The history of the Palace of Versailles

Before Versailles became the seat of the royal court, French monarchs stayed at several royal residences, including the Louvre Palace, the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Château de Fontainebleau.

Louis XIII was the first king to establish a royal residence at Versailles. A keen hunter, he had a hunting lodge built there in 1623, on land that was still largely wooded and marshy. From 1631 onwards, it was replaced by a small brick-and-stone château, part of which would later be preserved during the extensive transformations undertaken by his son, Louis XIV.

After the death of Louis XIII in 1643, Versailles was largely neglected during the regency of Anne of Austria. Louis XIV began to take a keen interest in the estate in the early 1660s.

Rather than completely demolishing his father’s château, the Sun King decided to preserve it and incorporate it into a much larger complex. Under the direction of renowned architects and artists such as Louis Le Vau, Jules Hardouin-Mansart, Charles Le Brun and André Le Nôtre, the palace and its gardens were gradually transformed.

In 1682, Louis XIV officially moved the royal court and government to Versailles, making the palace the centre of royal power in France.

The Palace of Versailles continued to be remodelled and embellished during the reigns of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI. The gardens were further developed, new buildings were added to the estate, and the royal apartments evolved to reflect the tastes of successive monarchs and the changing life of the court.

Among the estate’s most famous additions are the Hall of Mirrors, the Grand Trianon, built from 1687 under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the Royal Chapel, completed in 1710, and the Royal Opera, inaugurated in 1770 during the reign of Louis XV.

Each generation added its own chapter to the story of Versailles, ultimately transforming the estate into one of the world’s most famous symbols of the French monarchy.

• Today, the Versailles estate covers more than 800 hectares.
• Louis XIII had the first hunting lodge built at Versailles in 1623, before it was replaced by a small château from 1631 onwards.
• Louis XIV officially moved the royal court and government to Versailles in 1682.
• The present-day Grand Trianon was built from 1687 under the direction of Jules Hardouin-Mansart.
• The Palace of Versailles has approximately 2,300 rooms today.