VERSAILLES - was supposed to impress....

Versailles is a place where luxury, culture and art are closely intertwined. This palace, comfortably located outside of Paris, has become a real gem of its century and a symbol of the power of King Louis XIV. Every little detail, from the brushstroke in the picture to the spray of fountains in the garden, was carefully thought out and designed by the best minds of the time.

The main feature of Versailles was that it was not available exclusively to the king and the courtiers. Absolutely any person could walk in it. However, for this it was necessary to follow only one rule, namely - to be well-dressed. If the person who wanted to visit the palace and the surrounding gardens did not have the necessary clothes, he could easily rent it at the entrance to Versailles. Thus, the rule of elegance was maintained, and those who could not match it did not see the palace and its gardens.

For the king, Versailles was a reflection of his power, the monarchy, and therefore it was important that he was at the same time sublime and bewitchingly beautiful. And the mirror gallery is the best example of this. The king wanted to impress all the guests with huge mirrors and jewelry that were decorated with real gold. All the most important guests visited this room, so that after leaving it impressed and with the necessary idea of ​​the monarch himself and his tastes. On the arch of the gallery you can find paintings that tell about the exploits of the king himself during his reign. During the reign of Louis XIV, mirrors were worth its weight in gold, but this did not prevent him from installing 357 mirrors in the gallery, thereby showing his wealth.

Mirror Hall

Hercules Salon Versailles

All halls and chambers are decorated with great luxury and grace.
Each corner, including the ceiling and walls, is covered in wood and marble.
Everything is decorated with frescoes, paintings, sculptures.
There is an opera and a theater in the palace with a large oval hall, illuminated by 10,000 candles.

Baroque Versailles interior

For the construction of magnificent Versailles, materials were needed that were brought from different parts of France. In order to build it on time and make it what the king wanted, the workers had to work day and night. About fifty types of marble were sent to Versailles, and its transportation was a real adventure. Slate from Angers was used for the roof, white stone was transported from Louise, and the marble itself arrived in Versailles from the Pyrenees. All these materials were supposed to cross the sea and pass along the River Seine, since the land routes of that time left much to be desired. All these materials took as long as six months to get to Versailles. But for the king it did not matter, because he had priority in building the real pearl of France.

Versailles inside

Throne room

Versailles King's bedroom
It is interesting that the center of the palace was not a throne room or even an office.
All important decisions were made in the royal bedroom.

royal chapel