Madame Du Barry's restored apartment at the Château de Versailles opens to visitors

You've heard of the Grand Appartement du Roi or the Queen's, the Dauphin's or the Hameau de la Reine Marie-Antoinette, but have you heard of theapartment of the Countess Madame Du Barry? Located close to the King's small apartments (with direct access to the bedroom for Louis XV), on the floor just above, nestles the sumptuous rooms where the last mistress of King Louis XV, known as the Beloved, once stayed.

Closed since February 2021, this apartment has undergone a major restoration to restore its original charm and, above all, its intimate, delicate character. It took no less than 18 months and some fifty craftsmen to overcome the aging paintwork and damage caused by damp ceilings and climatic variations.

The apartment is located on the second floor of the Château. It is accessed via the King's Step and an anteroom that leads to a small, discreet library.

The apartment reveals 3 adjoining rooms that were once the king's study, leading from the dining room to the bedroom just above the king's, with a bed replica of the original.

We love the pink-panelled antechamber to the baths, the large cabinet with its gilded window alcoves, and the dining room with its green Martin varnish.

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At Madame Du Barry's request, the main rooms were decorated in the princely colors of white and gold. On the bangs of the court, the King's favorite decorated the premises with refinement, bringing in fashionable furniture and objets d'art.

Restored to their original condition, these decorations reflect the taste of the 18th century. At the same time, the apartment is being refurnished to give you a sense of what the rooms were like when the Countess lived there. As the original furnishings are scattered all over the world, more or less contemporary works from this period, already present in the château, are being used to recreate what the apartment once looked like.

Madame Du Barry, whose real name was Jeanne Bécu, also known as "Mademoiselle Vaubernier", was a commoner. In order to make her the mistress of the widowed King Louis XV in 1768, the Count du Barry-Cérès had her marry his brother, Guillaume Du Barry, so that she could join the nobility at Versailles. She was the king's last mistress after Madame la Marquise de Pompadour, who died of tuberculosis.

This intimate apartment can only be visited on guided tours in small groups. It reflects the tastes of Madame du Barry, , as well as those of the Dauphine Marie Joseph de Sax, to whom the apartment was dedicated until her death in 1767. Madame Du Barry took possession of the premises in 1770 and remained there until 1774, after the death of the king, when she was driven out by Louis XVI.

In short, to (re)discover this apartment and its beautiful, colorful rooms, some of which have been restored to their former glory, remember to book a guided tour in addition to your regular tour ticket, whether you're paying for it or not. And, of course, you can also visit the exhibition Louis XV, passions d'un roi (Louis XV, passions of a king).