The Petite Écurie () is a monument located in

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 ...

, on 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 ...

, opposite 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 ...

, between the

Avenue de Paris Avenue de Paris is a seaside, palm-lined street in Beirut, Lebanon. The avenue, which forms with Avenue General de Gaulle the Corniche Beirut promenade, is popular with rollerbladers, cyclists and joggers. Benches The municipality of Beirut init ...

and the

Avenue de Sceaux The Avenue de Sceaux is a thoroughfare in Versailles, France. Location and access The Avenue de Sceaux is one of three avenues that fan out from Place d'Armes, in front of the Palace of Versailles, along with Avenue de Paris and Avenue de Sain ...

. Together with the

Grande Écurie The Grande Écurie (, ) is a building located in Versailles (Yvelines), on the Place d'Armes, opposite the Palace, between the avenues of Saint-Cloud and Paris. Together with the Petite Écurie (literal French for "The Small Stable"), it formed t ...

, it formed the Écuries royales (an institution employing some 1,000 people under

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

), and was built under the direction of architect

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 ...

and completed in 1681.. Today, it houses the

École Nationale Supérieure d'Architecture de Versailles École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

and the workshops of the Centre for Research and Restoration of Museums of France.

History

The

École de Versailles The Versailles school was the cradle of French equitation until 1830. The doctrine of the school's many masters is poorly documented; teaching was verbal, and only Montfaucon de Rogles wrote a treatise specifying the doctrine taught within the rid ...

consisted of the Petite Écurie and the

. Identical to the

, from which it is separated by the

, under the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

, the Petite Écurie was under the orders of the Premier Écuyer. It was in charge of horses and carriages, as well as fancy vehicles such as gondola sleighs.

The Maréchalerie

From 1683 to 1685, The Maréchalerie was built behind the Petite Écurie. This establishment completed the activities of two stables. It replaced the modest King's stable, which then became the Queen's stable.

20th and 21st centuries

By decree of September 16, 1929, the entire Petite Écurie was classified as a

historic monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

. From 1935 to 1939, it was the barracks of the École de l'Air, along with the 134 Versailles air base. Since 1969, it has housed the

École nationale supérieure d'architecture de Versailles École or Ecole may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * Éco ...

. Between 1970 and 1973, a ''gypsothèque'' (a plaster cast collection), the Musée du Louvre's collection of antique casts, began to move in. In 1988,

La Maréchalerie LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music *La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smit ...

was listed as a

. Since 1999, it has also housed the restoration workshops of the Centre for Research and Restoration of Museums of France.

La Maréchalerie, contemporary art center

In 2004,

became a contemporary art center for the

. It organizes several exhibitions a year.

Sculpture and molding gallery

Since 2012, the Petite Écurie has housed a ''gypsothèque'', a collection of around 5,000 sculptures and casts based on ancient art (mainly Roman, since it wasn't until the eighteenth century that archaeologists began to take an active interest in Greece). These are the molding collections of the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

and the

Institut d'art et d'archéologie The ''Institut d'Art et d'Archéologie'', also known as the Michelet Campus, is a building at 3 rue Michelet in Paris, built for the educational institution of the same name (French for "Institute of Art and Archaeology"). It was initially design ...

la Sorbonne The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. Under the direction of

Jean-Baptiste Colbert Jean-Baptiste Colbert (; 29 August 1619 – 6 September 1683) was a French statesman who served as First Minister of State from 1661 until his death in 1683 under the rule of King Louis XIV. His lasting impact on the organization of the countr ...

had required the boarders at the

French Academy in Rome The French Academy in Rome (, ) is an academy located in the Villa Medici, within the Villa Borghese, on the Pincio (Pincian Hill) in Rome, Italy. History The Academy was founded at the Palazzo Capranica in 1666 by Louis XIV under the dire ...

to copy ancient pieces, so that they could serve as inspiration for the sculptors at Versailles. In the 1930s, these casts were exhibited in the Louvre, on the landing of the ''

Winged Victory of Samothrace The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Niké of Samothrace'', is a Votive offering, votive monument originally discovered on the island of Samothrace in the northeastern Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Helleni ...

'' staircase; today, it is inconceivable that a museum should present originals and casts on an equal footing. The plaster casts from the Beaux-arts, partly ransacked in

May 68 May 68 () was a period of widespread protests, strikes, and civil unrest in France that began in May 1968 and became one of the most significant social uprisings in modern European history. Initially sparked by student demonstrations agains ...

, have kept their original graffiti, as the authorities considered them part of the history of the works. The ''gypsothèque'' de la Petite Écurie was set up in the 1970s, but was previously closed to the public. Since 2008, as part of the campaign to save the Palace's sculptures, several statues have been housed in the Galerie des Sculptures and replaced by copies: * the statue of Latona in the

Latona Fountain The Latona Fountain in the Gardens of Versailles lies in the Latona Basin between the Palace of Versailles and the Grand Canal of Versailles, Grand Canal. On the top tier, there is a statue of the goddess Latona, mother of the sun and moon gods. T ...

(2015) * groups of sculptures in the Apollo's Baths Grove (2010)

Architecture

* The buildings are organized around five courtyards: ** the main courtyard, bordered by a hemicyclic

colonnade In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

and two symmetrical wings. ** the two middle courtyards framed at the rear. ** the two small side courtyards known as "manure courtyards". * Behind the main gate, there was a circular riding arena under a large

rotunda A rotunda () is any roofed building with a circular ground plan, and sometimes covered by a dome. It may also refer to a round room within a building (an example being the one below the dome of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.). ...

. * The

had single galleries, while the Petite Écurie had double galleries separated by

colonnades In classical architecture, a colonnade is a long sequence of columns joined by their entablature, often free-standing, or part of a building. Paired or multiple pairs of columns are normally employed in a colonnade which can be straight or curv ...

. * The gallery ceilings are vaulted. * The visible walls of the

Palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

are of stone, while the less visible walls are of red brick with stone facing. * The upper storeys have rectangular windows and the attic has dormer windows. * Sculptures are featured on the pediment, tympanum and jambs of the main portal. * The side entrances face onto

References

17th century in France Palace of Versailles Horses in popular culture {{France-struct-stub