Dans les coulisses du château de Versailles

Bienvenue dans l’envers du décor d’un des monuments les plus visités en France : le château de Versailles.
NRJ PARIS vous emmène pour une promenade insolite dans le Versailles méconnu, celui des gardiens, des tapissiers, des jardiniers et de tous ces métiers de l’ombre qui contribuent à faire de Versailles encore et toujours un lieu magique, chargé d’histoire et de passion.
Découvrez ce qui se passe au château quand la nuit est tombée…
Suivez la préparation d’une grande exposition ou encore, survolez les toits de ce palais somptueux. Entrez dans les coulisses de ce château qui fascine des millions de Français et d’étrangers dans le monde entier.

Réalisateur : Géraud Burin des Roziers

Where are we ? At the latest Christo l’Empacteur exhibition? In the setting of Pirates of the Caribbean or the adventures of Captain Nemo? In a great 1930s thriller or a Star Trek parody? In the hushed lounges of the Titanic? Neither. We are behind the scenes of one of the most famous monuments in France, the Palace of Versailles. 10 million visitors per year. One half, say, it looks like a sheep. So. 10,000 plants. Imagine yourself in the head of a ram. Oh my, what a genius. Versailles, spectacle scene still marked with the seal of Louis XIV. We have an appointment there, in amazing places where tourists never go. With the little expert hands, the distinguished craftsmen, all those who make Versailles. There are nearly a thousand of them, a city within a city. Unknown artists who work tirelessly in the shadows for the splendor of places and the preservation of heritage, so that Versailles will always be Versailles. We start the day with Philippe. In winter, It always starts at night. Philippe is one of the 50 surveillance agents on the estate. He knows every nook and cranny. We open all accesses to the garden from 8 a.m. Because in all, we are not far from, I would say, like that, roughly, 30th degree to open in the morning. Today, Philippe will travel by car or on foot nearly 100 km of roads and paths. There are 800 hectares to monitor, from one end of the park to the other. The Palace of Versailles, it is really known all over the world, so it’s really a great place, privileged. It is an idyllic setting, There are worse settings. Queen’s Gate, Dragon’s grid, names that make you dream. Philippe has the privilege of always being the first spectator. Today, It’s a storm and the patrol promises to be sporty. The castle suffered the whims of the wind which threw the protective barriers to the ground. So there, It is one of the places where there is the most wind on the terraces. At 80 km per hour, we are of course instructed to inform management who decides, if it constitutes a danger to the public, to close terraces or places where there is the most wind. SO, we’re not even at 25. Visitors will have rain, but will be able to enjoy the park. Do you have your ticket? Yes, you take it that way. This way. There, you take a right and you go straight, you go to the gardens. Good, the problem, it’s about giving it a little time, but finally, There. This morning, the places seem deserted, from the terraces of the castle to the Grand Canal. Philippe can’t believe his eyes. There have rarely been so few people, it’s crazy. It is due to the weather conditions, I think, because it is very, very rare. Even early in the morning, there is always… Always more people than a little couple walking on the green carpet, that’s clear. Philippe too is in love with this perspective which extends to infinity. According to him, this is the most beautiful view the castle offers. Thank you, Mr. Ours. Philippe never lets go of this spectacle whatever the season. At the other end of the park, only a few athletes came out. Hello Sir, Access to the water feature is prohibited. You are not allowed to walk on the ice. There it is very dangerous because I am sure that if someone walks, there it goes… How are you, the ice will give way, Yes, Yes. It is reported but… the thickness of the thing. Good morning, please move away from the edge, because we are in the middle of a thaw and the ice is not holding, did you see? For walkers, The estate agents act as guardian angels. Is there a man overboard? Philippe wants to get to the bottom of it. It’s a storm there, It’s going to empty the park for us. I don’t think there will be many customers on the terrace. Are we going inside? We see it. In Versoupa, The park’s restaurants, which look like a guinguette, are never empty. We, we still prefer sunny days, moments of fullness that many tourists come to enjoy, foreigners for the most part. Tourists who most often stay at the castle and the large park. Few dare to venture further, who take the risk of getting lost in the cool of the groves and the depth of the paths. Yet there is another Versailles to discover. It