Versailles : des origines à nos jours

Published in 1961 and reissued in 1985, Pierre Verlet's monograph, Le Château de Versailles, has become a reference work on the residence of the Ancien Régime, analysed in minute detail. Verlet's text traces the stages of Versailles' construction and development, while also providing useful details on the use of the premises and their evolution up until the Revolution. However, since 1985, the date of a seminal symposium devoted entirely to Versailles, work on the subject has multiplied to such an extent that we can now speak of "versaillology".

This new monograph by Alexandre Maral, who has devoted his professional life to Versailles, aims to take up the torch from Pierre Verlet with a twofold expansion: in time, by truly taking into account the period prior to Louis XIV – long neglected, yet fundamental to understanding Versailles – and by covering the period after 1789, up to 2023; in space, by including the estate, the city and the surrounding area. In addition to the wealth of knowledge on the subject that has been gained through numerous studies since 1985, the approach deserved to be renewed and to incorporate reflections on Versailles as a tool of government and a microcosm of civilisation.