Saint-Louis Cathedral of Versailles

Visit description

Built under the reign of Louis XV, Saint-Louis Cathedral of Versailles is an elegant testimony to 18th-century religious architecture. Its style shifts between Rocaille and Neoclassicism, reflecting changing tastes during its construction. Made a cathedral after the Revolution, it has retained a noble, balanced appearance.

Its Latin-cross plan contains remarkable furnishings and period artworks. From the Chapel of the Virgin to the transept paintings, each space invites you to discover the religious history of the royal city and devotion to Saint Louis.

---

Tour audio guide

---

Visit plan

Step 1: The holy-water stoups

Notice the shell-shaped stoups carved by Hersent at the entrance to the nave.

Step 2: The baptismal font chapel

Discover the marble basin and the Paschal candle symbolising baptism.

Step 3: The Stations of the Cross

Follow the wooden reliefs on the pillars recounting Christ’s Passion.

Step 4: The churchwarden’s pew and the pulpit

Admire the 18th-century pulpit and the pew once reserved for the parish administrators.

Step 5: The modern altar

Observe the pewter altar beneath the dome, symbolising the Trinity and the Holy Crown.

Step 6: The west transept

Stop before the large painting of the Adoration of the Shepherds by Jean Restout.

Step 7: The Saint Louis Chapel

Pray or pause before the reliquary containing bones of King Saint Louis.

Step 8: The Chapel of the Virgin

Enter this bright chapel at the chevet, home to a statue of Mary offered after an epidemic.

Step 9: The former high altar

Contemplate the tabernacle surmounted by a cross—the most sacred place in the church.

Step 10: The grand organ

Finish by looking up at the majestic Clicquot organ, listed as a historic monument.