Versailles. Its marble statues, the lapping of its fountains, its geometric alleys. How hard it is to imagine without tourists, schoolchildren, vacationers or just the curious. However, there it is empty, frozen in beauty. Let us hear again the creaking of the parquet floor, the tinkling of golden clocks, and even the slight rustling of drafts.
And if it was possible? With your eyes closed, immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the château, installed on your ... sofa. Yes, because a stunning recording has captured these sounds and is broadcasting them as podcasts. And that's not all.
So let's go, differently, differently, but let's go to Versailles anyway. Because the site offers a multitude of ways to visit it with us. Virtual 3D reconstructions, audio guides, videos on YouTube or interactive games immerse internet users through the mazes of its rooms. Better: they allow you to discover unknown aspects. Small selection from the countless possibilities.
We invite you first to the Queen's hamlet at the Petit Trianon, restored in 2018. Cradled by the songs of birds, we fly over with the mouse the lake of this charming village reconstituted in 3D using drone images. “Marie-Antoinette was nostalgic for her native Austria. So she erected it in 1774. But originally, it was supposed to be temporary, ”explains Paul Chaine, head of the digital development department.
A little disconcerted for the first few minutes, you get to taste, little by little, this funny sight ... on the roofs of these pretty buildings. “She liked to go there to rest from the excitement of the court. You can also enter your apartment, the billiard room, the boudoir, which are difficult to access during the guided tours. "
After the surprise, one enters, at the sound of footsteps that resonate, in the yellow and white salons, with decorations as soft as they are neat. The clicking of keys, the rubbing of doors ... So many sounds added to accompany us along this virtual journey. We zoom in, as we would lean, on the dark circles of the table wood, or these padded seats. Details to watch like never before. A luxury too… at the time!
The confined guide
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Because few privileged people could roam this intimate place. “The queen had set up a token system to sort people who entered it. Day and night, a Swiss guard, Jean Bersy, ensured the comings and goings, and the security of Marie-Antoinette. Only those with this precious Grail passed. "
And the queen watched over it. "According to a certain Madame Campan, the concierge would have opened incognito to Cardinal de Rohan during the feast offered to the Grand Duke Paul of Russia in 1782." Bad idea: Marie Antoinette noticed this and demanded the dismissal of the concierge, pardoned a few years later.
And as that was not enough, the guard house, which looks like a building out of a fairy tale, was even equipped with an underground passage. Goal ? Keep the watchman discreetly there.
The royal opera house, which has served forty times
Enough of the hamlet? We fly this time to the King's room. Where you can climb… on the canopy bed. The red curtains, these golden ornaments and these chandeliers where an army of courtiers crowded. There we are, alone. The same place where Louis XIV died at the age of 76.
Then, we change the air for a larger room. Direction the opulence of the royal opera, which has served forty times. “It was inaugurated in 1770 on the occasion of the marriage of the Dauphin Louis XVI with Marie-Antoinette. Reopened ten years ago, it now organizes concerts, operas and ballets. "
The monumental pillars, the painted ceiling and the screened openings, where spectators from the "second zone" observed the rooms, are visible. "We can even get on the stage like the actors," smiles Paul Chaine. And climb to the royal box, inaccessible to the public. There, where we take ourselves for the King while contemplating at leisure the plump cherubs of the tapestries.
Other place usually closed to the public. The royal chapel reveals its colonnades and reliefs in 3D. "Some preferred to scrutinize the gestures of the king rather than the altar there," teaches Paul Chaine. Approach the sublime original organ. And if you want to extend the visit: the coronation hall, the gallery of mirrors with its mirrors that even blind behind the screen and the Queen's bedroom await you. So many places to discover with another look.
Confined, will you get some fresh air? Take a trip to the gardens designed by Le Nôtre using Google Street View. And get lost in this Versailles that offers itself like never before. Different, but just as captivating. Waiting to go. Really.
Sound reconstruction, "Château de Versailles, sound collection" available on soundcloud
DISCOVER… 22,000 digitized works
Sculptures, furniture, paintings, frescoes, period objects… No one can tour the 60,000 works in the numerous collections housed by the castle. But it is possible to appreciate 22,000 digitized on the collections.chateaudeversailles.fr site. Approach, dwell on the commentary, step back ... This is an opportunity to scrutinize the nuances of colors, the small characters but also to learn more about their achievement using precise and substantiated explanations .
We marvel at the superb portrait of Marie Antoinette with a rose, immortalized by the little-known portrait painter Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun. “A digital table in ultra high definition where you can zoom in to see elements invisible to the naked eye. The most striking details are the fabrics, the embroidery and the Queen's pupils, ”insists Paul Chaine, head of the digital development department. But one can also rave about Louis XIV in the coronation costume of the painter Hyacinthe Rigaud, the busts of famous personalities from the Crusades room and so many other treasures. In addition, no risk of being disturbed by a selfie stick, or of twisting your neck to examine them.
MEET… the king disguised as a tree
Do you have a virtual reality headset? So try the Ifs ball experience on your computer or smartphone, with Vivez Versailles. During this feast given from February 25 to 26, 1745 in the castle, the king went there fagotée ... tree. We are offered to relive it as it was back then, in the midst of this profusion of costumes, as unusual as they are confusing. There among all the richly adorned women, only one charmed Louis XV: the future Marquise de Pompadour.
But for those who are not equipped. We can get to know the King on a journey retracing the course of his day. Admittedly, it is primarily intended for children, but in this complicated period, we let ourselves be moved by these colorful characters who come to life in real 3D decor, like the royal chapel. We learn that a valet sleeps at the foot of the king's bed every night. And even that "each look, each word is closely monitored by the latter". But also that the king dines alone in his room.
We take this opportunity to ...
… Make your teenagers read Les Orangers de Versailles. This lightly told story by youth author Annie Pietri is devoured. Marion, the daughter of the castle gardener, was chosen to serve the Marquise de Montespan, known for her whims. Over this breathtaking intrigue that will encourage your children to read, we let ourselves be caught up in this plot plot against the Queen. Les Orangers de Versailles, published by Bayard.
… Watch “Marie-Antoinette” (2006) by Sofia Coppola. This film is savored like a sweet candy. The actress Kirsten Dunst plays there with talent and rosy cheeks the wife of Louis XVI, forced to abandon the habits and customs of Austria for the strict protocol of the Court of Versailles. Superb shots, careful staging and beautiful costumes. We love.
"Marie-Antoinette" by Sofia Coppola, available on OCS, Amazon Prime and VOD.
… Watch episodes. Rather historical series? The three seasons of "Versailles" broadcast on Canal + since 2015 will seduce you. This program traces the reign of Louis XIV, interpreted by George Blagden. Love passions, shenanigans and colorful characters… Everything is there. "Versailles" on Canal + series.