Le Palais de Versailles

Le Palais de Versailles

 

 

Originally King Louis XIII bought land in the small town of Versailles after he was captivated with this town outside of Paris.  King Louis XIII commissioned to build a small brick and stone lodge in 1622.  Throughout the years, King Louis XIII continued to buy land and expand his lodge. However, it was not until King Louis XIV came into power in 1662 that this properly became majestic, extravagant palace. When King Louis VIX became the new King he did not trust the Parisians and wanted to move his royal residence from Louvre Palace. He commissioned architect, Louis Le Vau, and artist, Charles Le Brun, to expand the property.  The unequalled Versailles Garden was designed by  Andre Le Notre. Also architect Jules Hardouin Mansart was hired to triple the site after La Vau’s death.  Le Palais de Versailles was full of beautiful paintings as well as sculptures, high decorated rooms and technical innovations. One of the innovations was the pressurized water fondants in the garden that jitter water into the air.  This place was build to impress with his garden laid out in geometric patterns. After the French Revolution in 1789, this palace was no longer the Royal Residence.   All the art works were all transferred to the Louvre or to the National Library and the Conservatory of Arts and Grafts. After the Revolution Napoleon I spent his summer in the palace. However, it was Louis- Philippe who converted this palace into a grand museum in 1830 as a dedication to the “Glory of France”.   In 1960s Pierre Verlet restored some of the royal apartments by bringing back some of the furniture.