A new chapter in Château de La Dauphine’s shared history with the Château de Versailles

A new chapter in Château de La Dauphine’s shared history with the Château de Versailles

The Château de Versailles officially reopened the Dauphin and Dauphine’s apartments on 15 April 2019.

One Dauphine – Two Châteaux

Maria-Josepha of Saxony was born in 1731 in Dresden, Germany
The daughter of the king of Poland, in 1747 she married Louis, Dauphin of France, the son and heir to Louis XV

. As his wife, her title was Dauphine of France, and she was to become one of the most important figures of the period, since the future of the kingdom rested on her shoulders.
Gentle and intelligent, she quickly became popular at the Court of Versailles and was a favourite with King Louis XV, her father-in-law, who called her “Pepa“.

Since her husband, the Dauphin of France, died young of tuberculosis she never became queen, but she did give birth to several children
and as a result was the mother of the last three Kings of France: Louis XVI, Louis XVIII and Charles X.

In around 1750, she was invited to the Château de La Dauphine by the owner at that time, Jean de Richon, a councillor at the Court of Versailles.
In memory of her stay at the property, she granted it her title.

The wines of Fronsac at the Court of Versailles

Cardinal Richelieu acquired the Duchy of Fronsac in 1634, the title of duke passing not very long afterwards to his great nephew Louis-François-Armand de Vignerot du Plessis in the 18th century.

The Duke of Fronsac was a libertine and a diligent courtier at the Château de Versailles, appreciated by his peers for his feats of chivalry and admired by women

A bon vivant who appreciated the good things in life, he supplied the king’s table with wines from the Duchy of Fronsac
Fronsac’s wines soon rose in popularity among the other nobles, to such an extent that they become the most expensive wines in France!
They were praised both for their complexity and their “therapeutic properties”
In a letter to the Intendant of Guyenne, the wines of Fronsac are mentioned as a favourite of the Dauphine for calming the stomach

La Dauphine returns to Versailles

The Château de Versailles officially reopened the Dauphin and Dauphine’s apartments on 15 April 2019.

These apartments on the ground floor were reserved for members of the royal family
Their current layout corresponds to the period when they were lived in by Louis XV’s son, Louis the Dauphin of France and his second wife, Maria-Josepha of Saxony, between 1747 1765.
It was in one of these rooms that the Dauphine of France gave birth to the three last kings of France.

Château de La Dauphine was greatly honoured that, on account of this direct link with the Château de Versailles’ history, it’s 2010 vintage was chosen as the sole fine wine that was truly appropriate to accompany the magnificent inaugural evening, in the presence of France’s Minister of Culture, Franck Riester and the President of the Château de Versailles, Catherine Pégard.

Jean-Claude Labrune

The gallery of great battles – Château de Versailles
Magnum 2010 Château de La Dauphine
Inaugural evening
Inaugural evening
Marie-Josèphe de Saxe – Dauphine of France & mother of the last 3 kings of France
Stéphanie Barousse – Head manager & Jean-Claude Labrune

Comments are closed.