The Royal Chapel

This is the Royal Chapel.

The music you hear now is coming from the pipe organ at the front of the chapel.

Every morning at 10 a.m., Louis XIV attended Mass while listening to this very instrument.

The upper gallery where we're standing was reserved exclusively for Louis XIV and members of the royal family.

By attending Mass at a level closer to the ceiling paintings depicting the divine, the setting visually reinforced the idea that the king's authority came from God.

Take a look at the magnificent columns supporting this upper gallery.

They make the king's space appear even more sacred and majestic.

The lower level was where the nobility and members of the royal court gathered during the service.

From below, they looked up toward the king.

Interestingly, during Mass, many of them spent more time looking up at the king than looking toward the altar.

To them, the Sun King standing before their eyes often seemed more powerful than the unseen God.

There were, however, a few occasions when the royal family came down to the lower chapel.

One of them was the wedding of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.

On major occasions such as royal weddings and important feast days, the royal family would join everyone else in the lower chapel.

Now, let's look up at the ceiling.

It depicts the Holy Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Above the organ at the front of the chapel, you'll see Jesus Christ, the Son of God, rising from the dead.

In the center, God the Father, the Creator of all things, is shown in radiant glory.

Finally, there's one more detail on our side of the ceiling. It's a bit difficult to see from here.

It's a dove.

In Christianity, the dove is the symbol of the Holy Spirit.

Now, let's move on to the next stop.