Versailles - Part 04 | The Story of the Palace

Just outside Paris, on more than 660 hectares, lies the most popular area of France. The one that beheld Louis XIV, Marie Antoinette and Napoleon. The Palace of Versailles. Its large waterfalls, Orange Grove and Trianon. The Royal Opera Hall, the Hall of Mirrors and the Royal Chapel. These famous names have made French hearts flutter, along with enthusiasts from around the world, for nearly 400 years. However, this is not a place stuck in history. It's not just a museum. Other important names include a thousand employees who work here every day. They are curators, gardeners, painters, movers. Photographers, musicians, construction workers. Clockmakers and technicians. For the very first time, they agreed to reveal behind the scenes of their daily lives, the master's secrets. For several months, these guardians of the visitors' enjoyment displayed their passion for the Palace of Versailles. All share a compelling desire to bring these walls and gardens to life. They know these locations inside and out. And together, we will uncover the secrets of a place not many people have had the privilege to access for nearly 400 years. The Versailles Estate is considered one of the jewels of French national heritage. The entire world knows these gardens and these buildings. However, very few people know about its heritage of sound. The waters of the pools, the melodies from the thickets, the creaking of locks or floors, the clockwork mechanisms. The Palace of Versailles has a unique sonic heritage in the world. Thomas, one of the Palace's photographers, is in charge of this particular heritage. For the past three years, Thomas has invited artists to compose music based on these sounds. Today, together with the electro-pop music composer Fekir, Thomas is taking a walk around the Palace's halls to discover its unique sounds. The soundbox, which is the ceiling, sends the sound back to us. It repeats itself very quickly because the sound is like this. And it's not reverberated anywhere else in the room. We have a link, a kind of direct link. And in fact, as we walk, the closer we get to the center, the more we hear the echo. And so it goes... Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta. It feels like a helicopter is passing by. Oh, I'm not recording. Here, cool. Great. After the sounds of echoes and the wooden floors, Thomas is taking Fekir to listen to the clocks of the Palace, starting with the room where, in the 18th century, clocks were strictly forbidden. Louis XVI's games room. At first, there were no clocks because they wanted people to come here to play and lose track of time. Like, they wouldn't open the shutters or anything like that. It's a bit like the Royal Casino of the time. Yeah. Lesley, one of the Palace's clockmakers, is going to run the room's clock. This clock sound has struck a chord in Fekir's ears. He's hungry for more. Fekir does not miss a single sound presented by the clockmaker. He records everything to create music specifically linked to Versailles. On Mondays, generally, the Palace is closed to the public. The discovery continues. Clocks, wooden floors, and the chandeliers of the Hall of Mirrors all are part of the sonic heritage. Lesley is showing Fekir a new clock, an 18th-century technological gem. The five other weights, which we don't usually use, allow us to play automata. Because normally, with this pendulum, you have a whole automaton show going on. I change plates, so I change weights. Thomas continues on his sonic tour of Versailles with Fekir. In a few weeks' time, the music composer will come back again to shoot his music video. Thomas is going to suggest a route for this shoot, which will go through the secret chambers and also the world-famous locations such as the Royal Chapel. This was the last structure requested by Louis XIV. After three centuries of existence, the Royal Chapel has been entirely restored. 150 craftsmen worked daily for nearly four years during this restoration. Their mastermind, Stéphane Massy, is the site's supervisor. Today is the last day of construction. The last of the scaffolding has been removed. Stéphane can therefore go up to the timber framework, the roof of the chapel. The restoration of the roof and windows did not encounter any specific problems. Inside the wood framework, where Stéphane is leading us into, the story was not the same. The roof of the chapel was in great danger. The woodwork spreads over 320 square metres above the archway, which loosely translates to 48 tonnes of raw oak beams. However, this is not the most extraordinary part. You only have to turn your head to realise this. In the 18th century, the construction of the scaffolding was done by naval craftsmen. In particular, the Royal Chapel's scaffolding was designed and manufactured by maritime companion masters. This is why the image is so striking. We are in a boat. By walking around the inverted deck of this ship, there are distinctive signs on each piece of the framework. Each wooden element was originally marked. In the 18th century, the craftsmen would assemble the beams at the top of the chapel, and like a construction game, would