few short films to watch.
A painting of King Louis XIV...

the key to the chateau's final chapel, with the king's insignia...

Queen Marie-Antoinette With her two Children...

and a small-scale bronze model of the equestrian statue of Louis XIV that we saw out front.

The Questral Staircase.

The next tens rooms were the Louis XIV rooms and we learned about his childhood, his military campaigns, his family, his ministers, and the world around him throughout these rooms.

Next up were the State Apartments - the King's State Apartment, the Hall of Mirrors, and its salons, as well as a few grand staircases thrown in here and there.

The Hercules Room, one of the most beautiful rooms in the whole chateau. Its ceiling is one of the largest in the world and one of the great masterpieces of French decorative painting.

The painting The Repast at Simon's House which was given to Louis XIV by the Republic of Venice.

The Room of Abundance, a small reception room.

The Venus Room which, during the reign of Louis XIV, was the main entrance to the State Apartment. In the center of the ceiling is a painting of Venus, on either side are medallions, and in the corners are represented couples of famous lovers, including Theseus and Ariadne, Jason and Medea, Anthony and Cleopatra, and Titus and Berenice.

A statue of Louis XIV in antique attire.

The Diana Room, which served as a Billiard Room at which Louis XIV excelled. Above the fireplace is the painting The Sacrifice of Iphigenia.

The Mars Room. It was the Guardroom and really the first room of the State Apartment during the ten years that the king lived there. In the center of the ceiling is depicted Mars on his chariot drawn by wolves. Later, when the king no longer lived in this apartment, on reception evenings the Mars Room was reserved for concerts.

The Mercury Room which became the State Bedchamber. In it stood the stately bed entirely embroidered with gold; the rest of the furniture was made of silver.

The Apollo Room which used to be the most sumptuous room in the State Apartment as it was initially the King's Bedchamber. When the royal bed was transferred to the preceding room, it became the Throne Room. Louis XIV's throne was a piece of furniture covered with silver panels and stood eight and half feet tall. It stood at the far end of the room on a platform beneath a canopy and the bolts are still visible today. It was demolished on the king's orders and replaced by another throne that no longer exists. It is in this room that the king gave ordinary audiences but when he received a foreign envoy, the throne was transferred to the Hall of Mirrors. The painting above the fireplace was Louis XIV in Royal Attire which is now housed at the Louvre; this copy is by the same artist and was intended for Louis XIV's grandson, the King of Spain.

The six gilt wood pedestal tables in this room are part of a set of twenty-four made in 1769 for the Hall of Mirrors. Some are groups of children; the others are women holding cornucopias.

The War Room. Initially the King's Council Room, it was adorned with paintings related to the story of Jupiter and the restraint of princes. The paintings were then moved to the queen's new Guardroom and it took on its present decor of marble covered walls adorned with gilt bronze trophies and mirrors. The paintings on the ceiling retrace the key events of the reign, from the beginnings of the king's personal reign to the peace treaties of Nijmegen.

A superb stucco molding: Louis XIV, Victorious and Crowned by Glory. This oval medallion rests on some captives enchained with garlands of flowers and is surmounted by figures of Fame holding the royal crown.

The Great Gallery or Hall of Mirrors. What an amazing experience to stand in this oh-so-famous room! It was absolutely magnificent!! The vaulted ceiling is truly a masterpiece, illustrating all the civil and military achievements accomplished by the king in less than twenty years.

The gallery is decorated with eight busts of Roman emperors in porphyry and marble, and eight statues that depict Bacchus, Modesty, Diana, and Venus among others.

The gallery normally served as a passage room and was also the direct way for the sovereigns to reach the Chapel each morning. Crowds would gather there to admire the impressive procession going by. This would also provide an opportunity to give the king a petition in person. The Hall of Mirrors was also an incomparable setting for the great Court ceremonies as well as formal or masked balls. Several significant historical events took place here, including the signing of the peace treaty on June 28, 1919 that ended World War I.