was at the very back of the gardens that we discovered Philippe. Philippe had been an upholsterer at the castle for 18 years, when he wanted to change jobs and live outdoors. For 5 years, he is a gardener. Between flowers, fruits and vegetables, he is in heaven. And like all gardeners, a bit of a poet. Philippe wants to show us some flower beds. There are colleagues coming home from work. At the time, These colleagues were called parterrists, or finally good, florists. Here, everyone travels by golf cart. It looks a bit touristy, but hey, it’s not for the walk, but it is very practical for transporting tools. It’s faster. So there, we’re going to go up. Not too much at our place. Arrived at the French gardens of the Grand Trianon. It’s the end of the season, all the flower beds will be torn out. There, Effectively, the plants are really reaching maturity. So we have dahlias, cosmoses, verbenas, sages, liotropes, tobacco for the flowerbeds below. Many varieties, but it was really the plants that were put in great epoch, in the 18th. And the colors are chosen, Of course, always more or less depending on the color of the marbles, what is also called the pink marble pavilion. So we have slightly red dominants, but we are on slightly pastel colors and pinks, that it is in harmony with the building. These gardeners work like those who once dazzled the king. We act as if the king could come at any moment, see the massifs, so it must always be clean. Actually, Tourism is king now. Louis XIV loved the gardens as much, and perhaps even more, than the castle. True plant architecture, The gardens of Versailles were created to unite art and nature. The oranges present in Versailles by the thousands have always been a curiosity. We don’t water them too much because they will soon be brought inside for the winter. So they shouldn’t be too wet either. The groves or green rooms served as an open-air living room. They were places of celebration and entertainment. Alain Baraton has worked here for 32 years. He became head gardener. But he doesn’t like high-sounding titles. He is an artist who likes to quote Voltaire. Gardener, It is the noblest of professions. I would like to tell an anecdote from Versailles. who should, I think, to permanently rehabilitate gardeners. It is 1791, 1714, 1795. It’s really panic, we are in the middle of a revolution. And it was planned to divide up the park of Versailles. It must be divided into lots and sold at auction. And such a sale, It’s the end of Versailles. There is a man who is fighting, Antoine Richard. He is Marantouanette’s gardener. He fights at the risk of his life, because at the time, This is no joke. And he had the idea of creating an agricultural school in Versailles. He had the idea of planting vegetables under the windows of the castle. He had the idea of planting fruit trees around the Grand Canal. And he declares that Versailles, tomorrow, will serve as a source of food for the people. It is thanks to a gardener that Versailles still exists today. Since always, Alain Baraton is interested in the naughty stories of Versailles. Inexhaustible on the subject, he even decided to write a book. In all modesty, I think I know all the naughty anecdotes about Versailles, like that of the Duchess of Retz, who was a woman with a more than fiery temperament, who did not hesitate to strip completely naked in the groves near the castle and thus attracted the boys of the court. SO, as soon as we saw her moving away into the gardens, She was the one who welcomed all the guys who came. It took them one day, they meet King Louis XV, who was young, he was only 12 years old at the time. She slipped her hand to him, I quote the text, in its most intimate part, but they went from funny to funny in the groves of Versailles. Alain Baraton decided to make us discover Versailles with the gaze of seduction. I often say that the best way to visit Versailles is to forget the guide. Take the example of where we are. We are in a place with small winding paths, shrubs that have no shape. rocks. Very few visitors know that at Versailles, there is this kind of architecture. The view of the Temple of Love through the rock on the right, how beautiful this vision is. It is a magnificent temple that was built for Maman Antoinette and which symbolizes love. One thing is for sure, This place is absolutely delicious. The architecture is unique. So yes, Fortunately, there are still places where we declare our love, where we make plans, where we simply say “I love you”. And there is no better place than a temple of love to say I love you. Monday in Versailles, The castle is closed for spring cleaning. That day, Versailles belongs to small hands. Hold, a lobster. This is Jeff Koons’ last exhibition, the enfant terrible of pop art. A strange dialogue between contemporary art and the Baroque