then assemble the pieces altogether using these signs. For over three centuries, these beams have not been moved. While inspecting their condition, Stéphane made a terrifying discovery. The lower ends of the beams that support the entire wooden framework were under the threat of collapse. When we removed the roof, the ardoises and the vaulting, we dismantled the chennau stones. The chennau stones are the gutter of the cherponte. The exterior was completely rotten by the humidity. So 90% of it was rotten. So it was a huge surprise. Fortunately, the cherponte was in very poor condition. We are very happy to have undertaken this restoration. During these four years of restoration, it was also necessary to consider fire safety measures. The fire that engulfed the Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris in 2019 played a part in ensuring that this concern is addressed. It is for that reason that these passages were constructed during the restoration process to facilitate easy movement of firefighters should there be a fire. There was an additional concern here of being bombed during the period between two wars. Proof can be seen with this slab that protects the ceiling of the Royal Chapel. We see that it is concrete. Of course, the concrete was not used in the 18th century. In 1927, there was a certain tension with Germany. It was decided that the Royal Chapel was part of an extremely prestigious building that had to be protected. So we invented this double hull to protect it from future leaks and bombings. It is about 50 cm above its historical height. Today, nobody is aware that this arch is shielded. Even Stéphane made that discovery in the course of the construction work. The presence of these small openings on top of the concrete slab are hollowed out to allow the passage of chandeliers to light the chapel. Stéphane will be revealing to us another one of the Royal Chapel's secrets. In order to see it, you will need to climb higher up. Ah! A surveillance system was established. 24 hours a day, the sky was monitored by the Germans to prevent an Allied attack. We are on the highest point of Versailles, exactly at 46 metres. I invite you to see the exceptional panorama we have from this point of view. As I have worked on this project on a daily basis, I will always have it in my head until the end of my professional life, even beyond that, I think. The Royal Chapel was one of the king's favourite places in Versailles. Just like the Orange Grove, which was the pride of many kings. On the southern part of the palace, Eric is busy with some activities. Winter is approaching. The supervisor of the Orange Grove and his team have to relocate the 1,500 orange trees, otherwise known as the subjects, inside the buildings. The process is known as the return of the subjects. This event has happened each year in the month of November for more than 350 years. But the problem is space. Outside, the 1,500 crates occupy 5,300 square metres, but they have to fit in here in 4,000 square metres. So where will the extra 1,000 square metres come from? With some organising and using a rope. What we need is a pickaxe, a decameter, plaster, a tracer, a few hammer blows and we're off. Each crate will be placed within exactly a centimetre. Eric is drawing lines along which the trees will be placed. I'll take my tracer. It's very old, but it traces well. We're obsessed with our straight lines, so each space, each square metre will be used. The orange trees are not the first ones to move into the warmth. Eric always starts by bringing in the big trees first, like the pomegranate tree or the palm trees. They are the most distant subjects. Eric is going to fetch one of the biggest trees in the orange grove using a custom-made trailer. This exercise has taken place every year since 1663. Obviously, the equipment was different. These big trees are very heavy. The gate is a little bit narrow, but this tree will easily enter into the orange grove, but that will not be the case for all of them. Sometimes, the six-metre height of the doors is not enough. The ballet of the big trees continues with the palm trees, from the biggest ones to the strangest. The big, tall ones at the back are already taking up a lot of space. Things are about to speed up for the gardeners. Except that there is less space than outside. A very detailed organisation is being put in place. One of the gardeners is calling in the trees according to crate size. This way, the orange trees are gradually arranged on the lines drawn by Eric. These movements continue for several days or even several weeks if the weather is not good enough. Today, Eric is content. Soon, all 1,500 subjects will have been brought inside, ready to spend winter away from the cold. But not privileged visitors like the electropop artist Fekir, who will be coming here to shoot a few scenes for his new videoclip. A few weeks ago, the music composer came to record the sounds of the palace, especially those of the clocks, to make a new record. Mission accomplished. The videoclip will be shot today. Thomas, who is in charge of the musical White Cards, is the mastermind of this project. He'll be joining