One of the most disappointing things about our Versailles visit was that the Queen's State Apartment was closed for renovations. I had so been looking forward to seeing where Marie Antoinette lived and the rooms she fled through the night peasants broke into the palace. Oh, well...it just gives us another reason to come back.
 After the Hall of Mirrors we were directed into the King's Apartment, starting with the King's Study or Council Room. This beautiful room was the hub of court life. It served as a setting for the king's day-to-day business with his ministers, special audiences, the ceremony in which the principal crown dignitaries swore allegiance, deliberations of the Order of the Holy Ghost, and respects paid on the occasion of royal birth, marriage, or death. It was also the room in which the most important decisions were made during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI, concerning, for instance, the change of alliances in 1756 and in 1775, the participation in the War of Independence that led to the foundation of the United States of America.

The King's Bedchamber. In Louis XIV's day, the furniture in this room was incredibly sumptuous and the paintings adorning this room are, with one exception, those chosen by him. It was in this bedroom that Louis XIV sometimes gave audiences and where he dined in private. The ceremonies of the king's getting up in the morning and going to bed at night were also held here. And it was here that he died, after a seventy-two year reign, on September 1, 1715. On a later date, March 20, 1778, King Louis XVI received in this room Benjamin Franklin and other American leaders who had come to sign the 'Treaty of Friendship and Trade' between France and the United States.

The First Antechamber. It was here that Louis XIV dined in public at 10:00, listening to music and surrounded by members of the royal family.

The beautiful Queen's Staircase. It was the most frequently used staircase in the chateau because it led to the apartments of the king and queen.

Our next stop was the History Galleries, beginning with the 1792 Room. This room contains portraits of heroes of the wars of the Revolution and the Empire, wearing the uniform and the badges of the rank they held in September 1792, during the Proclamation of the Republic.

The Princes' Staircase whose landing leads to the Battle Gallery, our next stop.

I absolutely LOVED the Battle Gallery. This gallery was established during the reign of Louis-Philippe who wanted to turn it into a 'grandiose review of our military history'. Thirty-three pictures cover the walls, names of the princes of the Royal House, commanders-in-chief, admirals, and marshals killed in battle are inscribed on the bronze tables, and eighty-two busts that represent the most famous figures are placed throughout the room.

I found Napoleon! The Battle of Wagram.

Some of the beautiful paintings...

and walls.

After all this walking around we were starving so we headed to one of the little restaurants they have and grabbed some food. It was so nice to just sit and chat for awhile about all the cool things we had seen. After our late lunch we decided to head outside and see some of the gardens, parks, and hopefully the Trianons. Unfortunately it was still raining.

Overlooking the Orangery Garden and the Swiss Pool.

The rain really started coming down so we decided to jump on the little golf cart/train thing and head out to the Trianons. At first they didn't want to sell us the tickets, saying it was about to leave and they couldn't wait for us. But the thing was sitting right there with no driver in sight so Josh pressured them into selling us the tickets and on it we went. We were all smiles at this point as we waited for the driver but I think the ticket people told him to make our ride as miserable as possible because he sure liked to speed up just as our part of the train was going over the speed bumps. Yes, I think they didn't like us Americans that afternoon!

I tried to grab pictures as we passed the gardens but only got a few. The rain was really coming down at this point and we decided to just skip the Trianons, stay on the train, and head back to the chateau. What a bummer!

Back at the chateau we took some pictures of the outside of this amazing palace. The thing is just massive!

And then it was time to view as much of the gardens as we could in the rain.

Standing on the steps leading down to one of the gardens.

After Josh took this picture of us, he and Lenae decided to head back into the chateau and look at more of the rooms while David and I opted to wander the gardens a bit longer. I must admit that there was one good thing about the rain - we seemed to be the only ones willing to be out in it! We basically had the gardens to ourselves.

The dragon pool.

The gardens are adorned with around 500 marble, bronze, and lead sculptures, making them the largest outdoor museum of sculpture in the world.

Another reason to come back - the outdoor buildings, including the stables, were all closed. Thank goodness the outdoor bathrooms were open and we made a quick stop there before ending our visit. We were so drenched and cold after our wanderings in the garden that David used the bathroom hand dryer to heat up a bit, ha ha!

We grabbed one last picture in front of the gate before leaving.

Despite the rain, it was an absolutely amazing day and we had one last stop to make before it was done.