Anne of Austria and her Summer Apartments of the Palais du Louvre

Anne d’Autriche was born on September 22, 1601, 425 years ago today. The wife of Louis XIII and the mother of Louis XIV has emblazoned her story into the history books, but it’s a set of rooms within the Louvre that really makes her legacy shine.  

Today’s episode focuses on the suite of rooms within what was once the Palais du Louvre where the queen mother would spend her summer days and was created for her by her son, the Sun King. The ceilings include scenes from mythology, allegories, and biblical stories that were close to the queen mother and selected specifically for her. 

Many of these scenes can be found in art as well as on other ceilings and in decor created under Louis XIV and the Bourbon kings, and once you learn how to spot them, the ceilings come alive for you. 

Join me as we dive into the summer apartments of Anne of Austria within the Palais du Louvre, the only rooms that still retain their original decoration. 

For more visit, ClaudineHemingway.com 

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Bonjour Bonjour and welcome to another new episode of Paris in Blue Blanc Rouge. I'm Claudine Hemingway and today I wanted to share a story about a very historic woman whose birthday was actually today quite a long time ago, four hundred and twenty-five years ago. And of course, I'm talking about Anne of Austria, or Anne Dotrich as she is known. She was born on this day, September 22nd, 1601, 425 years ago today. She was the wife of Louis XIII and the mother of Louis XIV, and has emblazoned her story into the history books, but it's a set of rooms within the Louvre that really makes her legacy shine. Today's episode focuses on the suite of rooms within what was once the Palais de Louvre, where the Queen Mother would spend her summer days created for her by her beloved son, the Sun King. The ceiling includes scenes from mythology, allegories, and even biblical stories that were close to the Queen Mother and selected especially for her. Many of these scenes can be found in art as well as other ceilings and decor created under Louis XIV and the Bourbon Kings. And once you learn how to spot them, the ceilings come alive for you. And many of these you have seen, you know, in paintings and in other places. And it's kind of, you know, I love this because the more that I learn about these things, the more that I just fall in love with and could even know, like going into a church or going into a place and looking at a ceiling and being like, oh wait, isn't that so-and-so? And I know the story. So I just like to share it with you because maybe and hopefully some of you feel the same way. But there's so many great ones out there. And you know, with doing the research I did on this, I did this over months, probably like five or six months. And even it started it years ago and then returned to it. The when it comes to these buildings, especially when you have the Louvre, you have Notre Dame, you have some of these things that are like, I mean, everybody knows what the Louvre is, and everybody, especially since the fire, knows what Notre Dame is, but there is not like just one source of information that is like, okay, here's the ceiling. Here's who did every bit of the ceiling, here's what everything on the ceiling means. There is just no such thing. So I guess that's what gives me life and purpose because I am a dog with a bone trying to find this information. And that makes it another great thing that when you do start to realize, you know, what how to spot some of these things that are mythological or allegorical, then you start to know pretty quickly, like, hey, I know who that is. And I, it just makes me happy. So I could share it all with you. And then of course, you know, because there's a lot of stuff I'm gonna tell you that's you know very visual, but make sure to go to my website to claudinehemingway.com. And also I'll put a link on there to my YouTube channel because I went into these rooms a year ago and recorded every single detail because these rooms are closed to the public and they will be for another couple of years, sadly. But you could go to my YouTube and see a video of every detail of it. So let's get in there. So but before the Louvre has one of the most significant art collections in the world, it was home to the kings and queens of France. In 1528, Francois Premier began the palace we see today, removing the former fortress and palace. His son Henry II continued his vision, and Henry IV marked the start of the Grand Louvre project, which would still be respected by Napoleon III in 1857. Then there was a modernization of Francois Mitterin announced on September 24th, 1981, that would bring the pyramid to fruition. When you think about the palaces of the kings of France, golden opulence comes to mind, and