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Why the Palace of Versailles exists
Start with a hunting lodge, then follow the growth of a palace where Louis XIV brought his household, court and government together.
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A house before the great palace
Louis XIII commissioned a hunting lodge here in 1623 and later replaced it with a larger château. The countryside gave him somewhere to hunt and stay away from the main royal residences. The first Versailles served that smaller purpose. Louis XIV inherited the estate. From the 1660s, he commissioned successive enlargements, new gardens and buildings for a growing household. Several architects worked on the palace over decades. The small courtyard and the long wings belong to different stages of that construction.
Governing close to the king
In 1682, Louis XIV established his court and the headquarters of government at Versailles. Paris remained the official capital. Here, ministers could meet the king, officials could bring business before him, and courtiers competed for appointments, favours and permission to approach. The court included relatives, nobles and officers attached to the royal household. It was a social world with political consequences. Being noticed could help a person obtain a position or patronage. The guard rooms, antechambers and ceremonial bedrooms gave that access a physical arrangement. The move also suited the king’s attachment to this estate and his wish to shape its buildings and landscape. His difficult childhood during the civil conflicts known as the Fronde formed part of his distrust of Paris. These interests came together over years of building and decisions.
Making the monarchy visible
The Hall of Mirrors could accommodate exceptional diplomatic receptions as well as daily passage. Its paintings presented the achievements of Louis XIV. Outside, André Le Nôtre, Louis XIV’s gardener, organised long views, fountains and enclosed gardens for a landscape the king used to walk through with guests. Louis XV and Louis XVI later lived and governed here, changing rooms to suit their own households. In 1789 the royal family was forced to leave. Today you visit spaces made for these different reigns alongside galleries created later for a history museum. Begin with the Marble Courtyard, then compare its scale with the palace spreading around it.
Photo gallery 1
Image credits
- Azurfrog · Grand Trianon Salon des malachites.JPG · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF
- G.Garitan · Grand Cabinet madame victoire 1505549.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Pedemann · Grand Trianon Billard.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Jen Wen Luoh · Petit Trianon - Antichambre 01.jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia · Le grand escalier - Petit Trianon (24276910376).jpg · CC BY 2.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons · Cabinet dore Marie-Antoinette Versailles.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Hyperios · Bosquet du théâtre d eau Les Belles Danses.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Léa Le Floc'h · Chateau de Versailles et son reflet.jpg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · WebP / AVIF
- Coyau / Wikimedia Commons · Hameau de la Reine, maison de la Reine depuis les Cascatelles 01.jpg · CC BY-SA 3.0 · WebP / AVIF