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Versailles, the Sun King's way
To show the heart of French sensibility, we concentrate on grounds that have barely changed
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Many visitors try to "beat the crowd" by arriving when the château opens - which is when tour buses arrive. There's a long wait, standing up, to be packed into limited space (except for the Hall of Mirrors). The palace was ransacked during the Revolution, then abandoned, and the priorities of the 1830's restoration were different from our own.
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Those are reasons why we concentrate on the grounds. But we would do so anyway, for they are at the heart of Louis XIV's message.
- Versailles is a complex , which culminates with the horizon - that is, with the park
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- The grandiose estate reveals the king
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 - A bosquet, by Maurice Leloir, 1930
•We begin with the "bosquets", outdoor salons. This image by a famous illustrator portrays a setting that they provided for the ritualized sociability whose traces endure...
In contrast, the best way to discover the immense grounds is somewhat athletic. We suggest renting bikes and then exploring the Grand Canal by rowboat. Déjeuner: a picnic, or a restaurant near the Grand Canal: Louis would appreciate its elegance (and be horrified at the clautrophobic cafeteria).
By now our imaginations are prepared for the master...
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 - "He was a rather great king" - Saint-Simon (by Le Brun)
•Louis XIV, the Sun King, appeared at a time when war had made France the Continent's most powerful nation, and when a rising middle class backed the Monarchy's successful effort to bring the aristocracy to heel.
The charismatic king could indulge artists in their wildest ambitions, on condition that they glorify his reign. Great imagination flowered only for a generation - roughly 1660-1690 - but it was so fundamental that it caused the whole 17th century to be remembered as "Le Grand Siècle": " The Great Century".
Then war and fate caught up.
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- To appreciate Versailles fully, one must get a sense of the people, for whom palace and gardens were only the grandiose background to their intrigues, pride and passions
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•We narrate the destinies of a favorite, a witch and a wife (in that order)...
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•Other tales are as dramatic.
- We visit the palace at the end of the day, when crowds usually have left
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•Triumphant Catholicism
 - Much about the château can be said outside.
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Only official guides may speak within the château, a rule that the difficulty of speaking loudly among masses of visitors justifies. We give the essentials before entering...
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but most explanations are unnecessary.
The palace is meant to overwhelm - let the king take over.
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- A distinguished actress opens her 18th-century salon (for groups)...
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 - The Sun King's secret wedding, by Maurice Leloir
...and reveals the true story of the woman who was born in prison, begged in the streets as a child yet married the Sun King... Then other troubles began.
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 - "I put no limits on my goals."
•Performance
She gives an original monologue in which "Madame Louis XIV" recalls her life.
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Leloir illustrations / in T. Cahu,"Le Roy Soleil"; Madame de Montespan, anon; witch / Girardon; spouse / by Mignard, court painter; château / Gilbert Cordier
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