we could trace that back to the Sun King Louis XIV. Foremost, the Chateau de Versailles comes to mind when thinking about the endless gilded halls, but one comes first and even inspired Versailles, and that's the Palais de Louvre. Anne of Austria, the infanta of Spain, and the eldest daughter of King Philippe II of Spain and Marguerite d'Altriche, a branch of the House of Habsburg, was raised in a very religious chateau. At eleven years old she was betrothed to Louis XIII, and the two married when she was fourteen. Their wedding night included his mother, Marie de Medici, standing over the bed waiting for them to consummate the wedding, but it wouldn't happen for quite some time. Miscarriages and stillbirths followed and drew Anne to the church. In 1634, she commissioned the building of the Val de Grasse Abbey and a church dedicated to the Virgin. Then with a prayer, she finally gave birth to an heir to the throne. On September 5th, 1638, Louis XIV, after a rather stormy night in Paris in December 1637, was born. However, some historians argue that the true father could be Cardinal Mazarin. You should listen to the Vow of Louis XIII episode, and I'll put a link on my website. Since 1547, the king and queen's apartments shifted a few times within the Louvre, and Louis XIV and his mother and Dotriche preferred the more modern Palais Cardinal across the street, today's Palais Royal. On October 13th, 1653, Louis XIV ordered the construction of the apartments for the holding of the council in the Louvre in the new Le Mercier wing by the Pavillon d'Horloge, and the need to create rooms for his mother, Anne d'Autriche. Ever the devoted son and original French mama's boy, Louis was happy to do anything for her. The Louvre had been abandoned for nine years and desperately needed restoration. The king's architect Louis Levaux was tasked with the project, with Louis XIV having complete design control. The Queen Mother's winter apartments were on the ground level of the Soule Wing where you will find the Venus de Milo today, but lacked any cooling air in the hot summer months. So, as one does, a new suite of rooms specifically for the summer months was created just a few steps away and below the petite gallery. With a window and a balcony looking out to the Seine, a room that opens onto the garden on one side and a courtyard on the other. It was perfect for the long hot summer days. Over the next four years, Louis Laveau worked closely with artist Francesco Romanelli and sculptor Michel Agnier for every aspect of the ceiling of Anne d'Autriche. Romanelli, a student of Pierre de Coton in Italy, arrived in Paris after Pope Urban VIII recommended him to Cardinal Mazarin to paint the ceilings of his palace. Impressed by his work, which still could be seen in the nearby Bibliothèque Nationale, Mazarin recommended Romanelli to the king. Sculptor Michel Anguill and his brother Francois studied in Rome and created funerary monuments for the titled and elite. Michel's success at Nicolas Fouquet's Vaux-Vicomp led him to Anne of Austria's Val de Grasse, which would give him the advantage of being selected for the rooms of the Louvre. The two artists seemingly blended each room's stories and expressed the Queen Mother's vision and qualities. The suite of rooms today begins at the Rotunde, which once served as the entrance to the Musee Central des Arts, the first name of the Louvre, in 1793. The decor of the ceiling came 70 years after Anne's death, but the theme still follows that of her apartments. The center of the ceiling is crowned by the painting of man formed by Prometheus animated by Minerva, and it was first completed by Jean Simon Batalame in 1801. The goddess of wisdom Minerva holds an olive branch, spear, and shield above Prometheus, draped in red fabric, keeping the fire he had taken from Jupiter. Below him is the first human reaching up towards the sky. To the right of time, always depicted as an older gentleman with wings, is pulling away from man, the snake that bites his tail, the symbol of eternity, knowing that man would, in the end, end them all. Above time are allegories of the three yards, painting, sculpture, and architecture, each holding its respective tool. On the left side of the painting are the three fates or parks. The three sisters and daughters of Zeus and Era can measure the span of life. Depict with a gold thread, Clot, the oldest sister, unrolls a thread. La Cassis pulls the length of the thread, and Atropeau holds the scissors to cut the thread while she looks at the human. In 1825, water damage from the upper floor severely damaged the ceiling. The original artist Barthelemy passed away in 1811, and Jean-Patiste Moset was asked to replicate the entire piece. By 1826, Moset had completed the full recreation in the style and details of the original. The stucco reliefs created by