Come and enjoy this presentation centred on recently-taken photos of Chartres and Versailles, two outstanding locations close to Paris. Learn about their continuing significance to French cultural life. Since the Medieval period Chartres has been a centre of pilgrimage, and even before that was an important religious site. It has long been regarded as the most beautiful Gothic cathedral in France and is now undergoing considerable renovations. The Palace of Versailles is unparalleled in its beauty, and in the presentation the emphasis will be on the gardens, the Grands and Petits Trianons, and Queen Marie Antoinette and her Hamlet.

DELIVERY MODE

• Hybrid (F2F & Online simultaneously)

COURSE OUTLINE

• Chartres and its present restoration – a centre of pilgrimage since the Medieval period and a religious site from the pre-Christian era
• The Palace of Versailles – the contributions of Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette – the present re-appraisal of the reigns of these monarchs and their contributions to French cultural life
• The present-day cult of Marie Antoinette

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Distinguish the major outstanding architectural features of Chartres and Versailles and the ongoing work of preservation and restoration
2. Appreciate the changes in philosophical outlook and taste exemplified by the architecture of these two very different locations