The origin of the palace

The story of Versailles began in 1624 as a modest hunting lodge built by Louis XIII. It wasn’t until the reign of Louis XIV that it developed into a vast estate. The Sun King transformed the lodge into a magnificent complex with three palaces, beautiful gardens, an expansive park, and numerous outbuildings. Created according to the vision of Louis XIV, Versailles became the architectural symbol of absolute monarchy, showcasing the king’s power in all its splendour.

Versailles was originally a small village about 19 kilometres south of Paris. Its first architect was Louis Le Vau. Over the years, the palace was expanded and remodelled by various generations. As a result, the building cannot be classified under a single architectural style – it features elements of Baroque, Rococo, and Classicism.

Louis XIV first visited the hunting lodge in 1651. The young king disliked Paris, where there was always the threat of uprisings. He wanted to settle in Versailles, but faced resistance from his political advisors, including Mazarin and Colbert. This remained the case until the death of Mazarin, after which Louis XIV assumed full control. Soon after, he ordered the reconstruction and expansion of the hunting lodge.

Despite the warnings of his political advisors and architects, Louis was determined to build at Versailles. However, he refused to demolish his father’s original hunting lodge to make way for an entirely new structure. This decision complicated the architects’ work and significantly increased the cost. He firmly rejected all suggestions to relocate the royal residence elsewhere.

Louis likely chose Versailles precisely because it was far enough from Paris to offer a sense of distance and security, yet still close enough to remain connected to the capital. In addition, Versailles provided ample space for expansion, making it possible for the entire royal court to relocate and settle there.

Naturally, Louis XIV could not realise his vision for Versailles alone. He relied on the talents of three key men: André Le Nôtre as the landscape architect, Louis Le Vau as the chief builder, and Charles Le Brun as the designer of all the decorative elements. Together, they brought the king’s grand ideas to life with the help of over 35,000 labourers and 6,000 horses! Thanks to their efforts, Versailles expanded into an estate of around 800 hectares, with 700 rooms, 35 kilometres of canals, 200,000 trees, and countless flowers still planted every year. These are just a few of the astonishing numbers that define Versailles.

Below is an overview of some of the most significant rooms and artworks that continue to attract over 10 million visitors each year. Most of these spaces were designed to glorify the power and majesty of King Louis XIV and are mainly named after famous gods from mythology.

The Royal Chapel was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1699 and his death in 1708, and completed in 1710 by his brother-in-law Robert de Cotte.

Like other palace chapels, this one consisted of two levels: the upper galleries were reserved for the king, the royal family, and prominent court members, while the ground floor was for other worshippers.

The chapel was inaugurated in 1710 and dedicated to Saint Louis, a royal ancestor and the patron saint of the French monarchy. It was the final building constructed at Versailles during the reign of Louis XIV.

The decoration of the chapel brought together themes from both the Old and New Testaments. The ceiling frescoes depicted the Holy Trinity, with the central piece being The Glory of the Eternal Father by Antoine Coypel, announcing the coming of the Saviour. Above the altar hung The Resurrection of Christ by Charles de Lafosse, and above the royal gallery was The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Virgin and the Apostles by Jean Jouvenet.

After the daily morning ritual known as the lever, Louis XIV would attend mass here every day, following a strict ceremonial protocol.

The Hall of Mirrors is one of the largest and most iconic rooms in the Palace of Versailles. It measures 73 metres long, 10.5 metres wide, and 12.5 metres high.

The hall takes its name from the many mirrors that line its walls. At the time of Louis XIV, mirrors were incredibly expensive, so a room adorned with so many of them would have cost a fortune.

Also known as the Grande Galerie, the Hall of Mirrors was designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. Le Brun oversaw the work of the sculptors responsible for the lavish decoration. These decorations depict key events from 1661 to 1678, always portraying the king in a flattering light.

During the Ancien Régime, the hall served as a gallery leading to the King’s apartments. It was also where courtiers would gather to seek the king’s favour before he entered the chapel. Additionally, it was the venue for grand celebrations, including galas and masquerade balls.

This room glorifies the military triumphs of Louis XIV.

The fireplace, designed by Le Brun, portrays Louis XIV as a heroic warrior on horseback, dressed in classical Roman attire. The room also features Clio, the muse of history and epic poetry, who is shown writing the king’s history.

The room itself was designed by Hardouin-Mansart, with Le Brun responsible for the interior design and Coysevox creating the decorative reliefs.

This room is dedicated to the peace that followed the wars depicted in the War Room and the Hall of Mirrors. It symbolises the peace France achieved to justify its leading position in Europe.

