I Am Louis XIV

Sunday, July 5, 2020 - A Fool’s Travels in France (4)

Anyone who wants to go to France must go to Paris, and anyone who wants to go to Paris must go to Versailles.

Being a poor and bold person, I was not prepared to pay a travel agency 65 euros to take me from Paris to Versailles, but of course, to save this small fee, the price I gave was 12 euros for a train ticket Because getting lost changed from three kilometers to thirty kilometers of walking and a pair of feet were bleeding from wearing new shoes that didn't fit and from walking a long distance.

My initial idea was correct, because after getting off the train, you can see a large pedestrian walkway shaded by layers of greenery - the left and right sides of this walkway are inlaid with two pairs of brass wires one palm wide. , they were originally four tracks. In the 17th and 18th centuries, when people still needed to use horse-drawn carriages to travel, there were thousands of visitors to Versailles every day. Louis XIV ordered engineers to build a tracked carriageway here. , and it is also a double carriageway.

But since the birth of the automobile, this track has been abandoned, but as you know, the French are crazy about everything Louis XIV, and they try to preserve everything related to the Sun King as much as possible , so they pried up the four tracks, poured cement inside, and then reinstalled the overturned tracks. The original track was a U-shape with an upward opening, but when turned over, it became a flat wide copper wire.

Now the road is only for walking, and as far as I can see, all the people are trying to avoid the copper wires on the road as much as possible. Of course, they are not all French, or to be clear, most of them are Foreigners, but even the most rude Americans... Hey, you know, for the so-called freedom, they can do the most stupid and despicable things, but here, they have to be honest- I think it has something to do with some kind of rumor.

I looked around. It is said that Versailles has the largest number of retired soldiers. Perhaps the Sun King first established a standing army and selected soldiers from Versailles. Therefore, most people in Versailles and nearby Limoges choose to join the military after graduating from high school or college. jobs, even ladies are no exception.

Anyone who dares to act recklessly in Versailles will receive a good beating immediately, immediately and immediately.

I gotta say it's really gratifying.

Follow the flow of people and walk forward for a few minutes, and you will see forked paths. There are cafes or restaurants, bookstores, souvenir shops, etc. with white walls and dark blue awnings on the roadside, but I did not go there. Go inside, because from here, we can see the Palace of Versailles.

The Palace of Versailles has a very famous nickname, "Gold, Silver, Ivory and Crystal." Needless to say, gold and silver are the gold and silver foil and ornaments decorated on the door frames and window frames. The ivory refers to the steps starting from the steps. , the white marble that extends to the ground, pillars, and ends at the ceiling. As time goes by, these marbles have become slightly yellowed due to the corrosion of air and water vapor, but they have a more warm and elegant charm than the original pure white. , and this palace, which is as huge as a small city, seems to be built of ivory.

Crystal is the ubiquitous glass and mirror in the Palace of Versailles. When the Sun King built the Palace of Versailles, the prices of glass and mirrors were not as cheap as they are now, although in legend, Louis XIV sold his soul to the devil. , relying on the help of wizards, great progress has been made in the production of glass and mirrors, but we all know that is just nonsense - I think this king who has always been tolerant and keen must be lucky enough to meet some unscrupulous people. A craftsman or scholar who knows a lot but has both talents.

It’s not far from the train station to the foot of the Palace of Versailles, which is what I said, about three kilometers. Then, from here you can see the famous 339 steps, which is about fifteen floors. Or the height of sixteen floors. This height is not very friendly to the elderly, children and disabled people. Someone once proposed to install an elevator on the left or right side of the Palace of Versailles, but although this proposal is required every year Raptured once or twice, maybe more, but never through.

So here you can see another interesting sight, which is the same protest crowd that is always here like Versailles.

Next, it was time for me to be stupid. Originally, like everyone else, I could have safely walked along the 339 steps to achieve my biggest long-cherished wish in the past twelve years, but my curiosity did not I was not allowed to do this - I saw a group of Americans wearing brightly colored translucent sun protection clothing, hats, and sneakers that exposed their hairy legs, walking in the other direction.