Jean-Francois Lourdes surround the central painting on four corners. They nod slightly at to the Saud des Antiques entrance, which Napoleon placed in these rooms in 1800. Each focuses on the notable piece by an artist representing one of the four countries. On the upper left of the painting, we begin with France and Pierre Pouget's Milon de Corton, which can also be found on the Corps Pouge. Below France, in the lower left corner, is Italy, represented by Michelange and his statue of Moses created for the tomb of Pope Julius II. On the upper right, Egypt is captured by the Colossi of Mamon, a quartzite sandstone dating to 1350 BC. And finally, just below is Greece with the Apollo Belvedere, which briefly lived in these rooms after Napoleon Bonaparte took the statue from the Vatican in 1796 and it lived in the Louvre until 1815. On the north side, over the former entrance is the genie of art and the union of three arts on the south. Let's step into the first room, the salon, which served as the entrance to the apartments. The decor dates back to the start of the 19th century. The center of the ceiling by Charles Manier is the land receiving from Emperor Hendrian and Justinian the code of Roman laws dictated by nature, justice, and wisdom. Quite the mouthful. In the lower left, the Roman emperors Andrien and Justinian hand a tablet to the allegory of the earth surrounded by a lion and a cornucopia with the earth's bounty. The allegories of Rome dominate the center with a spear and globe, topped with a winged victory, next to a shield of Rome and two putis. On the left side is a genius with a torch lighting up nature with a few extra breasts. At the top we find Minerva again with a sword and Tamise, the goddess of justice, with scales, the two principles of Roman law. Painted into the ceiling in 1802 and 1803, it along with the rest of the ceilings in these rooms was fully restored in 2023, although a rather large crack is spotted across the top of the painting. Below the painting are trompois cameos by Victor Francois Bienori, who was commissioned in 1865 and asked to create a few others in the suite of rooms and the Grand Salon of the Apartement Napoleon Tois. Two more minor cameos representing science and study are on either side of the painting. Each painted to appear as a fine agate cameo, the top trompe in the cornease represents France, Rome, and Greece, each holding a few fantastic little treasures. On the east side, the Allegoria Greece is in the center, with a statue of Zeus at Olympia by Phidias in front of the Acropolis and on the right of the allegory, the Parthenon. On the south side above the entrance to the apartments, the Allegory of Rome has her back turned with sculpting tools in hand. The Titus Arch, the Pyramidus Cestius, and the Roman form can be seen in the lower right. Of course, saving the best for last on the west side is the Allegory of France, which holds the monument to Henri Deu, created by Germain Pilon, and can also be found in the Louvre. At the top are two initials. F of Francois Primier was surrounded by the Order of Saint Michael, and the N of Napoleon III with the Order of the Legion d'Honard. Below geniuses inscribe the top French sculptors, Goujon, Pilon, Cousin, and Pouge on a tablet. On either edge of the cameo are the roofs of the Louvre and the Palais de Tuileries. These rooms are closed off as they begin the construction on a new area dedicated to the Byzantine art that should be finished sometime in 2028. The rotunda open and you can still see the ceilings of the first room over the temporary wall. For the rest of the ceilings, be sure to check out my website as well as the YouTube, where I have the complete video of the space. The second room, the Salle de Saison, could be one of the most important ceilings in all of France. It served as a grand antechamber where people would wait to see the Queen's mother. Romanelli incorporated the idea into the ceiling. In the center of the ceiling, Romanelli painted Diane, goddess of the moon, and her brother, Apollo, god of the sun, and the children of Zeus. Stories of the gods can be found in the center above each wall. On the west wall, Dianne has arrived and comes across a handsome sleeping and Mion. Dianne touches him and wakes him up from what he thought was a dream. He was immortal and was an astronomer and the first human to see the moon. It was love at first sight for Dianne, who asked Zeus to give him eternal life. Zeus in turn gave him eternal sleep, but Diane would visit him every month, and on that night the moon disappeared from the sky. Above the South Cornice, Diane is surprised by Action in her bath. The mortal hunter Action finds the huntress bathing in a spring. In a rage, she splashes him with water and causes him to turn into a stag. Romanelli paints a scene with the antlers just beginning to grow