Table of contents:
- How a small hunting lodge was intended to compete with the magnificent palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte
- Construction of the Palace of Versailles
- Miscalculation of builders or compliance with the norms of the era?
Video: Why was the Palace of Versailles erected in a hurry, and the plumbing was not used for washing
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
What they say about the Palace of Versailles - allegedly it was built because of the envy of King Louis XIV of his minister, and designed so poorly that he was not able to ensure the hygiene of thousands of courtiers, and the very place for the residence of the French rulers was badly chosen - in the middle of the swamps. Not that these conversations prevented Versailles from being considered one of the greatest architectural and historical values, but still - why was this brainchild of the sun king born and how was this residence of the French ruling family built?
How a small hunting lodge was intended to compete with the magnificent palace of Vaux-le-Vicomte
Even during the reign of Louis XIII, a small hunting lodge was built near Paris, so modest in size that he was not able to host the royal family for the night - only the king could accommodate in the only bedroom. Beginning in 1632, the castle began to rebuild and expand, and the future sun king first appeared in it in 1641 at the age of three, when he was sent there during the smallpox epidemic in Paris. Louis XIV turned his close attention to the castle in 1661, planning to create a magnificent palace on this place.
Louis XIV was seriously concerned about the Fronde, anti-government uprisings, and, among other things, for the sake of his safety, he decided to move his residence from the Louvre in Paris to Versailles. The best architects and masters of landscape gardening were invited to rebuild the small building into a luxurious palace with a magnificent park. Among them - Louis Leveaux, Charles Le Brune, Jules Hardouin Mansart, André Le Nôtre - those that have already proven themselves in the creation of magnificent residences, including the home of the then Minister of Finance Fouquet.
Nicolas Fouquet was one of the richest and most powerful Frenchmen, did not hesitate to provide himself with all the best that money could buy. He built himself a palace Vaux-le-Vicomte - considered the best in France at that time. For a sumptuous dinner in honor of his housewarming, the minister invited Moliere and La Fontaine, among other guests.
According to one version, King Louis XIV, out of envy for the splendor of the minister’s residence, decided to take away the title of the best from her, and from Fouquet, Vaux-le-Vicomte himself.
But, perhaps, the reason for the highest disfavor was something else - that Fouquet did not hesitate to use the state treasury for his own purposes. One way or another, in 1661 the minister was sent not just to retirement, but to prison, by the way, the arrest was carried out by the notorious d'Artagnan.
Construction of the Palace of Versailles
The construction of the Palace of Versailles was carried out on a grand scale that boggles the imagination even now. Money for the purchase of materials flowed like a river - in total, under Louis XIV, more than three hundred billion dollars were invested in Versailles in terms of modern money. Peasants were driven there from the surrounding villages - the earthworks were very large-scale, the soil, swampy and sandy, was supposed to turn into one on which magnificent fruit and flower gardens would grow. During the rebuilding of the Palace of Versailles, Louis forbade all other construction work in the area.
Haste led to the fact that significant shortcomings were allowed, such as loosely fitted windows and doors, because of which drafts then walked around the palace, some fireplaces did not work. But as a result of the reconstruction, the building acquired a much more spectacular appearance, and the city grew rapidly around the palace and new buildings appeared. The splendor of Versailles, like a magnet, attracted the august persons from all over Europe and connoisseurs of beauty in general.
Peter the Great, who visited the palace in 1717, was so inspired by what he saw that, returning to Russia, he closely took up Peterhof. The best examples of sculpture and painting were brought to the Palace of Versailles; King Louis XIV could rightfully be proud of the fact that he had built the most beautiful palace for himself.
Miscalculation of builders or compliance with the norms of the era?
As for the amenities, Versailles at that time really was not the most attractive place in terms of hygiene and cleanliness. For a long time, the king was the only one who had a bathroom at his disposal - the rest of the hundreds and even thousands of courtiers were supposed to have all two toilets. Moreover, Louis used the large marble bath not for its intended purpose - for washing - but rather for a pleasant pastime in the company of his favorite Madame de Montespan.
According to the reviews and recollections of those who happened to visit Versailles in the 17th century, it was a dirty palace. They tried to improve the situation by using perfumes, which the court did not deny itself. It was customary to change clothes quite often, but Versailles did not provide hygienic conditions for the huge number of courtiers living in the palace.
At the same time, the palace park had beautiful fountains, water supply was made. Why was it not used for the seemingly most pressing need? The fact is that frequent washing, and washing in general, at that time was considered harmful and even dangerous, supposedly water could, having penetrated the skin, cause serious diseases in a person. Hence, mice in the hairstyles of noble ladies, and perfume, designed to drown out the smell of an unwashed body, and other nuances unpleasant to a modern person, whimsically combined with the perfect look of Versailles.
The Palace of Versailles has become not only a part of culture, but also an important object of world history. In 1783, a treaty was signed at the palace that ended the US War of Independence, in 1789 the Constituent Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, and in 1919, a peace treaty was concluded that ended the First World War. Since 1801, the Palace of Versailles opened its doors to the public and became a museum.
About the ghosts that roam Versailles: here.
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