Versailles - France

I had wanted to visit the Palace of Versailles near Paris for quite some time but never had the opportunity to do so.  2016 gave me that chance.  Like everyone else who visits such a famous site, I was totally overwhelmed by the splendeur and magnificence of the place.  I, however, could not help myself thinking about why so many few had so much while so many others had so little.  Easy to understand why this injustice became too much for the people of France and why they revolted against the regime of the time.  Regardless, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit of the Palace.

The Palace of Versailles was the royal residence of France for little more than a century (from 1682 until 1789) when the French Revolution began.  Versailles is a royal château in the Île de France region near Paris.  When the château was built, Versailles was a country village.  Today, however, it is a suburb some 20 kilometres southwest of the French capital.  The court of Versailles was the centre of political power in France from 1682, when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution.  Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolute monarchy of the Ancient French Regime.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Palace of Versailles

Magnificent statues...


Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Louis XIV Statue in Front of the Palace

In the early seventeenth century, Gondi, a naturalised Florentine purchased the seigneury of Versailles and invited Louis XIII on several hunting trips in the forests surrounding Versailles.  Pleased with the location, Louis ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624.  This small structure became the base on which was constructed one of the most costly and extravagant buildings in the world.  It became the palace of Louis XIV, the "Sun King".  Louis XV and Louis XVI.


Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Grandeur of the Buildings

 

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: A Portion of the Palace Buildings

About 37,000 acres of land were cleared to make room for tree-lined terraces, walkways, and thousands of flowering plants.  There were 1,400 fountains and 400 pieces of sculpture.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Magnificent Gardens



Daniel Food and Wine Tours: One of the Many statues Around the Lakes

Louis XIII’s successor, his son Louis XIV, had a great interest in Versailles.  He settled on the royal hunting lodge at Versailles and over the following decades had it expanded into one of the largest palaces in the world.   In 1661, began a detailed renovation and expansion of the château.  This was done to fulfill Louis XIV's desire to establish a new centre for the royal court.  In 1678, he began to gradually move the court to Versailles.  The court was officially established there in 6 May 1682.



Daniel Food and Wine Tours: One of The Palace Ceilings

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Another Magnificent Ceiling

By moving his court and government to Versailles, Louis XIV hoped to extract more control of the government from the nobility, and to distance himself from the population of Paris.  By requiring that nobles of a certain rank and position spend time each year at Versailles, Louis prevented them from developing their own regional power at the expense of his own and kept them from countering his efforts to centralise the French government into an absolute monarchy.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: One of the Many Fireplaces in the Palace

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Another Fireplace

After the death of the Louis XIV in 1715, the five-year-old king Louis XV, the court, and the government returned to Paris.   Louis XV moved the court back to Versailles in June 1722, and attained his majority as King the following year.  During his reign, Versailles underwent transformation, but not on the scale that had been seen during the reign of Louis XIV.  Louis XV began a project that was continued during the reign of Louis XVI, but which did not see completion until the 20th century.  In 1774, shortly after his ascension, Louis XVI ordered an extensive replanting of the gardens, since many of the century-old trees had died.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Ceiling Artwork

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Impressive Ceiling Artwork

On 6 October 1789, the royal family had to leave Versailles and move to Paris.  During the early years of the French Revolution, preservation of the palace was largely in the hands of the citizens of Versailles.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Some of the Royal Furniture

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: More Ornate Royal Furniture

The fate of Versailles was sealed: on 21 June 1791 when Louis XVI was arrested at Varennes.  The Assemblée nationale constituante declared that all possessions of the royal family had been abandoned and in order to safeguard the palace, the Assemblée ordered the palace of Versailles to be sealed.  In 1792, portions of the Royal furniture was sold and dispersed and many works of art from the Palace were taken to the Louvre in Paris.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: One of the Palace Paintings

 

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Palace Artworks

On 5 May 1794, the Convention decreed that the château and gardens of Versailles, as well as other former royal residences in the environs, would not be sold but placed under the care of the Republic for the public good.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: One of the Many Chandeliers in the Palace

The many magnificent chandeliers...


Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Hall of Mirrors

With the advent of Napoléon and the First Empire, the status of Versailles changed.  In accordance to provisions of the 1804 Constitution, Versailles was designated as an imperial palace for the department of the Seine-et-Oise.  While Napoléon did not reside in the château, apartments were, however, arranged and decorated for the use of the empress Marie-Louise.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Napoleon Bonaparte

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Statue of the Emperor Napoleon

With the Revolution of 1830 and the establishment of the July Monarchy, the status of Versailles changed again.  In March 1832, the “Loi de la Liste civile” was promulgated, which designated Versailles as a crown dependency.  Unlike Napoléon, Louis-Philippe did have a grand design plan for Versailles.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Stairway in the Palace

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: One of the many beautiful Sitting Rooms in the Palace

In 1833, Louis-Philippe proposed the establishment of a museum dedicated to “all the glories of France,” which included the Orléans dynasty and the Revolution of 1830 that put Louis-Philippe on the throne of France.  For the next decade, the château underwent major alterations.



Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The King's Dining Room

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The King's Dining Table

With the past and ongoing restoration and conservation projects at Versailles, the Fifth Republic has enthusiastically promoted the museum as one of France’s foremost tourist attractions.  In 1962, a decree was issued ordering all of the objects belonging to the Palace and preserved in French Collections throughout France to be brought back to Versailles.  Today, the Palace of Versailles is one of France's many national monuments.  The building is so large that only a small portion of it is open to the public.  Many of the rooms are government offices.  The palace is still an important place for political functions.

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: The Royal Bedroom

Daniel Food and Wine Tours: Another  Garden in the Palace

Amazing...