A Year at the Chateau: As seen on the hit Channel 4 show

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The construction of the Hall of Mirrors between 1678 and 1686 coincided with a major alteration to the State Apartments. They were originally intended as his residence, but the King transformed them into galleries for his finest paintings, and venues for his many receptions for courtiers. During the season from All-Saints Day in November until Easter, these were usually held three times a week, from six to ten in the evening, with various entertainments. [155] The Salon of Hercules [ edit ] The Royal Chapel". en.chateauversailles.fr. Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles. 24 October 2018 . Retrieved 5 September 2021. The Salon of Apollo was the royal throne room under Louis XIV, and was the setting for formal audiences. The eight-foot-high silver throne was melted down in 1689 to help pay the costs of an expensive war, and was replaced by a more modest throne of gilded wood. The central painting on the ceiling, by Charles de la Fosse, depicts the Sun Chariot of Apollo, the King's favorite emblem, pulled by four horses and surrounded by the four seasons. We were getting married in two weeks, all our family and friends were coming to see us in our new home and we were entertaining a couple of hundred people in a château that hadn’t had running water or electricity eight months earlier.

The plot didn't move. Only one thing happens of note. And is easily forgotten. The characters are also very unlikeable for the majority of the book and become miraculously more tolerable by the end. Mary was the only character I liked throughout. The rest were clearly just embarking on a midlife crisis. Ayers, Andrew (2004). The Architecture of Paris: An Architectural Guide. Edition Axel Menges. ISBN 9783930698967. To add insult to injury the writing was...disappointing. The language was clichéd and often cringey. The speech was unnatural and unrealistic. A Year In The Chateau' is well written. Sarah has one of those writing styles that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. Reading this book felt more like a chat or gossip among a group of friends than reading an actual book. I hope that makes sense. I loved being a fly on the wall to all the shenanigans that the group of friends in the book got up to. Sarah writes so convincingly and realistically that I did feel as though I was an actual part of the story. I loved this charming and witty read, which served as a distraction from the pain I was in and it was the tonic I needed at that moment in time.I loved how the author split the story up into seasons and we got to experience the changing sights, sounds and aromas of chateau life for the first time through the eyes of the characters. The palace still serves political functions. Heads of state are regaled in the Hall of Mirrors; the bicameral French Parliament—consisting of the Senate ( Sénat) and the National Assembly ( Assemblée nationale)—meet in joint session (a congress of the French Parliament) in Versailles [232] to revise or otherwise amend the French Constitution, a tradition that came into effect with the promulgation of the 1875 Constitution. [234] For example, the Parliament met in joint session at Versailles to pass constitutional amendments in June 1999 (for domestic applicability of International Criminal Court decisions and for gender equality in candidate lists), in January 2000 (ratifying the Treaty of Amsterdam), and in March 2003 (specifying the "decentralized organization" of the French Republic). [232] Louis XIV's successors, Louis XV and Louis XVI, largely left Versailles as they inherited it and focused on the palace's interiors. Louis XV's modifications began in the 1730s, with the completion of the Salon d'Hercule, a ballroom in the north wing, and the expansion of the king's private apartment, [83] [84] which required the demolition of the Ambassadors' Staircase. [40] In 1748, Louis XV began construction of a palace theater, the Royal Opera of Versailles at the northernmost end of the palace, [85] [86] but completion was delayed until 1770; [86] [87] construction was interrupted in the 1740s by the War of the Austrian Succession and then again in 1756 with the start of the Seven Years' War. [85] [87] These wars emptied the royal treasury and thereafter construction was mostly funded by Madame du Barry, Louis XV's favorite mistress. In 1771, Louis XV had the northern Ministers' Wing rebuilt in Neoclassical style by Ange-Jacques Gabriel, his court architect, as it was in the process of falling down. That work was also stopped by financial constraints, and it remained incomplete when Louis XV died in 1774. In 1784, Louis XVI briefly moved the royal family to the Château de Saint-Cloud ahead of more renovations to the Palace of Versailles, but construction could not begin because of financial difficulty and political crisis. [88] In 1789, the French Revolution swept the royal family and government out of Versailles forever. [54] [89] Role in politics and culture [ edit ] Reception of the Grand Condé at Versailles, painted by Jean-Léon Gérôme

A Year in the Château is a Story about Friendship, moving on to a new chapter in life, taking chances, Drama, discovery and following your dreams. Thank you to Compulsive Readers Tours and Zaffre Books for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily. The main characters are a set of friends, who have reached a certain age and they want to take things a bit easier, so they decide to all chip in and buy a property in the country. Although they were going to have separate living quarters, I did wonder if perhaps they would end up falling out or living in such close quarters would be a step too far for some of the characters. I can't say that I particularly warmed to any of the characters but at the same time I didn't particularly dislike any of them. Blondel 1752–1756, vol. 4 (1756), book 7, plate 8; Nolhac 1898, p. 49 (dates Blondel's plan to c. 1742).Louis XIV died at Versailles on 1 September 1715 and was succeeded by his five-year-old great-grandson, Louis XV, [78] [106] then the duke of Anjou, [107] who was moved to Vincennes and then to Paris by Louis XV's regent, Philippe II, Duke of Orléans. [106] Versailles was neglected until 1722, [18] when Philippe II removed the court to Versailles to escape the unpopularity of his regency, [108] [109] and when Louis XV began his majority. [110] The 1722 move, however, broke the cultural power of Versailles, [111] and during the reign of Louis XVI, courtiers spent their leisure in Paris, not Versailles. [18] The 7-year-old Mozart during his stay at the Versailles Palace Revitalising the Royal Palace". en.chateauversailles.fr. Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles. 24 October 2018 . Retrieved 5 September 2021. A Year in the Château is a heart warming, light hearted, fun read that kept me entertained, I enjoyed the lil twists and turns, It had me giggling and wondering what was going to happen next! The grounds of the palace will host the equestrian competition during the 2024 Summer Olympics. [131] Architecture and plan [ edit ] Plan of the main floor ( c. 1837, with north to the right), showing the Hall of Mirrors in red, the Hall of Battles in green, the Royal Chapel in yellow, and the Royal Opera in blue The estate of Versailles consists of the palace, the subsidiary buildings around it, and its park [ fr] and gardens. As of June 2021, the estate altogether covers an area of 800 hectares (8.0km 2; 2,000 acres), [178] with the park and gardens laid out to the south, west, and north of the palace. [179] The palace is approached from the east by the Avenue de Paris, measuring 17 miles (27km) from Paris to a gate between the Grande and Petite Écuries. [180] Beyond these stables is the Place d'Armes, [181] [182] where the Avenue de Paris meets the Avenue de Sceaux and Avenue de Saint-Cloud (see map), the three roads that formed the main arteries of the city of Versailles. [46] [183] Exactly where the three roads meet is a gate leading into the cour d'honneur, [184] hemmed in by the Ministers' Wings. [181] [182] Beyond is the Royal Gate and the main palace, [182] which wraps around the Royal [ fr] [185] and finally Marble Courts [ fr]. [186]