Why go
The horseshoe staircase and Baroque entrance are more than decoration. They link the Monaco palace to Fontainebleau and to princes who spent much of their time at the French court, before revolution stripped the building of much of its art and furnishings.
The full story
In the late seventeenth century, Prince Louis I took inspiration from Fontainebleau for changes to the Monaco palace. The Baroque entrance carries the Grimaldi arms, and a double horseshoe staircase rises from the courtyard. These additions made a fortified seat look more like the French royal residences familiar to its ruler. Louis also sold much of Honoré II’s art collection to support his position at the papal court, so the interior had already changed before the revolutionary upheaval. During the French Revolution, the princely family lost Monaco and the palace was looted. Remaining furnishings and art were auctioned. Monaco became a French canton under the name Fort d’Hercule, while the palace served as a military hospital and poorhouse. When the Grimaldis returned, they inherited a damaged building rather than the courtly home Louis had embellished.