 | Paris Versailles Reviews | 11 - 20 of 249 |  |
I always liked malachite (hydrated copper carbonate if my mineralogy souvenirs are right) it is thus with great pleasure that I discovered this “Salon des Malachites” in the right wing (room n° 13) of the Grand Trianon.
In the beginning it was the “Cabinet of Sunset” of Louis XIV, then the bedroom of the duchess of Burgundy and finally the drawing-room of emperor Napoleon I.
The blocks of malachite, extracted of the Ural Mountains, were offered to Napoleon by the tsar Alexander I after the signature of the treaty of Tilsitt. It should be known that at the time malachite was a Russian speciality. There is at the Palace of St-Petersburg another famous malachite room.
The furniture elements with malachite were created by Percier and realised by Jacob-Desmalter in 1809. The basin, the candelabra and the pieces of furniture with malachite top were initially at the Palais des Tuileries before they were moved to decorate this room of the Grand Trianon.
The remainder of the furniture of the room is decorated with fabrics of red colour what causes a seizing contrast with the green malachite. Address: Grand Trianon, Domaine de Versailles
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Le Petit Trianon, after restoration works, is again open for interior visits since 22/07/2008. (I was lucky to arrive just on the first day of opening).
Please note that like the other parts of the "Domaine de Marie-Antoinette" Grand Trianon, etc. the Petit Trianon is closed in the morning and opens only at 12 h till 18 h.
Le Petit Trianon, longtemps fermé en raison d'importants travaux de restauration est enfin ouvert. Le 17/07/2008 un ami français me signalait que le Petit Trianon était encore fermé; par chance le mardi 22/07 lors de ma visite il venait d'ouvrir. Les ouvriers retiraient leurs machines et matériaux et il y avait déjà foule de visiteurs. Comme les autres parties du Domaine de Marie-Antoinette ce palais n'ouvre qu'à partir de 12 h.
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Louis XIV particularly liked the Trianon and would stay there in the summer for short “holidays” close to the castle of Versailles but away from the strict obligations of the royal court. He occupied there successively three apartments.
The room in the left wing is particularly elegant. It is preceded by a large cabinet called Mirror Room.
After Louis XIV the room was occupied by the Grand Dauphin. With the Revolution the pieces of furniture of the Trianon were dispersed. It is the emperor Napoleon I who restored and arranged this palace. The former room of King Louis XIV became the room of the empress Marie-Louise. The bed was ordered by Napoleon for the Palace des Tuileries.
Later king Louis Philippe (1830 - 1848) had this bed widened and transferred to the Grand Trianon for him and queen Marie-Amélie. The back of the bed carries the letters LP topped by a crown.
This room is often called "Room of the Empress"; furniture is from the Empire and Louis Philippe period but the mural decoration is generally that of the time of Louis XIV. Address: Versailles, Grand Trianon.
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It is by entrance of the "Cour Royale" to the northern wing with the 17th c. galleries that the traditional visit of the castle of Versailles starts. The visit begins at the ground floor with a succession of decorated rooms and continues on the first floor.
On crowded days (4 million visitors/year) the visit is rather chaotic because the thousands of visitors pass from one room to another by relatively narrow doors. Moreover groups listening to the explanations of their guides slow down the visitors flow.
If you are interested by the furniture, the decoration, the paintings of this part of the castle it is better to come in low season i.e. in winter.
The nicest and spectacular part of this northern wing is in my opinion the Royal Chapel which can only bee seen from the entrance or inside on special guided visits. Address: Versailles Château.
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In the time of King Louis XIV till Louis XVI an 80 m length monumental gate separated the Main courtyard from the Royal Court. The gate was created by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart about 1680 and was destroyed by the revolutionaries in 1789.
The reconstitution of this Royal Gate started in 2006 and was ended in July 2008. It required 15 tons of iron and the cooperation of the best craftsmen of this art. The gilders patiently applied by hand 100.000 gold sheets. These gold leaves measure 8 X 8 cm and have only 2 microns thickness!
The courtyard of the Château de Versailles appears like it was prior to the French Revolution but there have been a number of critics in France about this reconstitution.
The bronze equestrian statue of Louis XIV set up at this spot in 1836 by king Louis-Philippe has been removed and is being restored. The famous statue, so often photographed by tourists, will not return to its original site now occupied by the restored gate but will be located on the Place d'Armes directly in the axis of the castle. Address: Versailles, Château.
