VEROVICZ. 



VERSAILLES. 



11,000 volume* snd about MO manuscripts, amonif which is a palimp- 

 rst of the Institute* of < iaiu-. In tliin library Petrarch dlxcovered 

 Ckero Entitles 'd fmilinre.' Many private collections of paintin-B, 

 isiln*""* anil booki which onee enriched Veronix have been Hold. 



The Teatro Filamionico of V croon i* handsome structure ; in 

 the court and under the portico i Maflei's collection of Etruscan and 

 oUMT inscriptions, and of ancient bassi -rilievi K iven by him to hu 

 native town. The sepulchral monument* of the Delia Scala (Scalige ri) 

 family in the shape of pyramid-, surmounted by the equestrian statue* 

 of the various members of that family who were lords of Verona, are 

 remarkable object*. The pretended tomb of Juliet is still visited by 

 credaloiu travellers. 



The amphitheatre of Verona, one of the beat-preserved monuments 

 of its kind, forms one side of the Piazza di Bra. Of the outer circuit, 

 which originally consisted of 72 arches, only 4 are preserved ; but the 

 interior it nearly perfect. The arena forms an ellipse, the greater 

 axta of which U 210 fret long. The entire inclosure forms an ellipse, 

 the axes of which measure 506 and 404 feet respectively. The seats 

 afford room for 22,000 spectators. The building resembles in style 

 the Coliseum of Rome ; it is constructed of marble nnd in part of 

 brick. Another classical monument, the Arco de' Qavii, the sepulchre 

 of an ancient family, with its handsome fluted columns, was pulled 

 down in 1805 in order to clear the approaches to the citadel. The 

 rate De' Bonari was one of the entrances into Verona in the wall of 

 Oallienus, erected about A.D. 205. Although now nearly 1600 years 

 old, it stands firm and solid, spanning a crowded street of the city. 

 The 1'orta di Leone, another of the gates in the emperor's wall, ia 

 rou.h mutilated. Remains of a theatre have been discovered on the left 

 bonk of the Adige. Four bridges cross the Adige at Verona : that called 

 Di Castalvecchio is remarkable for the width of the central arch. 



Verona is a bishop's see : it has a lyceum, a ladies' college, a school 

 of drawing and painting, an academy of agriculture and commerce, 

 and a clerical seminary. Verona is the general head-quarters of the 

 Austrian army in Italy. It is altogether a very interesting city, one 

 of the first among the second class of Italian towns : the population 

 amount* to near 60,000 inhabitants. Many families of the local nobility 

 have their residence at Verona, and in the pleasant country-seats which 

 are scattered among the neighbouring hills. 



Verona was a town of the Cenomani. Livy (v. 35) says that the 

 Cenomani Gauls occupied the country previously held by the Libui, 

 in which were Brixia and Verona. Uuder the empire it produced 

 many distinguished men, such as Catullus, Pliny the elder, Vitruvius, 

 and other*. After the fall of the empire it was one of the principal 

 towns of the Longobarda. It was afterwards taken by Charlemagne. 

 In the 12th century it was a free municipal town, and joined the 

 Lombard league. In the following century it fell under the power of 

 Ezzelino da Romano, after whose death Mastino della Scala was elected 

 Podestb, about 1259. His descendants usurped the sovereign power, 

 and created the dynasty of Delia Scala, or Scaligeri, which lasted above 

 a century, until it was conquered by the Vuconti, dukes of Milan, who 

 became mailers of Verona. After thedeath of Giovanni GaleazzoVisconti, 

 Verona wo seized by Francis of Carrara, lord of Padua ; but in 1409, 

 being besieged by the Venetians, the citizens gave themselves up to 

 Venice, by a convention which secured their municipal liberties, and 

 since then Verona has formed part of the Venetian territory. 

 VKROVICZ. (.CROATIA.] 



V K1LSAI Ll.KS, capital of the department of Sciue-et-Oise in France, 

 U situated in 48 47' 56 N. lat, 2 7' 39" E. long., 11 miles by rail- 

 way W. from Paris, and had 29,975 inhabitants in the commune at 

 the cross* of 1851. 



Versailles was a mere village in the time of Louis XIII., who in 1627 

 built here a small hunting seat, which Louis XIV. converted, by his 

 vast and expensive additions (1661-1672), into the most magnificent 

 palace then in Europe. Under this prince and his successors 

 LonU XV. and XVI. Versailles was the ordinary residence of the 

 court, and the village of Versailles grew into a handsome city with 

 above 70,000 inhabitant*. 



