Due to the expected heat wave, the “Gardens of the Enlightenment” exhibition at the Grand Trianon will be closed on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
On Saturday, July 11, and Sunday, July 12, the Palace, the Coach Gallery, and the Sculpture Gallery will close at 4:30 p.m. (last admission at 3:45 p.m.). The Trianon Estate will close at 4:15 p.m. (last admission at 3:30 p.m.); the St. Antoine Gate will not be open to cars.
We invite you to adjust the pace of your visit and take advantage of the estate’s cooler areas (Orangery, Coach Gallery, groves, etc.).

 

Heat wave at Versailles
André Japy

André Japy 1883-1960

© Roger-Viollet

Architect-in-chief of the Palace of Versailles 1883-1960

André Japy was appointed architect-in-chief at Versailles in 1941, with the palace still occupied by the German army. He took up the post vacated by his colleague Patrice Bonnet.

Full Name
André Jacques Louis Japy

Profession
Architect at the Palace of Versailles from 1922 to 1931
Architect-in-chief of the Palace of Versailles from 1941 to 1954

Lasting impact on Versailles
Royal Opera House

Predecessor
Patrice Bonnet

Having previously worked as an architect at the Palace of Versailles from 1922 to 1931, André Japy returned a decade later to take up the role of architect-in-chief. In the meantime he had held the same post at the Domaine de Saint-Cloud and the Château de Rambouillet. Japy returned to the palace to find it occupied by the German army.

Second World War

From 1941 onwards, André Japy worked closely with head curator Charles Mauricheau-Beaupré to reorganise and restore the palace despite the pressure of wartime.

After the war

Japy remained at the palace until his retirement in 1954, overseeing many successful restoration projects including work on the Private Chambers of Louis XV and the Royal Opera House, whose official inauguration on 9 April 1957 was attended by French President René Coty and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

André Japy died in Versailles on 4 March 1960.

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