from his head. The east and north cornices are dedicated to the life of Apollo. On the east, Apollo challenges Marcia as an expert in the olos, a double reed instrument. His challenge to a contest by the god of music, Apollo. Marcias plays first and the crowd erupts and dance. Apollo then plays his lyre and the crowd is moved to tears. The contest continues and Marcia loses and chooses death by being skinned alive. Mythology is filled with a few horrible scenes. On the north cornice, Apollo is crowning one of the muses of Zeus, although the first one in the lower center of the painting is seen holding a canvas and paintbrushes. Of the nine muses and daughters of Zeus, dedicated to poetry, tragedy, dance, and even astronomy, there isn't a muse for the arts. Romanelli decided to add his little touch and I love it. Although Kira from Xanadu is by far the greatest of all muses. The paintings for each of the seasons begin in the southwest corner with spring and ending in the northwest corner with winter. Dancing fonts surround the paintings on the east and west walls and carotides on the north and south. On either side of the center painting of Apollo and Diane are two reliefs in fresco painted to look like bronze and reflect the theme of time. To the north, two genies of time, one holding an hourglass and one o'clock represents the time of the day, and on the south a genie holding a ribbon of the zodiac signs representing the year. The importance of this room in the history of the decor of the palaces of Louis XIV and beyond is not one to take lightly. The ceiling inspired Charles LeBron in 1662 when it was time to rebuild the petite gallery just above the apartments. We now know that as the Gallery de Palin. When Louis XIV abruptly left Paris and focused on the small hunting lodge in the forest of Versailles and a vision of grandeur for his future home, he whispered to Charles LeBron and said, Hey, remember what you did in the Louvre in the Gallery de Palon? Well let's do that here. Today you can see how that first small antechamber inspired the Gallery de Glaces at the Chateau de Versailles. The golden medallions on the wall also represent on the southwest Earth, but it has Sibelle seated on her lion, the southeast side fire with Vulcan forging lightning, the northeast air is Juno and a peacock, and the northwest side water with Neptune and a seahorse. The next room in the series of the summer apartments is dedicated to the Pay de Pyrenees. The Vestibule de Pay marks the ending of the Franco-Spanish War that began in 1635 with the signing of the treaty on November 7, 1659, which included the marriage of her son Louis XIV. Of the 124 articles, number 105 through 124, were dedicated to the joining of France and Spain through the marriage of Louis XIV with the Infanta of Spain, Mary Therese of Austria, daughter of Philippe IV and niece of Anne of Austria, making her a double first cousin to the king, Se Normal, as they say. The idea made its way onto the ceiling of the vestibule, which opens onto the Queen's garden, which would later be named after another young princess. The center of the ceiling features Romanelli's allegory of the Pyrenees, also known as the Peace and the Fruit of War. In the center, three Roman gods represent the ideals of peace. Mars on the left with a spear behind him and wearing a helmet topped with a dragon as the god of war and warriors holds one side of the banner that reads the fruits of victory. In the center, Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, has an olive branch, although that was not her original offering. Romanelli originally painted her holding a lily, symbolizing the Bourbon family. During the revolution, it was decreed to remove all reminders of the monarchy, including the fleur de leaves and the elements of the Louvre, were not exempt, and every lily they could find was repainted or chiseled away. On the right, holding the other end of the banner, is Mercury, the messenger god. He has his caduces in the other hand while wearing his signature wing sandals and helmet. Above the trio of guards are three genies holding a Bourbon crown which survived the revolution. The theme of peace continues in the paintings in the north and south cornices. On the north side, the goddess of abundance rests on her cornucopia and distributes the earth's bounty. She looks towards the sea and Neptune, representing the maritime trade, holding his trident in his chariot pulled by seahorses. On the south cornice, peace sets fire to a pile of armor and weapons and holds an olive branch in her other hand. Behind her is the allegory of history inscribing of the war of peace, while soldiers are held captive next to her. On either side of the paintings are four stucco allegories by Michel Aguier, representing the great rivers of France. These ones were really cool. Looking