L’étonnante destinée d’un édifice provisoire : la chapelle royale de Versailles entre 1682 et 1710

Abstract

Built in the space between the château and the Grotte de Téthys, the royal chapel of 1682 was designed from the outset as a temporary construction. It prepared the way for the great permanent edifice, the construction of which began in 1684, worthy of a Versailles that was now the home of the court and government. However, owing to changing architectural plans, financial difficulties and the scope of the final project, the chapel of 1682 remained in use until 1710. For the first time in the history of the royal chapels of Versailles, the building was marked with a large cross on the outside, set at the top of the roof. Nevertheless it was soon incorporated into the buildings of the North Wing. Inside, the upper (‘royal’) floor featured an arrangement of curious angel pillars supporting an architrave, while the building housed some remarkable decorative elements and furniture: the high altar and its altarpiece, the pulpit, the secondary altars, the organ, etc. Deliveries of magnificent liturgical ornaments, religious gold- and silverware and illuminated manuscripts were also made for this chapel. After 1710, the site of the chapel was occupied by the future Salon d’Hercule on the upper floor, and some of its furnishings were reused, notably at Marly.

Keywords

• chapelle royale
• Louis XIV