When Louis XVIII ascended the throne of his Bourbon ancestors after the
extinction of Napoleon's Star of Hope, he conceived a new plan "to put
the chateau of Versailles in a habitable state." During the next six
years (1814-1820) the King restored the Hall of Mirrors and all that
was especially associated with Louis XIV. He finished the facade on
the Paris side, begun by Gabriel under Louis XV, and built a pavilion
corresponding to the one designed and erected by this same architect.
He did away with a maze of small apartments, cleaned and simplified the
interior, restored painted ceilings and gilt embellishments, and with
great care put in order the entire palace and its surroundings. The
chapel was repaired and blessed anew by the Bishop of Strassbourg.
Many State visitors came to see Versailles, even in the days when it
was shorn of its glory. Pope Pius VII was there in 1805. From the
balcony outside the Gallery of Mirrors he bestowed his benediction upon
a crowd that stood below on the terraces. Two days later the Salon of
Hercules was the scene of a ball in celebration of the coronation of
the first Emperor of France. In May, 1814, Czar Alexander I of Russia
visited Versailles with his two brothers, following the example of
Peter the Great, who had been there when Louis XV was on the throne.
Another historic cortege was composed of Frederick William III of
Prussia and his two sons, one of whom, Prince William, was to return to
Versailles in the year 1870 on a mission less peaceful.
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