Above the fireplace hangs a painting by François Lemoine from 1729, showing Louis XV offering an olive branch to Europe. Later, the room was added to the Queen’s Apartment and used as a games room.

The Hercules Room was originally built to house the painting The Feast in the House of Simon by Veronese, which was gifted to Louis XIV by the Republic of Venice in 1664.

It is one of the grand halls of the palace and initially served as living quarters for the king. Later, it was used for ceremonial functions and receptions, particularly during the so-called “Evenings in the Halls”, held on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. as entertainment for the courtiers. These events featured displays of the finest artworks from the royal collection for the court to admire.

The room was only fully completed in 1736, when The Apotheosis of Hercules by François Lemoyne was added to the ceiling.

The Room of Abundance (Salle de l’Abondance) was created around 1683 by Mansart. Originally, this room showcased all sorts of curiosities and rare items from the collections of Louis XIV. Unfortunately, almost none of these objects have survived. According to courtiers of the time, the room displayed vases filled with gold and diamonds, as well as Chinese and Japanese porcelain.

On Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings, this was the setting for the soirée buffet. The Room of Abundance was decorated with three set tables, where drinks were served in gold and silver jugs. The furniture mainly consisted of richly worked silver pieces designed by Le Brun, including tables, chairs, and candelabras. During times of economic crisis, many of these objects were melted down to mint coins. But during the reign of Louis XIV, they must have represented the height of opulence.

During the reign of Louis XIV, the Venus Room served as the setting for light evening meals taken in the royal apartments.

The glorification of the king was unmistakable in this room. It was reflected not only in the décor, which included trompe-l’œil perspectives (a painting technique that creates an optical illusion of three-dimensionality), but also in a statue of Louis XIV as a Roman emperor, created by Jean Warin. The room takes its name from the ceiling painting by René-Antoine Houasse: “Venus bringing the gods and powers under her rule.”

A particularly notable feature of the room was the marble wall panelling, typical of Le Brun’s style. To obtain this precious and, at the time, rare material, the king ordered the reopening of marble quarries in the Pyrenees, which had been abandoned since the fall of the Roman Empire.

The entire decoration of this room was dedicated to the legend of the goddess Diana.

Above the fireplace hung the painting “The Sacrifice of Iphigenia” by Charles Lafosse, and opposite it was “Diana Watching Over the Sleep of Endymion” (1672) by Gabriel Blanchard. The room also featured one of the most famous busts of Louis XIV, sculpted by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1665.

Louis XIV mainly used this room to play billiards. He was an excellent player and proudly demonstrated his skills here while courtiers — especially the ladies — watched and applauded his victories from benches along the sides. It was considered a great honour to play against the king — and, as expected, to lose.

Originally, the Mars Room was used by the King’s personal guard until 1682, which explains its military-themed décor — particularly the cornices adorned with alternating helmets and trophies.

Later, the room served as a concert hall during the so-called “Evenings in the Apartments.” From 1684 to 1750, it was fitted with galleries for musicians who performed for the court.

Alongside the Apollo Room, the Mercury Room is one of the most lavishly decorated spaces in the Palace of Versailles. It once contained part of the famous silver furniture collection, most of which was melted down in 1689. In 1682, when the royal court and government moved to Versailles, the Mercury Room served as a ceremonial state room. It was also used temporarily as Louis XIV’s bedroom before he relocated to the central chamber of the palace.

This room also showcases the remarkable artistic mastery of Charles Le Brun.

At the centre of the ceiling was a painting by Philippe de Champaigne depicting Mercury in his chariot, accompanied by the morning star. Surrounding it were scenes such as Alexander the Great receiving an Indian ambassador, Ptolemy in conversation with scholars, and Alexander presenting animals from around the world to Aristotle. In the corners, women and children held medallions and cameos entwined with garlands of flowers. These corners symbolised the military, the pursuit of the fine arts, royal justice, and royal authority.

Versailles was the first royal palace to feature a dedicated throne room. This space was used for formal audiences, which was fitting since Louis XIV liked to compare himself to Apollo, the sun god—hence his title “The Sun King.”

During these audiences, Louis sat on a silver throne, which was later melted down in 1689. It was replaced during the reign of Louis XV with a gilded wooden throne.

Charles Le Brun was responsible for the entire interior design, paying attention to even the smallest details to create a unified and harmonious atmosphere. He personally worked on some of the decorations and entrusted others, such as the stucco work, to his team.

The ceiling was painted by Charles de Lafosse and depicts Apollo riding his chariot across the sky. On the upper right of the fireplace once hung the famous portrait of Louis XIV by Hyacinthe Rigaud.

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