Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles in Versailles, France

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Interior of the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles; Credit – By Jorge Láscar from Melbourne, Australia https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66026550

In 1623, King Louis XIII of France (reigned 1610 – 1643) built a hunting lodge in Versailles, France, about 12 miles/19 km west of Paris. From 1631 – 1634, the hunting lodge was replaced by a small château. King Louis XIV (reigned 1643 – 1715) expanded the château into the magnificent Palace of Versailles, which this writer has visited, in several phases from 1661 – 1715. He eventually moved the seat of his court and government to Versailles, making the palace the de facto capital of France, and this was continued during the reigns of Louis XIV’s successors, his great-grandson King Louis XV and then Louis XV’s grandson King Louis XVI.

The Palace of Versailles; Credit – By ToucanWings – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28505340

The Chapel Royal that we see today at the Palace of Versailles is the fifth chapel royal at Versailles. It was built from 1699 to 1710, at the end of the 72-year reign of King Louis XIV who died in 1715. Therefore, Louis XIV used the fifth chapel royal for only the last five years of his life but his successors Louis XV and Louis XVI used the fifth chapel royal during their entire reigns. The Chapel Royal, originally a Roman Catholic church, is no longer a church. It was deconsecrated in the 19th century and since then has served as a venue for government and private events and musical concerts.

Aerial view of the Chapel Royal at the Palace of Versailles; Credit – By ToucanWings – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36855710

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The Previous Chapels

First Chapel Royal

The first chapel royal dates from the reign of Louis XIII (reigned 1610 – 1643). It was a detached building located near the château that had replaced the original hunting lodge. This chapel royal was demolished during the construction of the Grotto of Téthys (link in French), an artificial grotto constructed in the gardens of the Palace of Versailles in 1666 during the reign of Louis XIV.

Second Chapel Royal

The second chapel was constructed during Louis XIV’s second building campaign (1669–1672) When this new part of the Palace of Versailles was completed, the chapel royal was located in the Queen’s Grand Apartment The second chapel royal was used by the royal family and court until 1678 when a new chapel royal was built

Third Chapel Royal

The third chapel royal, used from 1678 – 1682, was located next to the site of the second royal chapel which had become the Queen’s Guard Room. In 1682, Louis XIV officially moved the French court from Paris to the Palace of Versailles, and the third chapel royal became inconvenient and did not meet the needs of either Louis XIV or the court.

Fourth Chapel Royal

King Louis XIV at prayer in the fourth chapel; Credit – Wikipedia

When the north wing of the Palace of Versailles was constructed, a new chapel royal was built in 1682. When the fourth chapel was constructed, a balcony-like, upper level, was built where the king and select members of the royal family and the court heard daily Mass. The fourth chapel royal remained in use until 1710 and it was here that many important religious events of the court and royal family during the reign of Louis XIV occurred.

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The Fifth Chapel Royal

Credit – Par Nono vlf — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=76828541

The Chapel Royal that is seen today at the Palace of Versailles was created by King’s Architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart. From 1677 until his death in 1708, Hardouin-Mansart worked on the expansion of the Palace of Versailles, including the famous Hall of Mirrors. He was also responsible for other major projects during Louis XIV’s reign including Les Invalides in Paris, and the Place des Victoires and Place Vendôme, squares in Paris.

The current Chapel Royal was built near the corner formed by the wing of the King’s Grand Apartment and the north wing of the Palace of Versailles. Construction started in 1689 but was soon stopped due to the Nine Years’ War (1688 – 1697) between France and a European coalition. In 1699, construction resumed and Hardouin-Mansart continued working on the chapel until his death in 1708. His brother-in-law Robert de Cotte finished the construction. On June 5, 1710, the Royal Chapel was consecrated by Cardinal Louis Antoine de Noailles, Archbishop of Paris. The Royal Chapel was dedicated to Saint Louis IX, King of France (reigned 1226 – 1270), the patron saint of the House of Bourbon and the ancestor of King Louis XIV. Until the French Revolution, the Chapel Royal was the religious center of the French court.

