Louis XIV transformed a small castle that his father had built in the countryside, at Versailles, into an immense residence. For the first time in history, the king, the court and the government lived all together, in one and the same place.
Versailles is a formidable tool of “absolute monarchy”, according to which all power is concentrated in the king and exercised only by those to whom he entrusts it (and who he can keep an eye on because they are close to him).
The sacred person of the king was magnified by the beauty of the buildings, the decorations and gardens. Life at Versailles was governed by the timetable of the king, who lived on constant show. Even his simplest gestures occurred in public; when he got up and when he went to bed in his room situated in the middle of the Castle, his meals… The highest ranking nobles aspired for the honour of serving him.
Furthermore, Versailles was open to everyone: the king’s Great Apartment and the Hall of Mirrors, embellished with the most beautiful paintings and sculptures in the royal collections, could be visited like a museum. In the morning, everyone could see the king when he went in procession to the Chapel and give him a placet (a written request) to which a minister would reply within fifteen days. In the evening, the Great Apartment was reserved for the celebrations that the king held for the whole court, which had to be kept occupied. In the summer, sumptuous festivities were held in the gardens which, like the Castle, had been created using all the resources of the kingdom and more (the greatest scientists and artists, the most beautiful marbles, the rarest trees…)
The decorations all refer to the person of the king. In the Great Apartment and in the gardens, Louis XIV the Sun King is portrayed as Apollo, god of the sun in Greek mythology; on the vault in the Hall of Mirrors he appears dressed as a Roman emperor presiding over victories and dispensing the benefits of his reign. In the Chapel, his place in the tribune is dominated by a great painting that depicts the descent of the Holy Spirit, recalling the fact that the king is elected by God and must act for the good of his people.