Appartement du roi

King's Apartment (appartement du roi)

King's Bedchamber (room 5) in the King's Apartment
Building	Palace of Versailles
Country	France
Coordinates	48°48′17″N 2°07′14″E / 48.8048°N 2.12046°E / 48.8048; 2.12046

Plan of the appartement du roi
Key to the rooms of the appartement du roi
1	Vestibule or loggia
2	Salle des gardes
3	Première antichambre (salon du grand couvert)
4	Salon de l’œil de bœuf (formerly deuxième antichambre / antichambre des Bassans and chambre du roi)
5	Chambre de Louis XIV (formerly salon du roi)
6	Salon du conseil (formerly cabinet des glaces and cabinet des termes)
A	Cour de marbre
B	Cour royale

The appartement du roi or King's Apartment is the suite of rooms in the Palace of Versailles that served as the living quarters of Louis XIV. Overlooking the Marble Court (cour de marbre), these rooms are situated in the oldest part of the chateau in rooms originally designated for use by the queen in Louis XIII’s chateau. Owing largely to the discomfort of the grand appartement du roi and to the construction of the Hall of Mirrors, Louis XIV began to remodel these rooms for his use shortly after the death of Maria Theresa in 1684. The appartement du roi evolved to become the everyday working quarters for Louis XV and Louis XVI.

Initially, the appartement du roi consisted of a suite of eight rooms that issued from the Queen’s Staircase (escalier de la reine). The number was reduced to seven after 1701 and to six in 1755.

The vestibule is paneled in marble and lighted by two windows that opened onto the cour royale. In 1701, in order to provide more light to the staircase, the south wall opposite the windows was opened, thus creating a loggia from the vestibule. During the latter part of Louis XIV’s reign, the Queen’s staircase and the vestibule served as entrance to the appartement du roi, the grand appartement de la reine, and the apartment of Madame de Maintenon.

The salle des gardes du roi, served to house the Garde du corps du roi – the King’s Body Guard. The early decor of this room included walls clad in tooled gilt leather and a battle scene by Joseph Parrocel, "The Battle of Leuze, 18 September 1691", hung over the fireplace. Two large chandeliers emblazoned with the king’s monogram complemented the decor. The utilitarian nature of the room was evidenced by the wooden benches, camp beds, and folding screens used by the guards stationed in the room. On Mondays, a table, dressed with a gold-fringed velvet rug, would be placed in this room, at which Louis XIV would personally accept petitions presented to him by his subjects.