era. Allegories, Myths and heroic battles echo the artist’s works. Works estimated at several million dollars which are the object of all the attention. I’m not going to bring you any more words from home, I think. But in addition, It’s a telestopian word. It will no longer be useful to me for cleaning the top of the bells. So. Not for the works, because I am not an activist. The castle, It is 63,000 square meters, the equivalent of 126 football fields, 2300 pieces. So we no longer count the surface area of windows to clean. We’re going to go all around the castle, we take two months, two and a half months. When we finish with a point, we start again from the other one. That’s how it is. Exactly. Despite his calm and good-natured demeanor, This man is not going to be unemployed either. He has half a day to complete his task. My father must be careful because when he sighs, it slips. His repetitive gesture betrays his activity. Bernard Drot is a watchmaker, a profession that he practices in the family tradition, like his grandfather and father. There, we will enter the small apartments of the queen. And there you have it, the queen’s golden salon. In Versailles, Bernard is the only one who can afford to set the record straight. No sudden movements, no violent gestures. We go slowly, we don’t force it. So sweet, like with a baby. He will reassemble the mechanisms of 90 clocks with the same care. I listen to the sound. In the world, we risk a lot with the ear. There are things that the ear hears and the eye does not see on clocks. So there, It’s a very small staircase. There, It’s more on the artist side. Absolute privilege, He takes us into the Queen’s small apartments. I put some white ones. Let’s go to Marie-Antoinette’s bathroom, in which a little jewel sits enthroned. Here again, he will make a point of verifying its accuracy for the respect of visitors. A clock, it’s like everything. Nobody knows it exists, except the day when the time is not indicated correctly. In general, that’s how it is. It is true that there, she was not bad. At the castle, events are happening one after the other. We will attend the assembly of the next exhibition, the tennis court oath. This is Juliette, young conservative here on the left, who is responsible for it. The works of art arrive under good escort from the greatest museums in France. We are waiting for the arrival of works. These are very important works for the exhibition. The works are in the truck, in their box. We’re going to bring up the boxes, we’re going to unpack them. We will examine the works to see if they are in good condition and then we will hang them. Every time we transport a work, there is always an element of risk, so we are very vigilant. You really have to be careful. That’s why I keep an eye on the truck. Heading to Madame de Maintenon’s apartment. Carrier, installer, lighting designer. All hands on deck. There are only three days left before the opening. There is an excitement to see the works, to see what it will look like with the other works in the exhibition, the general effect. And then it’s always very moving to see works up close, to be able to manipulate them. It is a privilege. This pen drawing dates from 1790. He worries us there, when unpacking. rather the material aspect of the work, to see if she hasn’t had an accident and if she is in good condition. For now, there is no problem. This step culminates months of work, of research. Juliette had to be persuasive to gather her paintings from all corners of France. She carefully checks each of the works and draws up a condition report. SO, Good, there, It may be a little tragic. Yes, I think we should still note there… This is something to watch out for, I find, quite. SO, if we talk to the source layer… The pictorial layer is here, there is like an uprising, and with the conditions, the change, climate change, humidity, it is possible that these cracks will evolve, rise up more, and in the worst case, there may be a loss of material. Good, there, I don’t think it will happen. But we note areas that seem a little fragile to monitor to see how they evolve during the exhibition. Juliette supervises the hanging of the canvases. With this head study, she wants to recreate the atmosphere of a painter’s studio. Just a little bit more, I think you’re going to go up a little bit more. Gradually, the exhibition is taking shape. To get there, many craftsmen worked upstream. Crossing the royal courtyard, in the opposite wing, We went to see what was happening in the print shop. Meeting with the restaurateurs, Marie-Hélène and Geneviève. In this machine which looks like a large incubator, a print took the baby’s place. A print dating from 1836, subjected to a cold steam bath. To work the papers, You still need to have some knowledge of chemistry. More than a long explanation, I can make you a