The Royal Tennis Court
On Gingerguide's self-guided Versailles audio tour, The Royal Tennis Court is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Versailles Versailles guide
About The Royal Tennis Court
A plain royal tennis court where, on a June afternoon in 1789, breathless deputies crowded in and swore not to separate until France had a written constitution.
The Salle du Jeu de Paume is a royal real-tennis court built in 1686, a privately owned hall where the king and his courtiers played jeu de paume, an ancestor of modern tennis. On 20 June 1789 it entered history. Deputies of the Third Estate, who had proclaimed themselves the National Assembly on 17 June, found their usual meeting place, the Salle des Menus-Plaisirs, closed by royal order to prepare the séance royale of 23 June. They gathered instead in this nearby court and swore the Tennis Court Oath, led by their president Jean-Sylvain Bailly, vowing not to disband until France had a written constitution.
The bare hall was reopened as a monument to the Revolution in 1883. A statue of Bailly by René de Saint-Marceaux stands inside. The large oath painting on the gable is an 1883 reproduction by Luc-Olivier Merson of David's unfinished composition.
Did you know? The dramatic oath painting on the end wall is a fake in the best sense: Jacques-Louis David never finished his masterpiece, so in 1883 Luc-Olivier Merson painted this full-size reproduction from the surviving sketches.
How much time do you need at The Royal Tennis Court?
Around ~30 min works well for The Royal Tennis Court — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at The Royal Tennis Court?
Yes — The Royal Tennis Court made the cut as one of 15 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Versailles. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Versailles
Day 1 of the Versailles in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of The Royal Tennis Court
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