The Palace of Versailles

Posted by Enda On March - 21 - 2013

When the first part of what became known as the palace of Versailles was built, Versailles was a small village; but today, however, it is a wealthy place about 20 kilometres south west of Paris.  The court of Versailles was the centre of political life in France from 1682 when Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in October 1789 after the beginning of the French Revolution. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of absolute monarchy . The earliest mention of  Versailles is in a document from 1038, relating to the village of Versailles. In 1575, the surroundings of Versailles were  bought by Albert de Gondi, who invited Louis XIII on several hunting trips in the forests surrounding Versailles. Pleased with the location, Louis ordered the construction of a hunting lodge in 1624. Eight years later, Louis obtained the surrounding of Versailles from the Gondi family and began to make enlargements to the Palace.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You will receive any replies to your comment.