little clement. Geneviève wants to explain to us the composition of the paper. It is composed of hydrogen, of carbon and oxygen. Geneviève practices paper restoration like M. Jourdain handled prose. Without knowing it. So this, This explains why we absolutely need to introduce water to make the fibers swell again and to ensure the cohesion of the paper. Brief, once wet, the paper regains suppleness and flexibility. Practical demonstration, back to our print. Thanks to this suction table, water will pass through the paper, remove all the acidity from it. The colors will be revived, but fortunately… without disappearing. In my opinion, what is important when working on national heritage, It is to extend the life of the works. In this bath of youth, the paper is cleaned, freed from old glues. Geneviève practices her profession almost religiously. To restore, It takes water and emotion. Daily, when i restore, It’s like a prayer to me. It is an act of grace that I am doing. It’s my way of expressing myself and my happiness in being. The mission of our two restorers, extend the life of the works and even sometimes… bring them back to life. You see, we also frame the drawings. So this, It is a drawing by Horace Vernet which had suffered a fire. And during this fire, it had been flooded. And there were traces of water on the side. It was stuck on a piece of cardboard. And when we split it, well, a second drawing was released on the back. It was a sketch by Horace Vernet. You see? first recto, and then this drawing did not please Horace Vernet, so he turned the paper, and he started his drawing again, for the tent, the crowd here, on horseback, so you see, the castle had bought this drawing, and for the same price, he had a second one. Geneviève is not the only one who has the privilege of pleasant surprises. You will discover, thanks to this man, an extraordinary piece of furniture. We are in the cabinetmaking workshop. Here, the most precious furniture in Versailles is being restored. Philippe has the honor of working on a piece of furniture that has never before been presented to the public. So there, I will introduce you to the piece of furniture I am working on. SO, It is a console that was made by the cabinetmaker Saunier. It is a beautiful piece of furniture, prestigious. It is a piece of furniture that was made for the Dauphin. It’s a piece of furniture… The undeniable historical wealth, like all the furniture found in the Palace of Versailles. A console sold during the Revolution like almost all the furniture in the castle. National treasure, This work of art was bought at auction by a patron. Can we estimate its price a little? It’s no secret, Yes, I believe it was estimated, if my memory serves me right, has 2.3 million euros, anyway. Six months of work will be necessary to restore this console, but all traces of history will be preserved as is. We add wood when necessary, when it is missing. Like there, we can see small threads that are missing. We will add them. These are called gaps. So all this, we will add it. It doesn’t exist. But all the original pieces, even that, it is an original piece, we keep it, obviously. We try to stay minimalist. In a historical approach. In a historical approach, to keep a little of the authenticity of the work, obviously. On this piece of furniture, Philippe made a discovery. A small hiding place that for 200 years housed a note from the artist himself. Without removing the plate, we can find a small label that was well hidden, with the name of the cabinetmaker, Bell ringer, and made in 1787, a handwritten date. So that is precious, we pay attention to it. It’s not common to see that, it’s a bonus. It’s a wink, it’s a little message, it is a written trace, Writing is very personal. Maybe that’s why we find it all the more touching. On the upper floor, in the gilding workshop, there again, the profession arouses passions, and this, from a very young age. Anaël, 14 years old, found his apprenticeship masters. Daniel has been working in Versailles for over 40 years, and Laurent, 6 years old. Their profession has kept the same techniques since the 17th century. In a restaurant, we do not create in Gilding. The frame he is working on required the application of 3,000 gold leaves. With a kilo of gold, we could do 600 square meters of gilding. As if the sheet were very thin. In the jargon of gilders, the leaf is coaxed before being laid. It is a very particular technique. There is a little thump behind the ears. A little slap on the cheek, on the hair. Actually, It’s to add a little fat. Because without the fat, the sheet has difficulty sticking to the pallet. The saying goes that it takes six months to learn how to lay a sheet properly. Laurent has other seams up his sleeve. He is an illusionist, well almost. He makes fake marble. He decided to teach Annaëlle the