The King’s Grand Apartments are one of the must-see itineraries of any visit to the Palace of Versailles. They are divided into three sections: the King’s Grand Apartment, the Hall of Mirrors, and the King’s Apartment.
Each section and room within them had a very specific role to play in royal representation.
Under the reign of Louis XIV, the daily life of the kings became a perpetual performance. There was no longer any room for the unexpected — every minute and gesture of the king was governed by etiquette. The Palace of Versailles thus became the stage for this grand mise en scène. To embody this majesty, a series of state apartments, known as the King’s Grand Apartment, was created for the king. It consists of seven salons, each named after a Roman deity. Sumptuously decorated, the iconography of each salon reflects its chosen divinity. During the day, these salons were open to all. They were also used for the “apartment evenings” offered to courtiers, generally held three times a week.
The Grand Apartment reached completion with the construction of the Great Gallery, comprising the Salon of War, the Hall of Mirrors, and the Salon of Peace.
The Hall of Mirrors then leads to the final suite of rooms making up the State Apartments: the King’s Apartment. After passing through the *Œil-de-Bœuf* antechamber, visitors could enter a new enfilade of rooms, each serving a strictly defined purpose: a guard room, two antechambers, the bedchamber, and a cabinet. Access to these rooms was thus highly hierarchical and meticulously regulated by etiquette.
Under the reign of Louis XIV, the daily life of the kings became a perpetual performance. There was no longer any room for the unexpected — every minute and gesture of the king was governed by etiquette. The Palace of Versailles thus became the stage for this grand mise en scène. To embody this majesty, a series of state apartments, known as the King’s Grand Apartment, was created for the king. It consists of seven salons, each named after a Roman deity. Sumptuously decorated, the iconography of each salon reflects its chosen divinity. During the day, these salons were open to all. They were also used for the “apartment evenings” offered to courtiers, generally held three times a week.
The Grand Apartment reached completion with the construction of the Great Gallery, comprising the Salon of War, the Hall of Mirrors, and the Salon of Peace.
The Hall of Mirrors then leads to the final suite of rooms making up the State Apartments: the King’s Apartment. After passing through the *Œil-de-Bœuf* antechamber, visitors could enter a new enfilade of rooms, each serving a strictly defined purpose: a guard room, two antechambers, the bedchamber, and a cabinet. Access to these rooms was thus highly hierarchical and meticulously regulated by etiquette.
