2 On the Road: Palace of Versailles

This is the Gendarmerie Monument in Versaille, France. The National Gendarmerie, along with the National Police, are the two national police forces of France. Its responsibilities include policing smaller towns, rural and suburban areas, while the Police Nationale, a civilian force, is in charge of policing cities.

The first glimpses of the Palace of Versailles from the tour bus.

Double click to enlarge to see the details.

This display shows the layout of the palace and grounds. The bottom left if the King's stables while the matching one on the right is the Queen's Stables.

The Stables, commissioned by Louis XIV and built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, constituted the greatest royal construction project for housing horses ever undertaken. Situated opposite the Palace, they mark the edge of the Place d’Armes and the start of three main avenues. The position and size of the Royal Stables testify to the importance of horses during the Ancien Régime.

The Avenue de Paris runs straight from the gates of the Palace so visitors arriving from Paris got the full effect of the grandeur of the buildings.

The number of horses increased steadily until the end of the Ancien Régime. There were around 400 in 1680, then 700 at the end of Louis XIV’s reign, 1,700 on the death of Louis XV and 2,208 in 1787. The two stables, each designed for around 300 horses soon became insufficient and additional places had to be found in Versailles or in the other royal residences.

The Aile Sud des Ministres, or the Minister's South Wing

The Palace.

Closer view of the fence separating the Minister's courtyard from the Royal Courtyard

The gate was quite ornate and very showy.

We entered the complex at the building to the left of the chapel where you can see the B sign

The North Minister's Building

The Chapel was also quite ornate and it was higher than the rest of the Palace.

The tour of the Palace was all on the second floor so we had to enter this hall and walk up the stairs.

What an interesting light fixture!

The Hercules Drawing Room. Every room of the Palace is decorated to show the might and prosperity of the empire.

From the Hercules Drawing Room we could look into the Chapel.

But we weren't allowed too close.

What fantastic painted ceilings! Every square inch of each room was highly decorated.

On to the next room. You will have to double click to read.

Yes green velvet wallpaper. I believe the guide mentioned that the decorations were changed out twice a year while King Louis XIV reigned.

The Mercury Room

The Apollo Drawing Room

The War Drawing Room

Looking out the windows of the War Drawing Room, we could see some of the many fountains and some of the gardens.

According to the Palace's website, the 239.5 foot long Hall of Mirrors pays tribute to the political, economic and artistic success of France. Political successes are illustrated through the 30 painted compositions on the vaulted ceiling by Le Brun, which depict the glorious history of Louis XIV during the first 18 years of his reign, from 1661 to the peace treaties of Nijmegen. Military and diplomatic victories and reforms with a view to reorganizing the kingdom are illustrated through allegories from Antiquity. Economic prosperity is revealed in the number and size of the 357 mirrors bedecking the 17 arches opposite the windows, demonstrating that the new French manufacture could rival the Venetian monopoly on mirror manufacturing. At the time such items were a great luxury. Artistic success is shown by the Rouge de Rance pilasters topped with capitals of gilded bronze based on a new design, which was referred to as “the French style” and was created by Le Brun upon the request of Colbert. The design incorporates the national emblems, with a fleur-de-lis topped by a royal sun between two Gallic roosters (the Latin word for rooster was gallus).

The bed canopy is hard to distinguish in this photo as it blends in with the gold accents on the ceiling.

The State Cabinet Room.

Antichamber of the Large Canopy

The Guard Room

The Coronation Room. The Pillar in the middle of the room made it hard to get a photo of the Coronation picture.

Busts seen while heading down the Queen's Staircase to exit the building

Center portion of the Palace with the Queen's Chambers on the left, the King's Chambers and Hall of Mirrors in the middle and the Drawing Rooms on the right.