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First chapel
The château's first chapel dated from the time of Louis XIII and was located in detached pavilion at the northeast of the château. 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 Chapel
The château's second chapel was created during Louis XIV's second building campaign (1669-1672), when Louis Le Vau constructed the château neuf. When the new part of the château was completed, the chapel was situated in the grand apartment 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 (Félibien, 1674; Kimball, 1944; Le Guillou, 1983, 1989; Marie, 1972, 1976; Scudéry, 1669; Verlet, 1985).
Third Chapel
Located next to the new salle des gardes de la reine, this chapel served the needs of life at Versailles for a short period of time. Soon after its construction, Louis XIV found it inconvenient and impractical for his needs as well as those of his court, which he had officially installed at Versailles in 1682. In 1682, this room was converted into the grande salles des gardes de la reine (and now exists as la salle du sacre) and a new chapel was built (Combes, 1681; Kimball, 1944; Le Guillou, 1983, 1989; Marie, 1972, 1976; Verlet, 1985).
Fourth Chapel
With the construction of the aile du Nord, the north wing of the château, a new chapel was built. Construction of the north wing necessitated the destruction of the Grotte de Thétys; it was on this site that the new chapel was built in 1682. When the fourth chapel was constructed, the salon de l'Abondance, which had served as entry to the cabinet des médailles in the petit appartement du roi, was transformed into the vestibule de la chapelle - so named as it was from this upper level of the chapel that king and selected members of the royal family heard daily mass. This chapel remained in use until 1710, and was witness to many of the important events of the court and royal family during the reign of Louis XIV. Today the salon d'Hercule and the lower vestibule occupy the space of this site (Félibien, 1703; Kimball, 1944; Le Guillou, 1983, 1989; Marie, 1972, 1976; Piganiole de la Force, 1701; Verlet, 1985).
Fifth Chapel
As the focal point of Louis XIV's fourth (and last) building campaign (1699-1710), the final chapel of the château of Versailles is an unreserved masterpiece. Begun in 1689, construction was halted due to the War of the League of Augsburg; Jules Hardouin-Mansart resumed construction in 1699. Hardouin-Mansart continued working on the project until his death in 1708, at which time his brother-in-law, Robert de Cotte, finished the project (Blondel, 1752-1756; Marie, 1972, 1976; Nolhac, 1912-1913; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993). It was to become the largest of the royal chapels at Versailles, and in fact the height of its vaulting alone was allowed to disturb the rather severe horizontality everywhere else apparent in the palace's roof-line, leading to the design being badly treated by some contemporaries at the time, most notably perhaps by the duc de Saint-Simon, who characterized it as an "enormous catafalque". Nevertheless, the magnificent interior has been widely admired to the present day and served as inspiration for Luigi Vanvitelli when he designed the chapel for the Palace of Caserta (Defilippis, 1968).
Dedicated to Saint Louis, patron saint of the Bourbons, the chapel was consecrated in 1710. The palatine model is of course traditional; however, the Corinthian colonnade of the tribune level is of a classic style that anticipates the neo-classicism that evolved during the 18th century, although its use here is bespeaks a remarkable virtuosity. The tribune level is accessed by a vestibule, known as the salon de la chapelle, that was constructed at the same time as the chapel. The salon de la chapelle is decorated with white stone and the bas-relief sculpture, Louis XIV Crossing the Rhine by Nicolas and Guillaume Coustou forms the focal point of the rooms décor (Nolhac, 1912-1913; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993).
The floor of the chapel itself is inlaid with polychromatic marbles, and at the foot of the steps leading to the altar is the crowned monogram of an interlaced double “L” alluding to Saint Louis and Louis XIV (Nolhac, 1912-1913; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993). The sculptural and painted decoration uses both Old Testament and New Testament themes (Lighthart, 1997; Nolhac, 1912-1913; Sabatier, 1999; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993). The ceiling of the nave represent God the Father in His Glory Bringing to the World the Promise of Redemption and was painted by Antoine Coypel; the half-dome of the apse is decorated with Charles de la Fosse's The Resurrection of Christ; and, above the royal tribune is Jean Jouvenet's The Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Virgin and the Apostles (Nolhac, 1912-1913; Walton, 1993).
During the 18th century, the chapel witnessed many court events. Te Deums were sung to celebrate military victories and the births of children (fils de France and fille de France) born to the king and queen; marriages were also celebrated in this chapel, such as the wedding of Louis XV's son the dauphin Louis-Ferdinand with the Infanta Marie-Thérèse of Spain on 23 February 1745 and the wedding on 16 May 1770 of the dauphin - later Louis XVI - with Marie-Antoinette. However, of all the ceremonies held in the chapel, those associated the Order of the Holy Spirit were among the most elaborate. (Blondel, 1752-1756; Bluche, 2000; Boughton, 1986; Campan, 1823; Croÿ-Solre, 1906-1921; Hézuques, 1873; Luynes, 1860-1865; Nolhac, 1912-1913).
The chapel was re-consecrated in the 19th century and has since served as a venue for state and private events. Musical concerts are often held in the chapel of Versailles.
Source Wikipédia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chapels_of_Versailles
Texte soumis à la licence GNU : http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html |
| Description | |
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Les Te Deum y seront chantés à l'occasion des victoires militaires et de la naissance des enfants de France. Les princes du sang seront mariés en ces lieux. La chapelle a été construite par Jules Hardouin-Mansart de 1699 jusqu'à sa mort, en 1708. Elle sera achevée en 1710 par son beau-frère, Robert de Cotte. La qualité de la décoration et de l'architecture contribue à faire de cette chapelle un des grands chefs d'oeuvre de l'art religieux. Elle comporte deux niveaux, comme les chapelles traditionnelles Palatines. Son modèle est toutefois classique dans l'inspiration.
La tribune principale au-dessus de l'entrée était réservée au Roi et à la famille royale. Les tribunes latérales accueillaient les princes royaux et les principaux dignitaires de la Cour. En temps ordinaire, les fidèles prenaient place au niveau inférieur. Le Roi de la France assistait à la messe de la galerie située en face de l'autel, au même niveau que ses appartements. A l'occasion des cérémonies importantes le Roi pénétrait dans la partie inférieure de la chapelle et prenait place sur un prie-Dieu installé au centre de la nef.
La décoration illustre le parallélisme existant entre l'Ancien et le Nouveau Testaments. Les peintures du plafond représentent les trois personnages de la Sainte Trinité. Au centre, La Gloire de Dieu le Père par Antoine Coypel. Dans le demi-dôme de l'abside, la Résurrection du Christ par Charles de La Fosse. Au-dessus de la tribune royale, la Descente du Saint Esprit par Jean Jouvenet. Ce parallélisme se retrouve également dans les bas-reliefs du pourtour du choeur. Nicolas Coustou y fera figurer les symboles du judaïsme. Les douze Prophètes, situés entre les hautes fenêtres, préfigurent les douze Apôtres, peints aux plafonds des tribunes latérales.
Les sculptures sont l'oeuvre d'une équipe formée, entre autres, de Guillaume et Nicolas Coustou, Le Lorrain, Thierry, Frémin, Magnier, Le Moyne, Le Pautre, et de Van Clève. Ce dernier réalisera également le maître-autel.
Les autels latéraux seront consacrés aux saints patrons des membres de la famille royale. Les autres autels, placés sur les bas-côtés et dans le déambulatoire, ne seront achevés qu'au temps de Louis XV. Le mécanisme de l'orgue, situé dans la tribune qui domine le maître-autel, est l'oeuvre de Cliquot. |
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