Friday, November 16, 2007

Palace of Versailles - France

"When the château was built, Versailles was a country village, but it is now a suburb of Paris. From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the centre of power in Ancien Régime France. Versailles is therefore famous not only as a building, but as a symbol of the system of absolut monarchy which Louis XIV espoused.
This card shows the "Galerie des Glaces" - Hall of Mirrors which construction began in 1678.
The principal feature of this famous galerie is the seventeen mirror-clad arches that reflect the seventeen arcaded windows that overlook the gardens. Each arch contains twenty-one mirrors with a total complement of 357 used in the decoration of the galerie des glaces. The arches themselves are fixed upon marble pilasters whose capitals depict the symbols of France. These gilded bronze capitals include the fleur-de-lys and the Gallic cockerel or rooster. Many of the other attributes of the Hall of Mirrors were lost to war for financial purposes. Items such as the silver table pieces and lamp holders were melted by order of Louis XIV himself to provide monetary provisions for the war." - in: wikipedia.
This Palace is an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The card was sent by Laura "Hob".

1 comment:

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