The Dauphin was 17 years old when he married his second wife Marie-Josèphe de Saxe. He was still devastated by the loss of his first wife 6 months earlier.
To make life easier it was decided to move away from the apartment the Dauphin had shared with his late wife on the first floor. The original Dauphin’s apartment which he had occupied as a child was renovated for the young couple.
Each had their own apartment with a suite of rooms. They shared a bathroom. A small corridor had been installed so that the Dauphin could move discreetly from the “Grand Cabinet” next to his bedroom directly to Marie-Josèphe’s bedroom.
The Dauphin and Dauphine occupied this apartment for 18 years. The marriage was very happy.
Restoration work was going on in their apartment at Versailles during the court’s annual stay at Fontainebleau. The Dauphine fell ill while he was there and died at the age of 36.
*The Dauphin’s apartments closed in October 2020 for renovation, which will last one year. On the website—www.chateauversailles.fr/actualites/vie-domaine.restauration-appartement-dauphin you will find a video of Frédéric Didier, the Architect in Chief, walking through the now empty apartment, describing the work. Even if you can’t follow it in French, it is an interesting virtual visit, with the original boiseries playing a starring role in the empty rooms.