The Chapel Royal is a traditional two-story palace church. The upper level, the royal tribune, a balcony lined with Corinthian columns, overlooks the nave of the chapel. This was where the King and his family sat. The royal tribune can be entered directly from the north wing of the palace through a vestibule known as the Chapel Hall. Originally, the Chapel Royal contained stalls, a pulpit, confessionals, and furniture for the use of the King and his family. Today, only the altars and the organ remain.

The Floor

The floor of the nave; Credit – Par Lionel Allorge — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15557485

The floor of the nave is paved with multi-colored marble. At the foot of the steps to the altar is a crowned monogram of two intertwined letter Ls for Saint Louis IX, the patron of the Chapel Royal, and King Louis XIV, the builder of the Royal Chapel. This can be seen in the photo above, at the bottom, although it is upside down.

The Paintings

God the Father in His Glory Bringing to the World the Promise of Redemption, painted by Antoine Coypel: Credit – Par Jebulon — Travail personnel, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20081779

Above, the painting on the ceiling of the nave is entitled God the Father in His Glory Bringing to the World the Promise of Redemption, painted by Antoine Coypel.

Charles de la Fosse’s The Resurrection of Christ; Credit – Par Brian Jeffery Beggerly — originally posted to Flickr as IMG_5327, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11700443

Above, the half-dome of the apse is decorated with Charles de la Fosse‘s The Resurrection of Christ.

Jean Jouvenet’s The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles; Credit – Par Lionel Allorge — Travail personnel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15557787

Above, over the royal tribune is Jean Jouvenet‘s The Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles.

Altars

The High Altar; Credit – By Zairon – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70191334

The altarpiece over the high altar is a gilt bronze bas-relief of The Lamentation of the Dead Christ by French sculptor Corneille Van Clève (link in French).

One of the side altars; Credit – By Lionel Allorge – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15557313

The nine other altars in the Chapel Royal were consecrated to the Blessed Sacrament, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the main patron saints of the royal family: Saint Louis of France, Saint Anne, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Philip the Apostle, Saint Charles Borromeo, Saint Victoire, and Saint Adelaide of Burgundy.

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Royal Events

The view from the royal tribune where the King and the royal family heard daily Mass

At 10:00 every morning, the King’s Mass was said in the Chapel Royal and attended by the court. The King and his family sat in the royal tribune, a balcony that overlooked the nave of the chapel. The ladies of the court sat in the side tribunes, the side balconies. Seated below in the nave were other members of the court.

Te Deums, short religious services of blessing or thanks, were sung to celebrate military victories and the births of children. Ceremonies of the Order of the Holy Spirit, a French order of chivalry founded by King Henri III in 1578, and baptisms and weddings of princes and princesses were held in the Chapel Royal.

Among the baptisms held at the Chapel Royal were those of five future Kings of France: Louis XV, Louis XVI, Louis XVIII, Charles X, and Louis-Philippe I, and two future titular Kings of France: Louis-Charles, Dauphin of France (Louis XVII, son of Louis XVI) and Louis Antoine, Duke of Angoulême (Louis XIX, son of Charles X). In addition, Felipe V, the first Bourbon King of Spain, born Philippe, Duke of Anjou was baptized at the Chapel Royal. He was the second son of Louis, Le Grand Dauphin, the son and heir of Louis XIV who predeceased his father. Among the funerals held at the Chapel Royal were those of Louis XIV and Louis XV.

Wedding of Louis, Duke of Burgundy, Le Petite Dauphin & Marie Adélaïde of Savoy in the 4th Chapel Royal. King Louis XIV, the grandfather of the groom, can be prominently seen in the middle; Credit – Wikipedia

Note: The Princes of Condé (below) were from the French Princely House of Bourbon-Condé which was a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon. From 1589 – 1709, the Princes of Condé held the rank of premier prince du sang royal (First Prince of the Blood Royal). The Princes of Conti (below) were a cadet branch of the Princely House of Bourbon-Condé.

Among the weddings at the Chapel Royal were:

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Works Cited

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  • Château du Versailles. 2022. The Royal Chapel – The Palace of Versailles. [online] Available at: <https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/palace/royal-chapel> [Accessed 22 January 2022].
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