Versailles reopens room that saw birth of French democracy
The Palace of Versailles has reopened the freshly restored Jeu de Paume Room that witnessed the first steps towards French democracy in 1789. Used as a storeroom, a games room and a long since-abandoned museum about the Revolution, the building has finally been given the makeover it deserves to bring a forgotten piece of history back into the limelight.
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Just a few metres away from the Chateau de Versailles stands the room made in 1686 for Louis XIV to play Jeu de Paume – also known as "real tennis", an early version of the modern game.
More than a century later, it became the unlikely venue for a key moment of the French Revolution.
On 20 June, 1789, a group of people's representatives, who were demanding reforms from the monarchy, found their entry blocked to the hall of deputies in the palace and looked around for an alternative meeting place.
They ended up signing the "Oath of the Real Tennis Room", vowing to establish a written democratic constitution.
A text was read out by the astronomer Bailly, the president of the newly formed assembly. Those gathered echoed his words with the following statement:
"We swear to be loyal to our National Assembly and promise to gather wherever and whenever necessary, until the constitution of this kingdom is established upon solid foundations."
This solemn vow led to the formation of the National Constituent Assembly, which soon after abolished feudalism and approved the Declaration of the Rights of Man.
Forgotten part of history
Over the years, the hall had several uses. It became a storeroom and painters' studio after the revolution, before being restored to its status as a royal playground in the 1840s.
Following yet more political upheaval, it hosted the Museum of the French Revolution from the 1880s before falling back into disrepair for many decades.
The room reopened on Friday this week after eight months of work, giving the public "a forgotten part of our history," Catherine Pegard, president of the palace's public administration, told AFP.
It is dominated by a monumental canvas, also restored, which was based on the famous unfinished work by Jacques-Louis David depicting the signing of the oath.
Bailly features prominently at the centre of the painting, his hand raised in the air.
It was in 1883, under the auspices of Jules Ferry that Luc-Olivier Merson was commissioned to finish the large mural measuring around 7 metres wide and 10 metres high.
He was guided by the precise drawings prepared by David that were stored at Le Louvre museum since 1836.
Bringing history back to life
Pierre Bortolussi, chief architect for historical monuments in charge of the restoration of the Jeu de Paume room, followed the original documents concerning the building dating back to 1883.
The months of restoration took into account the roof, the woodwork, painted decor and sculptures inside the hall.
The works were financed in part by past and present parliamentarians, and private sponsors. It also benefited from a state investments scheme known as "Relance France".
"This restoration shows that Versailles doesn't just stop in 1789," Pegard told Le Journal du Dimanche. "The castle has continued to live and be present in our country's history books, with Napoléon, Louis-Philippe, who installed the galeries on the second floor, or General de Gaulle at the Trianon," she adds.
"The Jeu de Paume is the first of these pages. That's where it all began for the parliamentarians. It was about time we brought it back to life."
The Versailles Palace is also reopening rooms used by the royal heirs in the 1700s, fully restored to their original design.
This includes the library of the dauphin, son of Louis XV, within his private chambers, now open to the public.
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