The Palace at Versailles stands today as one of the greatest architectural achievements of the Baroque era.  The text note, "French architecture was designed to convey the absolute power of the monarchy.  From the moment that Louis XIV initiated the project at Versailles, it was understood that the new palace must be unequaled in grandeur, unparalleled in scale and size, and unsurpassed in lavish decoration and ornament" (Sayre, 2015, p. 745). 

After reading the few pages of the text on Versailles, and watching the two short videos (6 min.), comment on your responses to Versailles.  You might consider these achievements from the standpoint of the nobles and royalty, many of whom worked at Versailles and served the King and Queen.  But also, you might reflect on what the common people thought from nearby Paris (or the rest of France), many of whom were poor and needy, and who resented that a major part of the French national budget went to Versailles. 

Sources:

The Humanities text, pp. 745-748

Please view these two short videos on Versailles:

Versailles, from Louis XIII to the French Revolution (3 ½ min.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X235vpOToVU

Versailles, from Gardens to Trianon Palaces (2 ½ min.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj6JCwiZlck