uth, the
temple of royalty. The newly appointed architect gave to the chateau
its final aspect; the stamp of his genius rests upon the exterior
design and interior embellishment of the most remarkable dwelling in
the history of French architecture.

[Illustration: Versailles]

When the Court came to live at Versailles in May, 1682, Mansard and his
builders were still feverishly occupied in the work of construction and
reconstruction. The year 1684 saw the end of the ornamentation of the
interior in the completion of the Hall of Mirrors. Mansard's style is
particularly impressed upon the Marble Stairway, and the adjacent Hall
of the Queen's Guards, and, above all, on the Grand Gallery of the
Mirrors and the Salons (Peace and War) that flank it--works truly
impressive in their proportions, adornment and arrangement.

Disposed about three sides of the main court, the red chateau was set
low on a slight rise of land. The main entrance was flanked by the
North Wing and the South Wing, interrupted throughout their length by
lesser courts. The domed chapel upreared to the right of the gate was
the fourth one to serve the palace. After a period of building lasting
ten years it was consecrated in the year 1710. The exquisite white
stone edifice is still regarded as an architectural gem. Its interior
embellishments were carried out by some of the best artists of the Sun
King's epoch. Here during the last years of his long and spectacular
reign, Louis the Great worshiped. Here Marie Antoinette was married to
the Sixteenth Louis.

Arrivals at the palace were admitted from the Place d'Armes to the
court designated for their reception. Only the King and his family
might enter by the central gate. Nobles passed through the gates at
the side. Privileged persons were permitted to alight in the Royal
Court; those of inferior prestige in the Court of the Ministers, which
gave entrance to the offices and living quarters of the palace
executives and the hundreds of minions composing the King's retinue.
On the left of the enclosure called the Marble Court was the vestibule
to the Marble Stairway; opposite was the doorway leading to the
renowned Stairway of the Ambassadors, later removed by command of Louis
XV. The royal suites, except those of the Dauphin and his attendants,
were on the second floor. These rooms beneath the ornate Mansard attic
were the scene of all the potent events and ceremonies that have
distinguished