towards the north on the left, the Loire, with his long beard and oar with grapevines over his head, represents the region's excellent wine. On the right, the Garonne of the southwest of France with pears and grapes beside it as shown. On the south side, looking to the right is the Rhone, which sits on a line representing the city of Lyon and a cornucopia of fruit above. On the left, the easiest of the four to spot is the Seine, holding a boat representing Paris and an apple tree for Normandy. On the east and west sides are Anguiere's angels holding a seal with the Fleur de Lease recreated after the Revolution. Under Napoleon in 1799, the Anne of Austria rooms were added to the Musee Napoleon to hold many items he quote unquote picked up on his travels. Check out that episode for more. A few of the apartment walls and doors were removed, making a lovely vista to the back end of the suites of rooms where the Lacon statue was taken from the Vatican. The opening of the rooms allowed the addition of eight very special columns. At the same time, Napoleon had lofty ideas about aligning himself with the great Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne, who died in eight fourteen. In 1798, on a visit to the Acreon Cathedral in Germany, where the first Holy Roman Emperor was buried. Napoleon took a few of these marble columns with him to the upper gallery. The forty columns Charlemagne had initially taken from the Eglise Saint Geron in Cologne would then make their way to Paris and into the Louvre. In 1815, after the fall of Napoleon, most of them were returned except to the eight that you could see in the Vestibule of Peace. The fourth room was the Queen's Grand Cabinet and the first of two rooms that were her private oasis. Romanelli and Anguier continue their vision of the ceilings which features the ancient stories of Rome. In the center, poetry and history celebrate the exploits of Rome. You may now recognize a few figures from the earlier ceilings in the center. History sits on the left and holds a book on her lap while looking towards time in the lower part of the painting. In the center of the grouping, an allegory of Rome has the orb of the world, while poetry looks up at her. Fame with her trumpet is ready to announce Rome's greatness. Finally, Rome was being crowned by the genius of glory. The beautiful blue skies surrounding the ceiling give it a lightness that ties in all the stories below. Four paintings within the cornice give us a deeper look into Roman history. Standing on the west side, the abduction of the Sabines tells the story of a scene from the 8th century BC in Rome. Romulus was worried that the population of Rome was stalled and decided they needed more women. Visiting the nearby town, the Roman soldiers pleaded with the leaders for the women to be allowed to marry them, but every city turned down their offer. So what did the Romans do? They threw a party dedicated to Neptune and invited all the local townspeople. Romulus was given a signal, and at that moment his soldiers knew to grab all the Sabine women. A popular theme told through paintings and sculptures and often titled The Rape of the Sabines, which means kidnapping, not assault. Jacques-Louis David depicts a scene and held upstairs alongside the coronation of Napoleon and might be the most famous. On the east wall, the continents of Scipio occurred in the third century BC during Scipio's campaign in Spain during the Second Punic War. Scipio Africanus, a powerful Roman general, also had away with the ladies and often had them delivered to him. Scipio refused to accept a ransom for a young female prisoner when he learned that she was already engaged to another man. He immediately summoned her fiance and her parents and happily returned her to them. Romanelli shows the young woman in blue behind Scipio with her father and fiance kneeling in appreciation for her relief. The north and south painted are more miniature, but just as impactful. In the north, we see the former politician Lucius Cincinnatius leaning on his shovel. Serving from 460 BC, he decides to retire and live out his life on his farm. Two senators visited him one day, brought his robe, and asked him to return to leave the state. He agreed, returned, and quickly defeated the enemy in 16 days. He then stepped down and returned to his farm. Above the south wall meeting. Musius Scavola places his hand on the fire before the Etruscan king. In a tale from the sixth century BC, the young Musius snuck into a camp to kill Porcina, the king of the Etruscans. He came across two men dressed the same, and he chose the wrong one and destroyed the scribe. Captured, he declared he was a Roman man, unafraid of anything, and placed his hand in the fire. Amazed by his bravery, he was released. Onguer's stucco sculptures of warriors and young women hold up medallions in