basics of the trade. It starts with getting to grips with the palette. That, This is the start to making a lot of faux marble. We make bursts like this. And Laurent, very proud to show his protégée some of his most beautiful works. Versailles, It’s passion every day. I can express everything I feel in painting every day, in gilding, it’s great. I wouldn’t say it’s the best job in the castle because that would make people jealous, but I really think so. I didn’t think there were people who worked so much and that there were so many people who worked outside to make such beautiful things. And so here it is, Now I know a little about the hidden side of Versailles, if we can say so. Another place of emotion. We go to the reserves of the sculptor artisans. The Palace of Versailles holds more than 2000 sculptures, including 400 located outdoors. They come here to be treated. Versailles hides within its walls several treasure rooms. Alexander is conservative. He invites us to follow him to this exceptional place, a real Ali Baba’s cave. We arrive at the end of the Sécurie festival. It is a group of horses that are made of marble and come from the grove of the baths of Apollo. These are works that we did not see before, they were in a cave. There, We wanted to see them up close and they are truly magnificent works, masterpieces of French sculpture from the time of Louis XIV. These statues were the subject of a real rescue plan. Transported by giant crane from the Apollo Basin cave to be restored. Masterpieces that will soon be presented to the public inside the castle itself to finally be admired up close. Marble statues whose skin has sometimes suffered greatly. We are led to look at these sculptures a bit like doctors, knowing that they will never be completely restored to health. This is somewhat the fate of all the sculptures at Versailles. If we don’t bring them in, if we don’t protect them, we risk losing masterpieces, and this irremediably. So to save this heritage… The craftsmen make prints, then gigantic resin molds. Afterwards, It is necessary to remove this elastomer shell which will be used to make the final mold in which the copy will be cast. Here is one of the new ones that has already been taken on print. And what you see there, This is the copy made from a mixture of resin and marble powder. And here is the original statue definitively saved. In this hospital setting, other subjects await their turn. Apollo sculpted by Girardon, one of the greatest sculptors of Louis XIV. has suffered many other attacks than those of time. There have been problems with vandalism. The nose, you see, which is currently being renovated, had been hammered 4 or 5 years ago. We also have old restorations which also correspond to repairs of acts of vandalism. Here, the foot is in a different marble. We have a foot that dates from the 19th century. But otherwise, in its entirety, the work has stood the test of time. It’s a joy to have him up close today. The gardens of Versailles, populated with more than 400 sculptures, statues, vases or fountains, are probably the largest and richest open-air sculpture museum in the world. These royal collections, often taken from Greco-Roman mythology, have adorned gardens for over three centuries. There are dangers at Versailles that we do not suspect. time to collapse. He is well attacked. The tree is completely rotten. He held almost everything. We saw it when he left. There is no more resistance. Even the sound. There is no longer that heart-rending cry of the trees. Terrible, a tree that is cut down. It looks like he’s crying. There is a kind of creaking sound, then a sinister crack. I think it’s a tree that’s not very very old, which must have 120, About 150 years. Which is a lot for us, but not much for a tree like an oak which can live 2000 years. Every year, 300 trees are being cut down to ensure the safety of walkers. Every time a tree falls, Philippe can’t help but think of the 1999 storm that destroyed 18,500 trees. It was total apocalypse, It was really impressive. Alleys, full of tangled trees. And I remember an image that was incredible. It was a statue with an arm outstretched like this and a huge tree that had fallen on the arm like this. And in fact, by miracle, it stopped at 2-3 centimeters from the statue as if it was supporting the weapon and it didn’t damage it at all. No regrets? If, always. Pardon ? If, always, because they are still old guys. have lived a long time and have now become dangerous. They are called to disappear, so we practice plant euthanasia. It’s not very cheerful, but it must be done. I remember a couple of people of absolutely incredible dignity who absolutely wanted a tree to be planted in memory of their son. And they tell me a really moving story. Their little one, who was 8 or 9 years old, was called Cedric. And he was