Central Western Europe French Republic France Ile-de-France Versailles Versailles Ile-de-France 1991 Versailles, a city renowned for its chateau, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. 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 Ancien Regime. 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. 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. Versailles Ile-de-France 1991 All the power of France emanated from this center: there were government offices here, as well as the homes of thousands of courtiers, their retinues, and all the attendant functionaries of court. The idea of establishing the court at Versailles was conceived to ensure that all of his advisors and provincial rulers would be kept close to him. The expansion of the chateau became synonymous with the absolutism of Louis XIV. PICs: Me with my school best friends, Versailles, 1991. Chateau Interiors The galerie des glaces (Hall of Mirrors in English), is perhaps the most celebrated room in the chateau of Versailles. Setting for many of the ceremonies of the French Court during the Ancien Regime, the galerie des glaces has also inspired numerous copies and renditions through out the world. Seat of the political power, Versailles naturally became the cradle of the French Revolution. The Estates-General met in Versailles on 5 May 1789. The meticulous and strict court etiquette that Louis XIV established, which overwhelmed his heirs with its petty boredom, was epitomised in the elaborate ceremonies and exacting procedures that accompanied his rising in the morning, known as the Lever, divided into a petit lever for the most important and a grand lever for the whole court. The grands appartements, which are known respectively as the grand appartement du roi and the grand appartement de la reine, occupied the main or principal floor of the chateau neuf. Like other French court manners, etiquette was quickly imitated in other European courts. Versailles Ile-de-France 2012 The facade facing the garden, with the royal apartments and the Gallery of Mirrors between them. The Marble Court and facades of the first Chateau, embellished by Louis Le Vau (1661-68) and then Hardouin-Mansart in (1679-1681). The facade facing the garden, Chateau Versailles Ile-de-France, August 2012. Pic 1. Fountain of Latona, with the Grand Canal in the background. Chateau Versailles Ile-de-France, August 2012. The Versailles Orangerie (French: L'orangerie du chateau de Versailles) was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1684 and 1686, replacing Louis Le Vau's design from 1663 - that is to say, before work on the Chateau had even begun. It is an example of many such prestigious extensions of grand gardens in Europe designed both to shelter tender plants and impress visitors. Chateau Versailles Ile-de-France, August 2012. Further along the east-west axis is the Bassin d'Apollon, the Apollo Fountain. Occupying the site of Rondeau/Bassin des Cygnes of Louis XIII, the Apollo Fountain, which was constructed between 1668 and 1671, depicts the sun god driving his chariot to light the sky. The fountain forms a focal point in the garden and serves as a transitional element between the gardens of the Petit Parc and the Grand Canal. (Marie 1968; Nolhac 1901, 1925; Thompson 2006; Verlet 1985)