Fekir's team by the water fountains in the garden. Thomas is actually one of the official Versailles photographers. He knows all the most unusual places and was able to advise the music composer in the shooting of the video. Wait, I'll take a picture. I dream of skateboarding here. But to shoot clips with the intention of showing the place in an artistic way, it's the first time that we've really done that. But that's really the goal of this kind of project, to show the palace in a different way. After the basement, Thomas leads them to a mythical location that the entire world knows of. The entire production team has come to the Orange Grove with its 1,500 trees. They've all entered the 12-metre-high building. Theo, also known as Fekir, and his team make their way inside the dense forest that is going to inspire the music composer. Thomas knows this location very well. He's guiding Juliet, the video director, towards the spots with the best lighting. We're in Versailles, so there are both big roads and small birds here. There's a special atmosphere here. You can feel the vegetation. It's a bit like an inner forest. It doesn't feel like a greenhouse at all, but it's useful. They're making little shots here. Thomas is behind the project to promote the sonic heritage with Fekir. He must succeed in combining the history of the place with a modern take from the electronic musician. That is additional pressure. The music producer has chosen this perfect spot in front of the statue of Louis XIV. Fekir sits on the floor to play the handpan. It's a place of creation. Versailles is a living place. We're doing this kind of project to show that Versailles is always a place of creation, just as Louis XIV wanted it to be. Louis XIV was a king who ruled by the arts, and we still want to show that the arts are present. Night has fallen. The production team moves for the last sequence in the Hall of Mirrors. It's a place that can enter into dialogue with other universes, like Fekir's. It's a way to show it in a completely different way. The musician also shares the same goal. The challenge is great because it's a new format. We're going to look for something very historical, something very attached to the history of France, where people are very attached to this place, as an incredible symbol. I'm going to distort it nicely because we're respectful of something like this, but I'm going to distort this image and make it a little newer. It's going to be fun. We're going to hear Versailles' clocks in the clubs soon. While waiting for the technical team to finish setting up, Fekir is tuning his instrument. This soothes everyone. Everything is set for this last scene of Fekir's video clip. This year's project with Fekir has ended, but Thomas is already thinking of other artists that could also pay homage to the sonic heritage of the Palace of Versailles. And this time, why not pay a visit to some of the secret chambers of the Palace? That's where Lesley is leading us. Every week, she resets the 156 clocks. Fortunately, the task is shared among many of them. Since the Palace is closed to the public, as soon as she enters a room, Lesley informs the security agents so that they can switch off the alarms. The clockmaker is taking the stairs and corridors less known to the general public. Like the name suggests, it's with this staircase that the water carriers would ferry water up to Marie-Antoinette's bathroom. A bed, a bathtub, but importantly, a clock to reset. ... After putting the protective glass bell back on, Lesley takes the water carrier's stairs again. We are in the underground rooms. This is where they had to accommodate thousands of people, so many other smaller rooms were built on the four levels. From the outside, there are only two floors. More than 200 rooms remain unknown to visitors today. We are heading to the apartments of the Marchioness of Pompadour, one of Louis XV's favourites. Most of these rooms are rarely visited. They're kept dark in order to protect the artwork. Lesley has permission to open the windows in order to see clearly. While leaving the apartments of the Marchioness of Pompadour, Lesley takes the stairs that Louis XV used when he was visiting the Marchioness. During that time, Lesley reminds us that there were different time zones in different cities in France. It wasn't until 1891 when all of France was put under the same time zone, the one for Paris. Still, these rooms are unknown to the public. Lesley finishes off her round with a clock in the Comble Library. Louis XVI loved working in this place. She makes a final note in her notebook regarding the information she has gathered today. Since the 18th century, tradition demands that all the clockmakers leave behind a written trace of their visit for the future generations. All the conservationists have this mission, passing on their collections to the ones that will replace them. And if possible, increase this collection of new pieces of art. We move on to the eastern part of the palace, to the level of the Gallery of Sculptures. Lionel is a heritage curator in charge of sculptures. He will be showing us the behind-the-scenes of the gallery, for there is going