I always get excited when writing about my former home of Versailles of 10 years before moving on to the Morbihan breton , the City will always be in my hearts, it was our first owned home in France! And of course, even if there is more than a castle in Versailles, need to tell you about a special place in the history of my belle France, Just was told about something wonderful in the Château de Versailles and brought me to write this additional post on it in my blog, . My beloved city of Versailles, capital of the Yvelines dept 78 in the wonderful region of Île de France of my belle France. This time will tell you about the new refurburshed Queen’s bedroom inside the castle. It is indeed beautiful and sublime;therefore here is my new take on the chambre de la Reine of the Château de Versailles !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
The Queen’s bedroom is a room of the Queen’s large apartment in the Château de Versailles. Although a bedroom, this room of the castle is, like the Grand Chamber of the King, a place of theatrical staging; the Queen’s bedtime, but also public adoptions of the children of France, etc. On either side of the Royal bed, a door gave access to the passages de Versailles, allowing the sovereign to go directly into the rooms of her children. Like the rest of the castle, the French revolution led to the bedroom being emptied and, no more, there were not many elements of the room as it was decorated under Louis XIV for Marie-Thérèse. She slept there, often joined by the King. In the morning she received during and after her toilet, which constituted a court moment as regulated by the label as the rise of the King (the label was a set of rules that must be respected by the nobles). This is where the public deliveries took place; 18 children of France were born there. The Sovereign spent most of her time there: every morning, when she got up, she received the Ladies of the Court there. She held her private audiences there. And above all, she gave birth to the Heir to the Throne. Two Queens, Marie-Thérèse and Marie-Leszcynska, two Dauphines, Marie-Anne of Bavaria and Marie-Adélaïde of Savoy died there. Eighteen Children of France were born there, including Louis XV and Louis XVII. Nothing remains of the decor created for Marie-Thérèse. The current decor was created for Marie-Leszczynska, from 1730 to 1735, under the direction of Robert de Cotte and Jacques Gabriel. The woodwork is by Verberckt. Marie Leszczynska had wanted to have the portraits of her children, then five in number, constantly before her eyes. The décor retains the memory of the three Queens who occupied the room: the division of the ceiling dates from Marie-Thérèse, wife of Louis XIV, and the paintings and woodwork were made for Marie Leszczynska, wife of Louis XV. All the elements were preserved from the time of Marie-Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, for which only the furniture and the chimney were delivered new. The ceiling, whose divisions are still those from the time of Maria Theresa, is decorated with gold grisailles with the intertwined figures of the King and Queen. The stucco corners were redone for Marie-Antoinette in 1770. We see the arms of France and Navarre alternating with the eagle of the Holy Roman Empire. It was also Marie-Antoinette who had the portraits of her mother, her brother and Louis XVI placed above the mirrors. The cherry fireplace dates from 1786
The Chambre de la Reine or Queen’s bedroom is the main room of the apartment, the one where the queen stayed most often. She slept there, often joined by the king. This is also where public births took place: nineteen “Children of France” were born there. The decor preserves the memory of the three queens who occupied the room: the compartmentalization of the ceiling dates back to Queen Marie-Thérèse, but the grisaille paintings by Boucher were created for Marie Leszczinska, as were the woodwork. All these elements were preserved from the time of Marie-Antoinette for whom only the furniture and the fireplace were delivered new. During the invasion of the castle by rioters on October 6, 1789, Marie-Antoinette managed to escape them through the small left door of the alcove opening onto a corridor giving access to the Queen’s interior cabinets, a dozen small rooms reserved to her private life and her service. During the French revolution, the castle was not pillaged, but its furniture was dispersed during auctions which lasted an entire year. Some have been found, like the Schwerdfeger jewelry stand which is to the left of the bed, or like the fireplace screen; others were replaced by equivalent pieces: such is the case of the seats delivered partly for the Countess of Provence, sister-in-law of the queen, and partly for the visit of the King of Sweden Gustave III. As for the fabrics that stretch the bed and the walls, they were rewoven in Lyon based on the original cartons preserved. The bed and the balustrade were resculpted based on ancient documents.
Since April 16, 2023 the Queen’s Grand Apartment ; made up of the Queen’s bedroom, the Nobles’ lounge, the Grand Couvert antechamber and the Guards’ room – has been accessible to the public again. Closed since January 2016, as part of a major project, it reveals all the rediscovered magnificence of the rococo decoration of Marie-Antoinette’s bedroom or that of the Guards’ room restored thanks to the patronage of the American Friends of Versailles and the Society of Friends of Versailles.
The official Château de Versailles on the Queen’s bedroom : https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/palace/queen-apartments#the-queen%E2%80%99s-bedchamber
The city of Versailles tourist office on the Château de Versailles: https://en.versailles-tourisme.com/palace-of-versailles.html
The Society of Friends of Versailles: https://amisdeversailles.com/societe.php?lang=en
The American Friends of Versailles: https://www.americanfriendsofversailles.org/
There you go folks, Versailles is a lot more than a castle, but the castle is sublime , unique, exceptionally superbe and a must see while anywhere in France! The whole history of my belle France is here. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the chambre de la Reine of the Château de Versailles !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 