Cour d'Honneur, Main entrance courtyard of Palace of Versailles, France.
The cour d'Honneur is the main entrance courtyard of the Palace of Versailles, flanked by two matching ministerial wings and opening onto the Place d'Armes on one side and the palace facade on the other. The space is arranged in a U-shape, drawing visitors gradually toward the central building.
The courtyard grew around a hunting lodge built by Louis XIII in the early 17th century. Louis XIV later ordered a major expansion of the site, transforming this entrance area into something that matched the scale of his court.
The gilded iron gate at the entrance of the courtyard is decorated with suns and fleurs-de-lis, both symbols of the French monarchy. Passing through it gives a clear sense of how the royal court used architecture and ornament to express authority.
The cour d'Honneur is the first area most visitors cross when arriving at the palace, and it gives a good overall sense of the layout. It is worth pausing here before entering the building to take in the proportions of the space and the two flanking wings.
A bronze equestrian statue of Louis XIV stands in the middle of the courtyard, but it was placed there only in 1836, long after the monarchy had ended. It was made from an earlier model that had been destroyed during the Revolution.
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