suffering from a very serious illness. He saw the images of the storm on television. And during his lifetime, he only had one wish, to be able to plant a tree in Versailles. And in memory of Cedric, we planted a cedar in the gardens. So that’s why I attach great importance to the trees in this place. Because often behind a plant that may seem innocuous to you, sometimes there are tragic stories, sometimes love stories, and sometimes also memories of loved ones who have passed away. Trees are living witnesses, maybe silent, but who all have in their trunk, in their bark, lots of great stories to tell us. Since the storm, a reforestation policy was orchestrated. He remains today in Versailles, nearly 350,000 trees. Heading towards Marie-Antoinette’s hamlet, a haven of privacy that allowed the queen to escape the old court and its traditions. The Trianon farm was taken over 15 years ago by the foundation… animal assistance. His goal? Teaching children to respect animals, respect for life. These animals in distress were rescued from all over France to spend happy days here. This is Victor, of Portuguese origin, who is the master of the place. He gave each of his unfortunate companions a nickname. This is Marguerite, Raphael, There it is Vichette and Marcelino. Here Simone, Simone, Go on, Chani. Here Simone, Go on. And there is Blanchine. Chani is the singer who sings here in France, it’s him. Well, he sings with his bell. Here is the coulayer. Did you know? than in Versailles, we made wine? A small, unpretentious red that you drink on special occasions. These few vines produce around 200 bottles per year. There, It’s the very end of the grape harvest. I think we harvested 400 kg, 400-500 kg of grapes this year. What is for a young life, It’s still not bad. Meanwhile, at the castle, Juliette is under pressure. For her, it’s the big day. Oh yeah, it looks great. In a few moments, she will unveil to the press the exhibition she has been working on for several months, the tennis court oath. I really like the visual actually, both hands isolated. The press conference has begun. Alongside Juliette, the former Minister of Culture Jean-Jacques Ayagon, today president of the Palace of Versailles, he’s a bit like the sun king. Juliette Very, young conservative. Juliet’s turn to enter the scene, She has one hour to captivate her audience. His exhibition tells the story of an unfinished painting about one of the major events of the French Revolution, the writing of the Constitution. David’s fresco has many surprises in store. In 1848, The city of Versailles is asking for this masterpiece of the history of Versailles to be sent to them to exhibit in the Jeu de Paume hall. We send the canvas and an anecdote that I find very amusing, when we unroll it… The city council members are outraged at the sight of so much nudity. It is out of the question to exhibit this work and it is being returned to the Louvre. Half-naked MPs that David had planned to dress again, but he ran out of time and money. The visit continues in Madame de Maintenon’s apartment. The star hanging is a success. Juliette knows every detail of this page of history. Juliette has also unearthed audiovisual archives which immerse the visitor in the very history of the decor. And what’s funny about this excerpt, is that the director films the Saint-Mangier de Paume exactly as if it were David’s painting which was coming to life. You know what we have planned? There France! A constitution! Glou of the exhibition, a few streets away, The visit ends in the authentic Jeu de Paume room. Built in 1686 for the king and court, the room has retained its original condition. On the back wall, Merson’s painting which retraces the historical scene of the oath, from the work of David. Juliette has won over her audience and even earned honors. Congratulations to her because it was not easy. At first, at first, I thought she was intimidated and then no, No, It went very well. I’m glad it’s over because it’s always a little exhausting. The exhibition’s keeper even wants to give him a little gift. That’s nice. Thank you for the exhibition. She is really beautiful. Paris is successful for Juliette. In two hours, It’s the opening. Now for her, it’s nothing but happiness. From April to September, Versailles celebrates the great musical waters. 