As we all know, Versailles was originally a swamp. After buying Versailles, starting from Louis XIII, the kings continued to burn down the dense forests and fill in the swamp. When Louis XIV was planning to build a new palace, someone suggested that he build the original swamp. The hunting palace was expanded, but Louis XIV did not agree. He chose another vast place, which is here.

It is not far from the original hunting palace. Although it is also a depression, it is connected to the hills. This is why the Grand Canal of Versailles can divert water directly from the Seine River without the need for elevated aqueducts.

What these Americans plan to do is not to climb the steps like others, but to climb up the gentler slope on the right, and then go north to the junction of the Grand Canal and the Seine River, and then go to Versailles from there. Palace walk, that is - the opposite of other tourists.

I thought this was a really good idea at the time. You guys, just think I was possessed by the devil.

It looked like only a small section on the map, but that was not the case in the real world. We started to find another way around 1 p.m., thinking that we would reach the destination in an hour or two, but who knew we would reach the end of the road all the way to the sun? The mountains were setting, the surroundings became dark and I couldn’t see the Grand Canal. Damn it, Versailles has nearly 10 million tourists every year. Where are the people? Why are we alone here?

At that time, we were tired, hungry and thirsty, and we didn’t want to say anything. I was thinking about sleeping rough all night and then seeing if I should call the police, but I looked around, trying to find a flat place. Then I saw the light.

I was almost certain that it was God answering my prayers. I ran away. Oh my God, it was not an illusion. It was a small chapel.

I didn’t even know how there was a small chapel here. There was a very kind priest inside. He received us and gave us water, bread, cheese, and some ready-to-eat ham. After I devoured it, I had time to take a closer look— —This is a chapel, no doubt, but its magnificence is not inferior to the Saint-Louis Chapel I saw in Paris. It must also be a Gothic building, because I saw the vaults and curved ribs. The base walls were at least ten feet long and there were no windows, all of which required looking up.

Those huge stained glass windows - for a moment I couldn't tell which story the windows depicted, it should be a saint.

I started looking at the first flower window, which depicts a swaddling baby and his mother, surrounded by angels, holding a crown, a scepter, and a holy ball respectively. This is to say, the baby in the picture , should be a king or an emperor, but apart from St. Louis, I don’t know any other king who has been canonized... When I was about to guess whether this king was St. Louis, I saw that the flower window was surrounded by red The Golden Castle, I have seen this pattern on the coat of arms of the Portuguese royal family.

etc! This is so strange. Behind the most magnificent crown in France in Versailles, there is a small chapel related to the Portuguese royal family?

I regained a little strength, stood up, and looked at one flower window after another - the second flower window showed a lonely little king, sitting alone on the throne, with countless ministers under him, but No one looked at him, they only looked at the lady beside him. Now I can guess that she is the king's mother, the Queen Mother. It is not uncommon for the Queen Mother to serve as regent for her young son, but I also noticed that the Queen Mother The Queen Mother, neither in the first nor the second picture, looked at the little king. In the first picture she looked at the ground, and in the second picture she looked at another baby.

In the third picture of the flower window, the queen mother disappeared, and a minister stood beside the adult king. The ministers' eyes finally fell on the king.

I don't know why I felt a vague sense of unreasonable joy, but after a few minutes, my heart became heavy. The king fell. He was no longer surrounded by ministers and generals, only servants and doctors.

The fifth picture is confusing because at the king's bedside, the bishop is administering the last sacraments to him, and the servants are weeping, but the king's hand is stretched out from under the sheets and placed on the head of a young girl, the girl's wet nurse In one corner of the painting, a hand is stretched out, as if praying and ready to take the girl away.

In the sixth picture, I saw a king and his queen. They were wearing royal blue robes with golden lilies, crowns on their heads, and holding hands. Behind them was a small chapel—could it be this French couple? The king and queen built this chapel?

"This is Louis XV and his wife, Princess Isabella of Portugal, who is also Louis XV's queen."

I turned around and saw the priest who had just received us, and the Americans were following him. They must be curious, and so was I.

"May I know," I asked, "for whom they built this chapel?"

