Chapels of Versailles

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).

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).

It was to become the largest of the royal chapels at Versailles, and the height of its vaulting alone was allowed to disturb the rather severe horizontality everywhere else apparent in the palace's roofline, leading to the design being disparaged by some contemporaries; the duc de Saint-Simon characterized it as an "enormous catafalque".

[3] 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).

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 bespeaks a remarkable virtuosity.

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[4] (Nolhac, 1912–1913; Verlet, 1985; Walton, 1993).

The ceiling of the nave represents God the Father in His Glory Bringing to the World the Promise of Redemption and was painted by Antoine Coypel; the exedra 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).