The Ministers' wings are outbuildings of the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

located in the

Cour d'Honneur A court of honor ( ; ) is the principal and formal approach and forecourt of a large building. It is usually defined by two secondary wings projecting forward from the main central block ('' corps de logis''), sometimes with a fourth side, co ...

; the south wing now houses the Princes' bookshop and the ticket office, while the north wing is used to welcome groups of visitors.

History

Four pavilions were built for the Secretaries of State in 1671.

Jules Hardouin-Mansart Jules Hardouin-Mansart (; 16 April 1646 – 11 May 1708) was a French Baroque architect and builder whose major work included the Place des Victoires (1684–1690); Place Vendôme (1690); the domed chapel of Les Invalides (1690), and the Gra ...

had the Ministers' wings built on the basis of these pavilions in 1679. The soberly ornamented Ministers' Wings, attached to the château, mark the end of the era of all-powerful ministers such as Fouquet, who defied the

king King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

with the construction of his ''château'' at

Vaux-le-Vicomte The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte () or simply Vaux-le-Vicomte is a Baroque French château located in Maincy, near Melun, southeast of Paris in the Seine-et-Marne Departments of France, department of Île-de-France. Built between 1658 and 1661 ...

. Each of the four secretaries of state occupied half a wing, and had access to all floors. The ground floor was devoted to work and reception areas, the second floor housed their apartments, their families were accommodated on the third floor, and the attic was used for clerks. The two pavilions overlooking the

Place d'Armes Place d'Armes () is a Town square, square of the Old Montreal quarter of Montreal, in Quebec, Canada anchored by Maisonneuve Monument, a monument in memory of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, Paul de Chomedey, founder of Montreal. Buildings that s ...

, at the end of the Ministers' wings, served under the Ancien Régime as guardhouses for the

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

and

Swiss Guard The Pontifical Swiss Guard,; ; ; ; , %5BCorps of the Pontifical Swiss Guard%5D. ''vatican.va'' (in Italian). Retrieved 19 July 2022. also known as the Papal Swiss Guard or simply Swiss Guard,Swiss Guards , History, Vatican, Uniform, Require ...

s, responsible for the castle's external protection. The French Guards occupied the end of the south wing, while the Swiss Guards occupied the north pavilion. Their officers had bedrooms on the upper floor of the guardhouse; they also had their own dining room and an "assembly room", where they could play tric-trac. From 1958 onwards, the Ministers' wings housed the official residences and reception rooms for the presidents of the assemblies and the

quaestors A quaestor ( , ; ; "investigator") was a public official in ancient Rome. There were various types of quaestors, with the title used to describe greatly different offices at different times. In the Roman Republic, quaestors were elected officia ...

. The premises were returned to the

in 2005 at the suggestion of National Assembly President

Jean-Louis Debré Jean-Louis Debré (; 30 September 1944 – 4 March 2025) was a French judge and politician who served as President of the National Assembly from 2002 to 2007 and President of the Constitutional Council from 2007 to 2016.

. The northern ministers' wing houses the lecturers' entrance and the school locker room, while the southern ministers' wing houses the princes' bookshop and the château's ticket office.

References

{{Reflist Palace of Versailles Architecture by city