"King Alfonso VI of Portugal." The priest said. This name felt strange to me. The priest smiled, obviously he understood my feelings. The Sun King single-handedly suppressed the kings of his generation like daylight. As dim as the stars and the moon, most people may only remember Leopold I, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, because he tried his best to be a lifelong enemy of Louis XIV, and perhaps King Ludwig I of Poland, because of this This guy is legendary enough. He is a relative of the Sun King, but he once had the intention of usurping the throne, and later he became a treasonous traitor. He also fought against France as a Spanish general... In the end, Louis XIV had nothing to do with it. He hesitated and sent him to the throne of Poland.

Although everyone now understands that this is just a Habsburg-style operation... In any case, the Polish royal family is still surnamed Bourbon in 2020. But everyone must sigh, the Sun King's ambition and courage are indeed unmatched.

"Alfonso VI is the uncle of Queen Isabella, the mother of the princess, and the daughter of the Duke of Savoy. She was once the wife of Alfonso VI, but later Alfonso VI was infertile and the engagement was declared invalid. , and later she married Alfonso VI's younger brother, Pedro II." An American girl suddenly added, when everyone was looking at her, she shrugged, "I quite like the Sun King Yes, so I read some history related to him.”

"I like the Sun King too," another girl said, "but I really don't know who Alfonso VI is."

"What a pitiful person." said the girl from before.

"But why did Queen Isabella build a chapel for her uncle here?" An American boy asked my doubts.

The girl hesitated, and she glanced at the priest carefully: "I'm not sure if that's true, maybe it's just a rumor." The priest didn't speak, and the girl looked at the flower window - the second to last one, almost covered by bed sheets. People who are completely covered up.

"It is said that at that time, the Sun King was choosing a wife for the crown prince Louis-Princess Isabella was also within the selection range at that time, and the possibility was very high, and Portugal was in urgent need of a French queen, but the problem was that at that time, Alfonso Although Alfonso VI was ill, he was still alive. He was alive, and Pedro II was the regent. No one knew when Alfonso VI, or someone who borrowed his name, would transfer Pedro II to the throne. Sera steps down from the throne, and by then, Princess Isabella will be just a prisoner's daughter..."

I and others immediately understood what she meant, and I suddenly felt that this chapel was colder than ever before - "Many people went to 'visit' Alfonso VI who was under house arrest, including the Queen Mother and the Archbishop of Lisbon. But Alfonso VI never meant to go to hell voluntarily..." The girl's eyes stayed on the flower window. The young girl had her back to people, but you could see how frightened she was. Almost curled up.

"Later, Alfonso VI died from drinking too much strong wine, but it is said that he blessed Princess Isabella before his death."

After the girl finished speaking, the chapel fell into silence. After a while, someone sighed: "In other words, without his sacrifice, Princess Isabella would not be able to become the queen of France..." He paused After a while, Queen Isabella also has a place in the history books - the medical system and public school system founded by the Sun King were inherited and even further popularized by this queen who was once questioned everywhere, so her portrait is sometimes better than her Her husband Louis XV was even more common.

Some people whispered: "No wonder Queen Isabella and Louis XV built a chapel for him. He really deserves it. This is simply the behavior of a saint."

"His Majesty Louis XV and His Majesty the Queen did intend to seek the opportunity for canonization of Alfonso VI, but unfortunately, the church was in a major turmoil at that time, and the matter was delayed." The priest suddenly said: " But Queen Isabella’s descendants never gave up—perhaps this year you will see a new saint canonized.”

The crowd suddenly became slightly commotion, and I was also surprised. I didn't expect to witness the birth of a new saint here by accident.

"So that thing is true?" one person asked.

In response to this rude question, the priest just smiled and did not answer: "You can rest here tonight," he said: "Tomorrow I will take you to the Grand Canal."

The next day, the priest took us to the Grand Canal. It turned out that this chapel was located in the woods at the junction of the Grand Canal and the Seine River. It was an inaccessible place. We were so lucky.

The priest never asked me to keep it secret. I feel that I should still record this incident. Although it has little to do with the Sun King and Versailles, but... I feel that among the dim stars under the brilliance of the Sun King , although this star fell quickly, its last moment of flash...

very beautiful.