The palace at Versailles is astounding! The design is very ornate and the palace itself is grand. Louis the 14th made it his goal to make Versailles the center of Paris. After walking the grounds, I realized that he left a legacy. From the many apartments built for visitors, the king’s royal chambers, to the gardens, luxury is exhibited from all of them.
After learning the history of Versailles, it was difficult to see the palace as something truly beautiful. We learned that in the palace there was lots of perversion and immoral acts. For example, most of the kings had mistresses. We as Christians understand the sacredness of marriage and view this act as immoral.
Marie Antoinette’s estate is very different from the palace. Antoinette’s estate feels “homier” than the palace. There is a sense of intimacy and life. The palace at Versailles does not feel as natural and inviting as Antionette’s estate. I personally enjoyed Marie Antionette’s estate just as much as the palace.
As we know, the Bible says that “man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” We learned that there was a lot of sinful activity that happened at Versailles. Even though the palace is beautiful, it carries a story of empty glory. Man’s glory is worthless. Instead, man should always strive to glorify God in all that he does.
Overall, I enjoyed Versailles. I enjoyed hearing the history behind it, but also felt sad knowing that all the efforts before were selfish and in vain.