First Floor (Central) - Development

Obviously, Versailles has undergone renovations since the time the court officially moved into the then unfinished palace. Surprisingly enough was neither Louis XV nor Louis XVI eager to make great alterations to the château they inherited, so it is still the spirit of the legendary Sun King that dominates the buildings. From the very first the King and Queen had their individual apartments on the first floor at the very heart of the palace but the current layout is not quite what it was when Louis XIV lived there. Here is a clear illustration of how the royal couple's apartment has developed over the years - the King's apartment is marked with blue, the Queen's with red:

In 1673 the King and Queen's apartments were symmetrical which is evident from the names you can read below. At this time they were named after celestial figures but neither the Salon of Jupiter nor the Salon of Saturn still maintain their names.

The King's apartment as it was in 1673:

1. Second Salon of Venus 

2. Salon of Diane - Then an antechamber 

3. Salon of Mars

4. Salon of Mercury - Then an antechamber

5. Salon of Apollon - Then the King's Grand Chambre

6. Salon of Jupiter - Then Council Room

7. Salon of Saturn - Then Petit Cabinet

8. Salon of Venus - Then Small Private Chamber

The Queen's apartment as of 1673:

9. Salon of Venus - Then a small cabinet

10. Salon of Saturn - The Small Private Chamber

11. Salon of Jupiter - Grand Angle Chamber

12. Salon of Apollon - The Queen's bedroom

13. Salon of Mercury - Then an antechamber

14. Salon of Mars - Guard's room

15. Salon of Diane - Chapel between 1672-80

                   

Here we are 20 years later in 1693 after the death of Queen Marie Therese. Several new rooms has been added to the King's apartment - but not to the Queen's - which can be explained quite simply. The Queen had died in 1683 and consequently there were no one to claim the extra rooms which were then added to the King's interior apartment. 

2. Cabinet of Medallions

11. Vestibule

12. Guard's Room

13. Antechamber to the Grand Couvert (Grand Dining Room)

14. Second antechamber

15. King's Bedroom in 1684

16. King's Salon

17. Council Chamber

18. The "Wig" Chamber

19. Billiard Room also known as the Salon of Dogs

20. Salon of the Small Staircase

21. King's Staircase

22. Cabinet of Tables (possibly a work-room)

23. Shell Cabinet

24. The Oval Salon

25. First Salon of the Gallery

26. Small Gallery

27. Last Salon of the Gallery

The Queen's chamber:

28. Guard's Room

29. Antichamber

30. Grand Cabinet

31. Bedroom

                  

In this last layout we are now in 1735 which means that the King is now Louis XV who had a far greater preference for private life than his predecessor. It is also quite clear that there is now a Queen at Versailles again but she was not granted her entire wing. The King's bedchamber had been moved again because there were need for more room since the number of courtiers permitted to his levée and coucher had increased drastically.

The King's apartments: 

2. Salon of Venus

3. Small Salon of Abundance

4. Cabinet of Medallions

5. Salon of Diane

6. Salon of Mars

7. Salon of Mercury (also known as the Parade Chamber)

8. Salon of Apollo (also known as the Throne Room)

9. Salon of War

10. Hall of Mirrors

11. Vestibule

12. Guard's Room

13. First Antechamber 

14. Great Antechamber

15. Second Parade Chamber

16. Council Room

17.  "Wig Chamber"

18. King's Bedchamber

19.  Council Room

20. Dining Room

21. The Oval Salon

22. Cabinet

23. Antechamber

24. Bathroom

25. Second Bathroom

26. Cabinet

27. Small Gallery

28. Great Guard's Room

The Queen's apartment:

30. Queen's Guard's Room

31. Antechamber

32. Grand Cabinet

33. Queen's Bedroom

34. Salon of Peace