55 fountains and more than 600 water features, a success that we owe to the fountain engineers. So actually, we are doing, to check all the pools, of… To make it as beautiful as possible for the weekend. So we’re going to clean up the sheaves, the jets, then weed, to make it perfect. Louis XIV was a water megalomaniac. Mastering it has always been a symbol of power. It’s a bit like the blood of the castle, It brings the park to life. Before each great water show, Guillaume and his team have to check nearly 32 pools. Often, there are leaves that block or even more fish. Often fish too. And then there, logically, There is a 100 euro coin in a basin. Friday, There was a storm and a tourist lost a 100 euro note. But I can’t believe it. Guillaume enjoys working among tourists and park regulars. They too, sometimes exuberant. Yes, This is my first time and it’s very nice. impressive and fantastic. You see, look at this. The Sun King. He is there, in full… Everyone is going. Not for me especially, but for everyone. Yes, It’s true. So, that’s it, Bertheil. The day of great waters. William, from morning to night, walks through the park with a strange tool in his hand. A key to reading. That’s what they used to open the fountains back then too. And there, we open the valve like a robin at home and it springs forth. Guillaume will repeat the age-old gesture of the fountain-makers who, as the king passes, opened each of the valves. The filling of the Neptune basin brings together at the end of the day many spectators. All the fountain operators will open the valves in a synchronized manner. Each group has a radio, we’ll have a top and off we go, we all open at the same time, that it makes a nice impression on those opposite. And there will also be the big GQ to go up, which rises to 27 meters. Change of outfit for Guillaume. But where does he come in with his expert outfit? In a crime zone? We are in the Fountain Makers’ workshop. For him and his companions, it is a question of avoiding any risk of contamination. Guillaume works with lead sheet in the old-fashioned way. He shapes the interior of one of Neptune’s vases. Based on historical research, Fountain operators are reinventing the gesture. The elders perpetuate the tradition of companions of duty. Their goal? Keep the hydraulic installations as they were in the king’s time. Here, It’s a bit like our museum. This is where we store all our treasures. These hydraulic relics serve as a model for making new parts. There, it’s happening. A very complicated piece to make, so that takes time. Valve, conduct, pipeline, faucet, gutter, decorative elements, ornamental, drawn, sculpted, still hammered with lead sheet. This is the whole story of the fountains of the Palace of Versailles. It is a goldsmith’s work. We try to do the methods they had at the time. We’re getting there, it holds. After, we have to see if in 50 years, it will always be there. Winter is used to carry out major works. Back to the Neptune basin with Olivier, he too is a fountain maker. He was kind enough to take us to visit an exceptional place. Where are you taking this? Below Neptune. Everything that tourists don’t see. From underneath. And do you sometimes work there? Often, because there are leaks, There are things that need to be put back in place. It can be very diverse. No safety barrier? Beneath the gardens of Versailles lies an incredible set of galleries. Enormous human efforts were required by the King’s Fountain Maker to create these pipes. And there we can see it’s all the power supply of Neptune. So sometimes we have to go and work below that sometimes. to change a valve or something, so we have to crawl and there we can arrive under the Neptune group here too there so sometimes we even found a dead fox too so working with the fox skeleton next to it, it was not obvious We arrive right between the statues. Between the statues, Yes. Here we are squarely in the Neptune group. There we realize the size that it has, because it’s true that when you see it from afar, it doesn’t feel like it’s that big. You can still see the size of the foot, it’s huge. It’s true that it’s huge. We can see details that we don’t necessarily see from afar. And this, it’s really… Me, I find it very pretty, hair, all that. It’s not very damaged. It’s a little bit aged with the color. But hey, I think it’s going to be around for a long, long time yet. Formerly, a whole machinery, pump, mill, reservoir allowed water to be pumped up from the Grand Canal. We don’t realize it like that, but below, It is… It’s very big, What. And it all happened underground. So from here, starting from the south side, we could go through the galleries to the north side. And we could also go all the way to the bottom of the park. There are about 2 km of gallery. Three centuries later, These cast iron pipes still work. At the time of the king, the consumption of the fountains required 6300 m3 per hour and the spectacle of the great waters lasted three hours. We have arrived, and so this is the underground reservoir, and so it is a water reserve for the fountains. We clean it once a year and when it’s empty it’s impressive. And that’s from that era. You can hear a little bit of water flowing. This is when it’s full and this is when it’s empty. And there we can see the different color, This is the water level. The king’s megalomania for water had led him to