How is versailles used today

This it did, but it also created a hotbed of boredom and extravagance, with hundreds of aristocrats crammed together, many with nothing to do but gossip, spend money and play. May Ball at Versailles during the Carnival of From the start, everything was over the top at Versailles. The elaborate dress required for the court nearly broke many noble families, while they were also expected to buy large quantities of French goods to support various industries.

Amusements—be they concerts, multi-course banquets, balls or parades—packed the calendar. Plays and pageants were favorites of the royal household, and an enormous amount of money was spent on everything from the costumes to the set.

Gambling was also a favorite pastime during the reign of all three kings to rule over Versailles. While most of France lived in poverty, fortunes were made and lost at Versailles on a nightly basis. Bribery was common, as were graft and embezzlement. But the estate's location, in the middle of forests teeming with game, attracted royal attention, resulting in today's extraordinary Palace, famous all over the world.

King Louis XIII , enamoured with this hunting ground, bought the estate, and, ignoring the old, unsightly castle, built a lodge on the neighbouring mound. Some years later, in , the building was extended, with the addition of two wings, which were nevertheless still very modest. The famous Duke of Saint-Simon even described it as a 'house of cards'!

Despite everything, the King was very fond of this place, and dreamt of retiring there when his son was old enough to succeed him. But he died at the age of 42, and the 'house of cards' was abandoned once more. Only at the start of his personal reign after the Fronde civil wars and the death of Mazarin did Louis XIV begin to frequent Versailles, which he then considered merely as a place of leisure.

Construction work began immediately, led by architect Louis Le Vau. Two symmetrical apartments were created for the King and Queen Louis XIV had married Maria Theresa of Spain in and several buildings were constructed around the house. A second stage of development work began in , which was evidently more ambitious.

The king had his throne in the "Apollo Salon" and worshiped in a royal chapel, which spanned two stories, which Bajou notes was built between and Despite the richness of the palace, the kings had to make do with makeshift theaters up until when Louis XV allowed the building of the royal opera. It contained a mechanism that allowed the orchestra level to be raised to the stage allowing it to be used for dancing and banqueting.

Spawforth notes that the opera required 3, candles to be burned for opening night and was rarely used due to its cost and the poor shape of France's finances. According to Schmidt, to our modern eyes, Versailles is a perfect example of baroque and rococo architecture.

But, said Gudek Snajdar, the French of the time would not have considered it baroque. It would have gone against his sense of absolutism, said Gudek Snajdar, the belief that he is at the center of everything. Some art historians now call the style of the Louvre and Versailles "French classicism. Other types of baroque architecture featured symbolic art, but not necessarily with the emphasis on divine right, kingly power and timeless rule. Throughout the palace you will find the intertwined L's of his name.

It all serves as a constant reminder that he is the king and all power comes from him by the grace of God. The decoration also emphasized the achievements of the king. Victory in battle features prominently in these narratives, with one example showing Louis with his army crossing the Rhine River in He is dressed in Roman clothes, his long hair flows behind him, and he holds a thunderbolt like a projectile. He sits like a god in a chariot that is being pushed by none other than Hercules himself.

She took over a building called the "Petit Trianon" and built a number of structures, including a working farm also called the "hamlet" , which provided the palace with fresh produce, and a nearby house and small theater. She also built a "Temple of Love," which modern-day curators say can be seen from her room in the Petit Trianon. It features a dome propped up by nearly a dozen columns covering a statue, which shows a depiction of "Cupid cutting his bow from the club of Hercules," Bajou writes.

Additionally, she built the charming "grotto," a cave that had a moss bed for Marie Antoinette to lie on. It had two entrances, prompting much speculation as to what went on in it.

Though Marie Antoinette is known for her lavishness, in reality she did not always enjoy being queen. Her estate reflects a desire for a simpler life and homesickness for her native Austria. Unlike his grandfather, Louis XVI spent most of his time in Versailles, where he embarked on several projects for the interior, while devoting himself — in his private chambers — to studying various sciences that he particularly liked.

A shy but studious king, Louis XVI was interested in international politics and played an important role in the War of American Independence. While there was a constant succession of festivals and entertainment in Versailles, it was now in Paris that the courtiers spent most of their time, often leaving Versailles rather empty… Some events helped break the monotony and recall the splendours of bygone times, including the visit by Emperor Joseph II to see his sister, and the first hot air balloon flight.

But the sovereigns were rapidly losing popularity, not only among the people but also among the nobility, as a result of heavy taxes and Marie Antoinette's extravagant expenses. It was in the midst of this that the Affair of the Diamond Necklace occurred in , in which the queen was actually blameless Failing to see clearly the social and economic situation, Louis XVI, who merely wanted to be loved, and Marie-Antoinette, who loved luxury, were undoubtedly at a loss to explain the events of 5 and 6 October which forced them to leave Versailles for a final journey to Paris….

Revolutionary poster. Le lien vers le site collection. Far from having been pillaged by a rampant mob as might be imagined, the Palace of Versailles came through the period of the French Revolution relatively unscathed, even though some would not have minded seeing such a key symbol of the monarchical system laid to waste.

The fall of the monarchy in August ushered in a period of uncertainty, even though the Convention had decreed that the maintenance of the former royal residences devolved to the nation. Both during and for some time after this period, there was a question over the use of areas that had been partly appropriated, usually on a temporary basis, for other uses such as arms manufacturing, which went on in the South Wing before moving to the Grand Commun buildings.

The sculptures that decorated the Gardens of Versailles were not involved in the move, however. Objections raised by the municipality and the Department only served to slow the process down but were unable to prevent the removal of masterpieces that had featured in all guides of Versailles published before the French Revolution.

All of the furniture and furnishings concerned that had not accompanied the royal family to the Tuileries or had not been sent to the Furniture Store-House or requisitioned for various services were sold off over the course of almost a year, between 25 August and 11 August Painted by Hubert Robert in the late 18 th century, this painting depicts the installation of the central nave where a statue of Isis was set up. Although the furniture and many of the works of art had been removed, the palace continued to be an attraction, with guided tours still being organised.

In any case, it was not totally deserted because in it was designated as a Public Repository, i. It was on the basis of these seizures and whatever had not yet left the palace that the project was launched in to establish a museum, which, after a somewhat chaotic installation period, opened in A science room covering natural history and physical sciences was set up on the ground floor of the North Wing, while a library was established on the ground floor of the South Wing.

The State Apartments and the Queen's Apartments were used to display paintings, as well as vases and other collectibles, which were placed on marble tables. This last section underwent considerable change, becoming, in , the Special Museum of the French School. Dedicated solely to French painters past and present, it entailed a further exchange of works between the Paris museums and Versailles, with the latter having to relinquish paintings and antiques it still held from foreign schools in return for paintings and sculptures by French artists.

This short-lived museum, which opened in only to close its doors again in , helped make the connection between the paintings hanging on the walls and the painted ceilings in the apartments.