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The family living room of king Louis-Philippe is one of my preferred rooms of the right wing of the Grand Trianon. In the beginning there were two rooms, a bedroom and an anteroom of the first apartment of Louis XIV. Under Napoleon I these were the Officers room and the Princes room.
King Louis-Philippe joined the two rooms into a living room intended for the meetings of the royal family and their guests.
Paintings on mythological subjects date from the end of the 17th century.
The furniture was made by Brion and Jacob-Desmalter. The princesses could arrange their needlework in numbered drawers of the family work-tables.
It is a very beautiful, very clear living room with beautiful harmonies of colours. Address: Versailles, Grand Trianon.
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This very beautiful gallery, 52 m long and 7 m broad, ends the right wing of the Grand Trianon palace and leads towards Trianon-sous-Bois (not visited).
The building shelters the flower beds from the northern wind.
The gallery contains the collection of 21 paintings of the painter Jean Cotelle carried out about 1690 at the request of the King Louis XIV. These paintings describe the gardens of Trianon and Versailles such as they were at the time of the king.
They are historical documents which served for the recent restoration of the gardens of Versailles.
They were replaced by other paintings under Napoleon but found again their place in the gallery in 1913.
Remarkable are also the 5 Empire crystal chandeliers with 24 lights which came from the crystal manufacture of Montcenis.
In the niches there are sculptures of Lespingola representing children.
Louis-Philippe transformed the gallery into dining room.
This use of this beautiful gallery is still actual. The Cotelle Gallery can be rented for private events and can contain 200 people.
This would be a fine place for a next international VT meeting on condition of finding a very generous sponsor! Address: Versailles, Grand Trianon.
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The interesting part of the northern wing - Galleries du XVIIe siècle - by which starts the visit of the castle is certainly the chapel (inaugurated in 1710) devoted to Saint Louis the patron of the French monarchy.
It comprises two vertical spaces:
1° the centre of the nave which one sees from the ground floor of the circuit of the 17th c. galleries where the courtiers would stand, the ladies of the royal court occupied the lateral galleries. They would stand with their back to the altar in order to look at the king.
2° the tribune overlooking the nave located on the same floor as the royal apartments.
It is from there that Louis XIV and his successors attended the daily mass at 10 am. The mass lasted approximately a half hour. Each day a new work composed by Lully, Lalande and others is sung by the chorus of the chapel.
The architecture is an original creation of Jules Hardouin-Mansart who combines Gothic and Baroque art characteristics. The decoration is exceptional by the extent of carved work.
There is a striking similarity with the Sainte-Chapelle in the Cité of Paris: an upper level for the king and a lower level for his subjects. Address: Château - Northern wing.
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Versailles is on the outskirts of Paris. To get there, you'd have to take the RER. It really is a great way to see how royalty used to live. The palace itself is exquisite and opulant. It gets very crowded so be prepared! Go early because the line up gets very long.
There are audioguides available in English as well as different languages. These audioguides are very helpful in order for you to appreciate what you are seeing in front of you. There are different types of passes that you can get and these passes give you access to different parts of the palace.
If you want to go to the gardens, you have to buy a separate pass. The gardens are beautiful and reaches as far as the eye can see. There are restrooms outside and restaurants where you can grab a quick bite. Leave a Comment
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From the main entrance, to the marble courtyard, to the back water parterre, and up to the furnishings.... it's absolutely grandiose!
One of world's largest castles, the Chateau de Versailles is a must-see!
The Chateau de Verssailes became the royal court residence in 1682 after the palaces at the Louvre and Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
700 fabulous rooms, 6000 paintings, more than 2000 sculptures, thousands of furnitures, objets d'arts & drawings. Flowers, peach and apple trees filled the vast gardens and gorgeous fountains and what looks to me like a small man-made lake(?).
When I was there (Septmber 2005), there was restorations going on and many rooms are not accessible. So check out first the available things that are available to the public at the time of visit. Directions: RER ligne C - to Versailles-rive-gauche-château Montparnasse station - SNCF train to Versailles-Chantiers Saint-Lazare station - SNCF train direction Versailles-rive-droiteWebsite: http://www.chateauversailles.fr/en/
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on August 3, 2008
on May 25, 2005
on November 8, 2005
