From April 16 until July 14, 2013, the Palace of Versailles and the Maison de Chateaubriand will be working together to present an exhibition that is sure to impress visitors in the Paris area. The exhibition is called ‘The Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre: Gifts from European royal courts to Jerusalem,’ and it will reveal more than 250 pieces illustrating the relationship between religion and power in Europe.
The treasures on display have quite an interesting history. They were originally sent to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by those who held power in Europe. Today, the works sent to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre provide one of the most complete representations of art history dating back from the 12th century.
These works are so impressive that the writer and diplomat Chateaubriand wrote a book dedicated to the holy place, with the goal of sparking new interest in the treasures. Moreover, Chateaubriand even went so far as to offer to oversee the restoration of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre after it was damaged in a major fire in 1808. It is therefore appropriate that the Maison de Chateaubriand is actively participating in this exhibition, which takes place at the Palace of Versailles.
The exhibit ‘The Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre‘ is a truly special event as it will show off hundreds of works previously unknown by the public. The works are arranged by origin, enabling visitors to comprehend the cultural and regional differences between the rulers in question — and the ways in which these differences manifest themselves through lavish displays of generosity. Guests staying at the Hôtel Louvre Marsollier can therefore discover for themselves the connections between art, beauty, power and religion by visiting the Palace of Versailles during their stay.