each corner, representing more episodes of Roman history, including the innocence of the Vestal Tuccia, the devotion of Curtius, throwing himself into the Shassa for salvation of the Romans and Romulus and Remus. The final room of Anna Austria's summer apartment suite originally consisted of two rooms, the private grand chambre, reserved for the Queen Mother, including a small room called the Petite Cabinet Surlo on the southern side of the room. In this small room, the Queen Mother stored her jewelry and had a small sitting area leading to her private view over the Seine. The ceiling designed by Romanelli Anguera was the most personal to the Queen and dedicated to her virtues. Anne was very religious and devout, and each painting reflects that. Starting in the center is the painting Religion and Theological Virtues. The three theological virtues sit at the bottom looking up at religion. Faith is holding a cross from left to right, and the elements of the Eucharist, bread and wine are in her right hand. In the center, charity is seen breastfeeding a child, and on the right, Esperance or Hope with an anchor of the soul. Theological virtues were also Anne's virtues, which she held close to her and reminded of each morning when she opened her eyes. Like the first room, Beonorie's agate cameos are seen again in the profane history on the north side and sacred history on the south. Romanelli had ten other paintings on the ceiling dating from 1625 to 1650 over the north door. Judith and Olafran from the Book of Judith depicts the story of the young widow Judith who goes to the Assyrian king to gain his trust. Although she was angry, they did little to protect the people from foreign armies. One night she enters a tent of a drunken king and chops his head off. Romanelli depicts the moment just before she chops a head off. It's best not to wake up every morning to a scene of beheading. Above the south wall, Romanelli's Esther and Osiris is the story of a beautiful young Jewish woman sent to marry this Persian king, hiding her faith until she learned that the minister Homan was ordering the death of the Jews. Begging him to stop the order, her husband has the minister killed, and because of Esther's bravery, she convinces the king to allow the Jews the right to defend themselves and fight back. Romanelli painted the northern and central semicircles and small round paintings on the east and west walls. Each painting represents more of the queen's virtues, and a few are also the cardinal virtues. Temperance holds back a lion on the eastern wall while peace as war rests on an olive tree. In the center, justice has a stack of books, including a codex, and abundance has her overflowing cornucopia just below. On the western wall, prudence holds a snake representing caution and prevoyance or foresight holds a mirror. In the center, Contenance is frightened by the young cupid, while virtue holding a lily and a stick chases him off. Considering it took Anne twenty three years to get pregnant, I feel that the last one really rings true for her. Above each are smaller brown paintings of the geniuses, which are small children with wings, often mistaken for cupids. These geniuses are used in art to represent a divine nature and characteristic. The six paintings represent more of the queen's virtues. On the eastern side of the ceiling, there's the geniuses of glory with two laurel wreaths, in the northeast, justice with his scales in the center, and closest to the Seine, the geniuses of immortality. On the western side are the geniuses of water pouring water from a ewer, the geniuses of time and a compass, an hourglass in the center, and the genius of engineering to the south. Jean Armand Raymond, architect of the Louvre, removed the wall of the Petit Cabinet Sur de l'eau without harming any frescoes. He was permitted to move the Romanelli of Esther and Assarus at ten AM on october twenty eighth, seventeen ninety eight. The stecos of Michel Augier and ornaments of Pietro Vsasso were removed where the wall once stood. Anne of Austria died on january twentieth, sixteen sixty six, leaving her beloved son a bit lost. Louis XIV celebrated his fortieth birthday on september fifth, sixteen seventy eight by kissing the Louvre goodbye and heading to the small chateau de Versailles, and we all know what came next. While the Louvre was now suddenly emptied, the Sun King allowed the Academies of Letters, Art, Science, and more to move into the beautifully decorated rooms where the king and court once slept. But at first it was hands off his mama's room. Louis XIV finally eased his grip on his mother's room in 1712 when he allowed the Academy of Paintings to move in. The Academy that was under the control of Louis XIV and Charles LeBron and his other artists was a coveted group to be a part of. If artists were accepted, they could