request the realization of a pharaonic project. The deviation of a part of the hourly course distant 83 km. A titanic project where everything was done by hand, with 16,000 wheelbarrows and an army of 22,000 soldiers. But given the scale of the task and the thousands of deaths by accident, The site was abandoned in 1690. I’m going to do something quite amazing for you, This is where you can see the design of the old period galleries. And just there on my left… a new gallery has been created. The galleries are now made of concrete, they are like that. I didn’t believe in Versailles. It’s true that it looks a bit like a science fiction setting, but not at all, It’s below Versailles. And so there we can see, we go down to the bottom of the park and we arrive at the chariot of Apollo. No, it’s not the hall of mirrors, This is the technical gallery. Olivier saved the best for last. Climbing this ladder, we arrive under the Aton basin, in the so-called spider’s entrails. We call it the spider. And it still works, Of course. So there, This is all about powering the dome. So, the statues that spit water. It’s all about nutrition. That, so far it’s holding. So as long as it holds, we don’t touch it. When it lets go, we will recreate a room. We are waiting for the leak in fact. We are waiting for the leak, quite. We are waiting for the leak to be repaired. We do everything to keep them as long as possible, for future generations. that they still have the opportunity to see the fountains in operation. But we are working on it to keep it in good condition. A few steps away, another place hidden in the middle of nature, in Marie-Antoinette’s English garden. On an artificial island, a belvedere, This is where we find Alain Baraton. There, we are heading towards the Marantonette cave, which is certainly the place that has most made all those interested in history fantasize, I was going to say parallel of Versailles, to the naughty story. The cave is not too badly hidden, and it is a joy on the other hand, when we finally get there, because this cave has something quite astonishing and quite moving about it. Mare Antoinette enters this cave and can sit on this bench carved into the stone. This bench which was previously covered with moss. Already, we see that there is an entrance in this cave, of course, but also a staircase which allows you to escape by quickly going to the heights of the garden. There was also, and that’s what’s quite subtle, just on my right, a hole. So all anyone had to do was sit where I am. We look into the hole that was provided for this purpose, which allows anyone who arrives to see outside, so that one of the two immediately flees through the upper door, and a completely normal appearance, and doesn’t seem surprised. It’s simply a place, I was going to say, a place of seduction for rich little girls, simply, but a place that has a soul, an emotion, a musketeer, if I judge by your boots. I love boots. Are you coming for an appointment with the gentleman? No, No, No. No but, I regret it. In October 1789, It was in this cave that a page came to warn the queen that the revolutionaries were at the gates of Versailles. I’m filming Marie-Antoinette, and what am I saying here? Many claim to have seen it. Me, personally, I looked for it and didn’t find it. So I still have a horrible doubt. But there have been serious testimonies. We often think of these two English women who, exactly, saw the ghost of Marie Antoinette in the exact location where we are now. Ladies? Haven’t you seen Marie Antoinette’s ghost? We didn’t look, but we did it all. I believe that all these places full of history, as long as there aren’t many people, as soon as night comes, Many people report having felt feelings… particular, having felt a curious atmosphere and if one is a little bit emotional, Well, it doesn’t take much to make you feel like you’ve seen or caught a glimpse of a ghost. One of the castle guards, recently traumatized by a strange vision, asked to no longer do night rounds. This is not yet the case for Philippe, too busy escorting the last visitors to the exit. Closure of the park at 6 p.m. Please approach the exits. Good evening. If you would like to come out this way, Yes, It’s going to be closed there. Good day sir, I’m closing right away, All right ? I close, are you going out that way? Ok, I’ll wait for you and then I’ll close. Here is the little family, Good evening. What time does it close then? Yeah, 6pm yeah. Good evening, Good evening ladies and gentlemen, Goodbye. So, go ahead sir. For us too, It’s time to take leave. We will have glimpsed for a moment, the hidden face of a flamboyant universe, thanks to Philippe and the other little hands of Versailles, who are thus striving to preserve the castle, its masterpieces and its gigantic park, despite the revolutions and upheavals of history.