to be a special delivery. In this truck, two long-lost pieces of 18th-century art are being brought in to the Palace of Versailles. Lionel is proud because he is the one who found them after a lengthy investigation. Abundance is the first sculpture to be brought in, but Lionel was specifically looking for the next one. Zephyr, Flora and Love. The group of three statues are taken out of the truck block by block. Flora and the rest have been brought in here so that they can be entirely restored, right down to their fingertips. We can see the nail here, so I don't know where Love is. Where did we put it? Where did it go? Where did you put Love? The little figure? Here? Thank you. Here it is. A conservationist protects and brings life to the artworks under his care. But he must also inquire around the globe in search of other artworks that should be in his collection. Lionel found these statues in the gardens of an embassy in Paris after having retraced the trail of an incredible adventure that began more than 300 years ago. Zephyr, Flora and Love are in three pieces that must be put together. To begin with, they will be cleaned and repaired. Now we're going to start the restoration phase. We have two restorers here, so we'll be able to follow and study them in detail. There you go, Flora is here. Amongst these two restorers, Claudia carefully assesses not only the general condition of the sculptures, but also every detail. Lionel discusses with her the details of the work to be done. In the crevices of the folds For sculptures that are 300 years old and kept outside, the restorer is reassured. Lionel is happy about this rediscovery. They are just missing the bouquet of flowers that Zephyr holds, a bouquet that maybe fell in the gardens of the embassy. Lionel carries on with a sculpture inspection with Claudia. It's now Flora's turn to be inspected. For this reason today, everything is written down. Each piece of work has its own logbook so that the generations to come may know the kind of restorations that were done. Lionel will be presenting these new pieces to the public during an exhibition in a few weeks. He is therefore going to see Sebastian, the head of the restoration workshop, to talk about cleaning and reconstruction of the fingers. What is important for me is that we really understand the story that is told about the group, that is to say that love normally points to the couple. Sebastian notices the terrible restoration of the fingers that was done in the 80s. What Lionel managed to do is extremely rare. Most of the time, the conservationists do not receive new pieces. They instead restore the old ones. Restoration is an activity that is shared by all those who work in Versailles, especially in winter, for the fountain workers. We are meeting up with Maxime and Thierry, the latest fountain workers to come to the palace, in front of the Grand Trianon building. During winter, the fountains and the pools are emptied, which allows the fountain workers to maintain the valves and the pipes. Maxime and Thierry are going to attempt to make a repair of a lead pipe, the same way they would in the 17th century. The only difference today is that they have on anti-lead overalls, like Olivier, who is going to guide and train them for this welding. The pipe is very heavy and the fountain workers drop it directly into the pool. 35 kilometers of piping lies under the Versailles estate. There is always a section to restore. The mission of the day is to reinforce the end of the pipe with lead. Thierry is preparing the surface where the metal will be placed. While Olivier concocts a mixture created by the fountain workers 350 years ago. The fountain workers are the historians and conservators of the pools and the pipelines. This black smoke, invented under Louis XIV, is applied to the pipe so that the lead does not stick beyond this strip. The goal for Thierry and Maxime is to create an olive-shaped weld. There are no precise measurements in the size or heat. Instead, there is always an old hand guiding the young ones. Everything is learned by practice. You can start loading. 55 pools to maintain and only 6 months to do everything. The fountain workers in Versailles are always in constant demand. And in this period, they also need to train the newcomers. Maxime and Thierry are just winding up the ridges in the lead. A technique that will give the welding its resistance. Every day, Maxime learns something new. That is what makes this fountain worker's job interesting. I arrived here by chance. I really didn't expect to touch the lead, the work of the lead. We do pisciculture, we do everything. There are only 8 of us on the field, so we are quickly everywhere. Here we go again. In Versailles, everything is done to ensure that the knowledge and skills are constantly learned by the people who work there, without forgetting to transmit the history to all the visitors of the estate. All those who work at Versailles share this passion. All of them have this desire to bring to life these walls, rooms, ponds and gardens for the visitors and for history. They are all linked together in a great human chain that began almost 400 years ago.