get coveted commissions for the royal palaces, chateaus, and churches, including the May paintings hanging in Notre Dame. On july 30, 1712, artist Anton Voitaux walked into the office under the ceiling that was once the bedroom of Anne d'Autriche. He was invited to create a piece that would then be judged by a committee and they would decide if he would be given the title of the Royal Academy. Artists were given a brief period of time to complete their painting or sculpture, and then they also had to create it within the walls of the academy. Two years went by, then another, and in 1750 he was given a new and much needed shorter deadline of six months. That one also passed, and by 1717 he finally created his submission under the ceiling of Romanelli, the embarkment pour Citra, his stunning depiction of the Vergalon gathering on the island where Venus was born. Years later, in March 1721, six years after the death of Louis XIV, the regent planned a double marriage that would seal the deal of peace with Spain. Third time's a charm. Louis Elizabeth Orleans, a daughter of the regent, and the Infanta Marie Anne Victoire with 11-year-old Louis XV. The infanta was four years old. The exchange took place in 1722, and she decided to move into the rooms of Anne of Austria. Her arrival was slated for March, and a massive update began quickly on these rooms. The Saude's emperor was then changed into a chapel, woodwork and plaster sculptures by Claude Andrian and gilding by Paul Chiron. The two met in the Bourges La Rien, nine kilometers south of Paris, and then to the Louvre on March 2, 1722. The streets were lined with thousands of people. Her first week involved visits from the other members of the royal family, foreign ministers, and parliament. The second week included a ball at the Hotel de Ville, opera and Titium at the Notre Dame du Paris. On June 15, 1722, Louis XV and his court moved to Versailles because the cost of guards and staff in the Louvre for the princess was too high. On March 11, 1725, it was decided to return her to Spain and call off the marriage. She left Versailles on April 5th, 1725, at seven years old. Little remains regarding the young princess, but the garden which is anything but just outside the Anne of Austria rooms is named in homage to her, Le Jardin L'Enfant. Today is a staging area for the massive construction that has been far from a garden for many, many years. The apartments would never be lived in again and would be returned to the academies. The Salle des Saisons was used by citizens Jean Joseph and Eugene Sue, father and son, who were also surgeons and taught anatomy to the artists living in the Louvre and members of the Royal Academy before it was dissolved on August 8, 1793. Even the Borse, which is a sock exchange, moved in for a few months. During the Revolution, the lavish decor was now out of favor. The walls of the apartments were stripped of their decoration and only the ceiling remains. Royal monikers and paintings of the kings and queens were removed and the runes were given over to Le Musee des Antiques, which was then moved from the Salle de Carietite under Louis XV. When the Musee Central des Arts was inaugurated in August 10, 1793, for a very short period of time it held paintings, including Rubin's Medici cycle. A few months later, on November 23rd, 1793, it was decided that the runes would hold bronze and metal statues. When Napoleon began to send back his looted bounty, the statuary was delivered to the garden where structures were added to protect and display pieces that the public was allowed to walk among. Since then, the runes have been dedicated to the statuary of Roman antiquity, but they have not been on display since 2019. It'll be a few more years before they return to view. Until then, check out my YouTube channel, the video walkthrough of the rooms and all the descriptions of the decor and ClaudineHemingway.com for photos and links. And if you're coming to Paris, make sure to book a walking tour of the streets of Paris and to follow my YouTube channel as I'm going to go back to doing some deep dive history walking videos of the streets of Paris. So it is also tomorrow. Well, today is the first day of autumn. And in Paris, it is tomorrow. And I'm really excited because I am going to go to Saint-Se-Peace again and hopefully see the really cool thing that happens on the first day of each of the seasons. And I will tell you more about that next week. But if you're hearing this now, make sure to go and check out my Instagram and we'll see if I actually if it actually works tomorrow. It's supposed to be sunny, no rain. Hopefully, there's no funeral or anything else happening in the church, and we'll be able to get to see this. So make sure you follow along on my Instagram, Cutting Boublon Rouge, and everywhere else. And I will see you next week.