Editing Louis XIV (section)

===Patronage of the arts===
[[File:Portrait de Louis XIV entouré des arts et des sciences.jpg|thumb|left|Painting from 1667 depicting Louis as patron of the fine arts]]
[[File:Cour de Marbre du Château de Versailles October 5, 2011.jpg|thumb|left|The ''Cour royale'' and the ''Cour de marbre'' at Versailles]]
{{See also|Louis&nbsp;XIV style}}
Louis supported the royal court of France and those who worked under him. He brought the {{Lang|fr|[[Académie Française]]|italic=no}} under his patronage and became its "Protector". He promoted classical French literature by protecting such writers as [[Molière]], [[Jean Racine|Racine]], and [[Jean de La Fontaine|La Fontaine]]. Louis also patronised the visual arts by funding and commissioning artists such as [[Charles Le Brun]], [[Pierre Mignard]], [[Antoine Coysevox]], and [[Hyacinthe Rigaud]]. Composers and musicians such as [[Jean-Baptiste Lully]], [[Jacques Champion de Chambonnières]], and [[François Couperin]] thrived. In 1661, Louis founded the [[Académie Royale de Danse]], and in 1669, the [[Paris Opera|Académie d'Opéra]], important events in the evolution of ballet. He also attracted, supported and patronized such artists as [[André Charles Boulle]], who revolutionised [[marquetry]] with his art of [[inlay]], today known as "[[Boulle work]]". Always on the lookout for new talent, the king launched music competitions: in 1683, [[Michel-Richard de Lalande]] thus became deputy master of the Royal Chapel, composing his ''Symphonies for the Soupers du Roy'' along with 77 large scale ''Grand Motets''.{{Citation needed|date=March 2025}}

Over the course of four building campaigns, Louis converted a hunting lodge commissioned by Louis{{Nbsp}}XIII into the spectacular [[Palace of Versailles]]. Except for the current Royal Chapel (built near the end of his reign), the palace achieved much of its current appearance after the third building campaign, which was followed by an official move of the royal court to Versailles on 6 May 1682. Versailles became a dazzling, awe-inspiring setting for state affairs and the reception of foreign dignitaries. At Versailles, the king alone commanded attention.

[[File:LouisXIV-Bernini.jpg|thumb|Bust of Louis{{Nbsp}}XIV by [[Gianlorenzo Bernini]]]]

Several reasons have been suggested for the creation of the extravagant and stately palace, as well as the relocation of the monarchy's seat. The memoirist [[Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint-Simon|Saint-Simon]] speculated that Louis viewed Versailles as an isolated power centre where treasonous cabals could be more readily discovered and foiled.<ref name="fordham">{{Cite web |last=Halsall |first=Paul |date=August 1997 |title=Modern History Sourcebook: Duc de Saint-Simon: The Court of Louis XIV |url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/17stsimon.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410084543/http://www.fordham.edu/HALSALL/mod/17stsimon.html |archive-date=10 April 2008 |access-date=19 January 2008 |website=Internet Modern History Sourcebook |publisher=History Department of Fordham University}}</ref> There has also been speculation that the revolt of the ''Fronde'' caused Louis to hate Paris, which he abandoned for a country retreat, but his sponsorship of many public works in Paris, such as the establishment of a police force and of street-lighting,{{Sfn|Dunlop|2000|pp=242–251}} lend little credence to this theory. As a further example of his continued care for the capital, Louis constructed the {{lang|fr|[[Les Invalides|Hôtel des Invalides]]}}, a military complex and home to this day for officers and soldiers rendered infirm either by injury or old age. While pharmacology was still quite rudimentary in his day, the ''Invalides'' pioneered new treatments and set new standards for hospice treatment. The conclusion of the [[Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (1668)|Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle]] in 1668 also induced Louis to demolish Paris's northern walls in 1670 and replace them with wide tree-lined boulevards.{{Sfn|Dunlop|2000|p=247}}

Louis renovated and improved the [[Palais du Louvre|Louvre]] and other royal residences. [[Gian Lorenzo Bernini]] was originally to plan additions to the Louvre; however, his plans would have meant the destruction of much of the existing structure, replacing it with an Italian summer [[villa]] in the centre of Paris. Bernini's plans were eventually shelved in favour of the elegant [[Louvre Colonnade]] designed by three Frenchmen: [[Louis Le Vau]], [[Charles Le Brun]], and [[Claude Perrault]]. With the relocation of the court to Versailles, the Louvre was given over to the arts and the public.{{Sfn|Bluche|1986|p=497}}
During his visit from Rome, Bernini also executed a renowned [[Bust of Louis XIV (Bernini)|portrait bust]] of the king.