After a year of
work, the Petit Trianon at Versailles will open its doors on October 2.
A date any symbolic, since it is three days near the anniversary of the
departure of Marie-Antoinette in 1789: "When the mob arrived at the
gate, the queen walks, a valet tell him that he must return , Then
leave ", said the chief architect of historic monuments. "We wanted to
stop the story at that time, as if we said to Visits: the queen is not
there, take it. "For the first time, all the interior of the building,
garden and the French Pavilion is accessible. It was possible so far to
visit the apartments of the Queen, the "noble floor", as well as some
parts of the floor of the King, by appointment. With the help
of a patron, Breguet watches - already watchmaker of the court, and
supplier of Marie-Antoinette - the Petit Trianon, the French Pavilion
located a few meters, were completely covered. The scenery, paint or
wallpaper has been restored, the refurbished apartments with original
furniture. The staircase and wrought iron ramp have been refurbished.
"This building very innovative at the time, was inhabited only by
women. Originally built by Louis XV to Ms. de Pompadour - which died
before they could accommodate - the Petit Trianon was initially
welcomed Ms du Barry. After Marie-Antoinette, it is emptied, then set
location. Napoleon will house his sister Pauline Borghese, then the
Empress Marie-Louise. The Duchess of Orleans install it in 1836. But
Marie-Antoinette remains the emblematic figure of this place, it has
its private pension, far from the noise of the court. At
ground floor, now as it was at the end of the Ancien Regime, is the
guard room, billiard room, a réchauffoir with his furnace
room and called silverware, where you can see two sets of manufacture
de Sevres, including that "in pearls and barbels," commissioned by
Marie-Antoinette in 1781. In the upper levels, it was the
room of the queen and a small cabinet "moving ice" - to hide the
windows to create privacy - that attract the eye. The work has helped
to rebuild in the same library the queen, marked with a PT (Petit
Trianon). Over time, Versailles has tried to find antique furniture,
sold or disappeared during the Revolution, to the Trianon space
"inhabited". The restoration of many small bathrooms reinforces this
impression. They are artisans whose French-Carrère
Mériguet Workshop for paints, Aubert LABANSAT for
prosecutors, Garnier for the bronzes and locks who worked on revival of
small palace. The original colors or copies of vintage wallpaper have
been processed from shreds discovered during the work. The apartments
of the queen and decorations are full of flowers and fruit, recalling
the gardens. The windows of origin, with large tiles have been
restored. In the attic, along with pieces of Louis XIV - who
has been there ever stayed - we can now see the chambers of Ms. Royal,
the Empress Marie-Louise or the boudoir of the Duchess of Orleans . A
room is reserved for "the little museum" of the Empress Eugenie. Most
of the exhibits did not in fact belonged to the Queen. But we must
Empress Eugenie to have started a craze for the queen martyrdom, which
since has not stopped.