Chapels of Versailles 2.94

The present chapel of the Palace of Versailles is the fifth in the history of the palace. These chapels evolved with the expansion of the château and formed the focal point of the daily life of the court during the Ancien Régime (Bluche, 1986, 1991; Petitfils, 1995; Solnon, 1987).History of the chapelsFirst chapelThe château's first chapel dated from the time of Louis XIII, and was located in a detached pavilion at the northeast of the château. Today, the pièce de la vaisselle d'or in the petit appartement du roi occupies the approximate emplacement of the château's first chapel. This chapel followed the two-story palatine model, which was traditional in France; successive chapels at Versailles followed this model. This chapel was destroyed in 1665 during the construction of the Grotte de Thétys (Batifol, 1909, 1913; Kimball, 1944; Le Guillou, 1983, 1989; Marie, 1968; Verlet, 1985).Second ChapelThe château's second chapel was created during Louis XIV’s second building campaign, when Louis Le Vau constructed the château neuf. When the new part of the château was completed, the chapel was situated in the grand appartement de la reine and formed the symmetrical pendant with the salon de Diane in the grand appartement du roi. This chapel was used by the royal family and court until 1678 at which time a new chapel was constructed, and this one was converted into the salle des gardes de la reine .