Versailles - Chapelle Royale. Lying in the suburbs of Paris, the Château de Versailles was the symbol of the absolute monarchy espoused by Louis XIV and royal palace from 1682 to 1789, when the monarch was forced to return to Paris.
The first design of the castle was made by Philibert Le Roy and during the next two centuries there were four building enlargements and renewals, when Louis XIV reorganized the government of France and moved there, when the court was fully established on May 6th 1682. The centre of the power was within the palace walls, where the government offices and the thousands of courtiers lived. By obliging the nobility to spend some time every year in Versailles, the king prevented the development of regional powers, and established the etiquette which was rendered famous and copied all around the European court.
Orangerie. Opéra royal. Chambre du roi. Galerie des Batailles. Galerie des Glaces. Salon d'Hercule. Sainte Chapelle. Sacré-Coeur extérieur. Completed in 1914, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is located on Montmartre, which is the highest point in the city.
It's widely known that the church is dedicated to the 58'000 soldiers who lost their life during the Franco Prussian war, but the decree of the Assemblée Nationale dated July 24th 1873 in which there is the decision to start the erection of the church, responds to a request made by the Archbishop of Paris, which states that the construction is to "expiate the crimes of the communards". Paul Abadie is the architect who won the competition over 77 other competitors for the design in 1873 and two years later works begin, among several debates on its legitimacy and the dread that the church will be considered "an incessant provocation to civil war".
Sacré-Coeur Basilica Toits. Sacré-Coeur Choeur. Abbaye de Saint Denis Choeur. Saint Denis Autel. Saint Denis Crypte. Notre-Dame extérieur. Notre-Dame Nef. Notre-Dame Nef et orgue. Notre-Dame, choeur. Louvre exterieur. Cour Carrée. Pyramide. Salle rouge.