My take on French history as it applies to Versailles: King Louis XIV (1638-1718), concerned about consolidating his power and controlling the nobility, moved his court and other government functions out of Paris to Versailles. King Louise XIV and subsequent rulers decorated the palace to impress the members of the court and visitors of their power and divine mandate. Hence, as I see it, much of the decoration is politically inspired. However, even today, the rooms and their appointments have the ability to make a person say, “Wow”.
Versailles is a suburb of Paris. To get there from Paris by train, you must take a “regional train”. It is a short train trip from Paris and about a kilometer walk from the train station to the palace. Much of the Versailles palace is now a museum, dedicated to France’s history.
It was a dark and gloomy day...
The chapel
Most ceilings were decorated.
Bill and Sue in the Hall of Mirrors
Bed in the Queens Chamber
The central part of the Coronation of Josephine by Napoleon. This is a very
large painting - bigger than I could frame with my camera.
The Orangerie is located in a sheltered area near the palace. Although the latitude
is quite far north, the sheltered location allowed the orange trees there to produce
oranges almost all year around. This was still another display of the King’s power.