Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Marie Antoinette's Versailles (Premium)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link below to learn more. And thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your support. 1786, Versailles is the majestic retreat for French kings and queens. King Louis XIV, the Sun King, built Versailles in the 17th century. Now, over a hundred years later, the palace is home to Marieouinette, the Queen of France. Marianne-Touinette is the youngest daughter of Holy Roman Empress Maria Teresa. The Empress married her daughter to the heir to the French throne to strengthen the alliance between the two often warring nations.

Starting point is 00:01:26 Now, in 1786, Marianne Twinnett has been the queen of France for over a decade. Versailles is her escape from the faster pace of Paris. Her chariot has brought her here for a relaxing weekend. The pattern of horse hooves stops when her chariot reaches the royal gate. It marks the boundary of the palace. Lined with over 100,000 gold leaves, the gate informs visitors that royals live within. Met by a handful of servants who guide her through the gate, Marianne Twannette steps into a large courtyard. Here the palace rises up with marvel. Arched windows and balconies lined with gold leaves over looked the courtyard.

Starting point is 00:02:31 From one of these balconies, Louis XIV, the sun king, once addressed the French people. The courtyard is never empty, women wearing gowns with wide skirts cross the space, attending to their duties. Aristocratic men arrive in horse-drawn carriages for business meetings. And visitors from Paris flock for a glimpse of the king and queen. As she draws closer to the building, she crosses onto the marble courtyard. Built in 1623, the courtyard's black and white tiles create vivid patterns. Above it, the red bricks and white stones of the palace look even brighter. Like everything at Versailles, the marble courtyard puts the royal family's riches on display. The queen reaches the wide doors that lead into the royal family's apartments.

Starting point is 00:03:42 Today, she isn't visiting the Royal Chapel or the private opera house. Instead she climbs a wide marble staircase, step by step, each echoing through the hallways. At the top she enters the Queen's apartments. Marianne Tornet has her own wing in the palace, opposite the King's apartments. Her rooms look out over the oratory, one of the most beautiful gardens in France. The chair of birds drift through the windows from outside. Unlike the courtyard, these apartments admit only a few people. At the top of the Queen's staircase, she enters the guard room.

Starting point is 00:04:37 Here, 12 of her Queen's guard stand on duty. They protect the royal family and limit access to the Queen's apartment. But the Queen's guards also get the benefit of experiencing Versailles luxury. A golden chandelier hangs in the center of the room. Marble panels line the walls. Richly coloured paintings in golden frames arch across the ceiling. Though the queen rarely spends time in the guards room, its luxurious decorations match the rest of the palace. After all that's why Louis the 14th built Versailles. A massive palace became home to thousands of nobles. By putting his wealth on display, the sun king carried favour with the aristocracy

Starting point is 00:05:37 and warned rivals that they would never outshine him. With a nod to her guards, Mary Antoinette passes into the next room, the Queen's anti-chamber. The royal family dines publicly in this room. Lining the walls are low-stores embroidered with flowers where honoured aristocrats sit to watch royal feasts. Rich red damask covers the wall, gold, whites and reds mingle in the room, with a large mural stretching across the entire ceiling. Paintings of Marianto and at herself line the walls of this room, one depicts the Queen with three of her children. Mary Antoinette and her husband, King Louis the 16th, dine here at the royal table once a week. The Queen recently

Starting point is 00:06:41 installed a platform for musicians in the room, so all meals at the Royal table now come with live music. Royal orchestra performances will fill the space with sweet sounds as freshly prepared foods cover the table. Wide, gold-lined doors lead to the next room, the salon of the nobles. Here Mariantonek meets with her noble friends while they nibble on exquisite delicacies, like her favourite sweet chocolates. sweet chocolates.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Marie Antoinette's Versailles (Premium)

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.