Galerie des Batailles, Military art gallery in Versailles, France
The Gallery of Battles is a long art corridor in Versailles that stretches 120 meters and measures 13 meters wide. A glass-vaulted ceiling supported by Corinthian columns creates a stately setting for paintings, busts, and memorial plaques.
Louis-Philippe I created the gallery as the centrepiece of his Musée de l'Histoire de France, built from 1833 and inaugurated on 10 June 1837 in place of 17th- and 18th-century apartments. In the night of 25–26 June 1978 a bomb planted by Breton nationalists damaged it, and in June 1982 a G7 lunch was held here.
The gallery's name comes from its 33 paintings of French victories, from Tolbiac in 496 to Wagram in 1809. Look for the 13 bronze tablets (16 according to the French sources) listing princes, admirals, constables and marshals killed or wounded fighting for France, and the 80 busts of soldiers who died in combat.
The space is easy to walk through at a comfortable pace while viewing the paintings and memorial plaques. It's worth taking time to study the artwork details and read the names on the bronze plaques without rushing.
In the night of 25–26 June 1978 a bomb planted by two Breton nationalists of the ARB-FLB damaged the gallery; unable to place it in the Hall of Mirrors, they targeted "Napoleon" here as a symbol of French colonialism. A G7 summit lunch was held in the gallery on 4–6 June 1982.
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