The town is divided into two nearly equal parts by a noble avenue 

 nearly half a mile long and nearly 800 feet broad, running east and 

 wot, planted with four rows of elms, forming three alleys. The road 

 from Faria, of which this avenue forms part, enters the town on the 

 eait, immediately opposite to the palace. Before the bend at the 

 entrance of the Avenue of Paris, the road passes between the villages 

 of Grand Hontreuil on the right and Petit Uontreuil on the left : 

 UMM villages are now regarded as suburbs of Versailles. Versailles 

 iUelf is divided by the Avenue into the Quarter of St.-Louia on the 

 south side, and the Quarter of Notre-Dame on the north side. The 

 quarters are named after the parUh churches which they respectively 

 contain : the two part* are equally modern, and consist of straight 

 well built streets crossing each other at right angle*. 



Besides the Avenue of Paris, two other avenues (those of St.-Cloud 

 and Sceaux) converge to the Placed' Armcs, or parade-ground, which 

 is immediately in front of the court of the palace. These avenues 

 are all planted with fine clm, and lined with pleasant residence*. 

 Besides these venues there nre in the Quartier Notr"-D.iiue thno 

 boulevards, all planted with fine elms, and bordered with neat houses 

 and other buildings. Of the Place*, or squares, the Ploce-d'Armea is 

 the largest; the Flaee-Uoche (adorned with a statue of the general 



from whom it is named), formerly the Place-Dauphin, is the hand- 

 somest There are two market-places, and a number of fountains. 



The town front of the palace comisU of a centre and two wings, 

 inclosing three sides of a court, which is open on its fourth or east 

 side towards the Place-d'Armes. The central and principal part of 

 the palace of lx>uis XIV. also forms three sides of a quadrangle, and 

 fronts the gardens. It presents three fronts to the gardens, namely, 

 the principal front and two side-fronts, and is in advance of the rest 

 of the building; the wings, which have the same general direction as 

 the principal front of tho central building (namely north and south), 

 are thrown back about 250 or 260 feet, which is the extent of the 

 two side-front* of the central portion. The whole extent of the garden 

 front is above 1900 feet. This front is in the estimation of many 

 persons one of the grandest and most beautiful in i-xi-tcncc. It is 

 adorned with Ionic columns, 86 in number, arranged iu 1 5 colonnades 

 of 4, 6, or 8 columns, each colonnade supporting a cornice crowned 

 with as many statues a* there are columns ; and if the northern faco 

 or extremity of the north whig, and the southern face of the south 

 wing, be included, the number of columns will be augmented to 102. 

 The spaces between the colonnades are adorned with pilasters, or 

 with columns engaged in the wall ; and the attic ban dwarf pilasters 

 throughout, and is surmounted by a balustrade. Niches immediately 

 behind some of the intercolumns are occupied by statues. This 

 palace was built from the designs of J. H. Mansard. 



Immediately in front of the palace, on the west side, is the garden 

 or little park, an irregular polygon about 3 miles long from the palace 

 to its western extremity, and about 2 miles broad. It ie included in 

 the limits of the great park, which is estimated to bo from 20 to 25 

 miles in circuit. The garden was laid out by Le Notre in terraces, 

 parterres, and alleys, adorned with a profusion of statues, vases, and 

 other sculptures ; with a canal iu tha shape of a cross, and other 

 pieces of water ; and a number of fountains, which are supplied with 

 water from the Seino by the forcing-pump (substituted for the former 

 waterworks), aqueduct, and reservoirs of Marly. The fountains play 

 on the first Sunday in the month during the summer : these exhi- 

 bitions always attract crowds of spectators from Paris. The orangery 

 ia remarkable for the number and beauty of the orange-trees which 

 it contains. 



The interior of the palace was fitted up with preat cost by 

 Louis XIV. After the first French revolution, the building was neg- 

 lected. Louis Philippe completely restored the palace, and converted 

 it into a national museum, or gallery of paintings and other monu- 

 ments illustrative of different portions of the history of France, which 

 was opened to the public on the occasion of the marriage of his son, 

 the Duke of Orleans (June 10, 1 837). Adjacent to the north wing of 

 the palace, on the town side, is the chapel, which is remarkable for 

 tho beauty of its exterior, for its interior decorations, and for its many 

 historical associations. The palace-chapel, the last work of Mansard, 

 was built in the interval of 1699-1710. The theatre of Versailles, 

 called Salle-de-1'Opera, has a beautiful interior. It was commenced 

 in 1753, and opened in 1770, on the occasion of the marriage of 

 Louis XVI. It was used in his reign for court-balls, on which occasion 

 the pit was covered by a floor on a level with the stage. It was fitted 

 up in this way for an entertainment given by the king's body-guard to 

 the officers of the regiment of Flanders when it was surprised by the 

 revolutionists ; and iu this state it remained till Louis Philippe had 

 it repaired and re-opened for dramatic representations, June 10, l;-u7. 

 In 1855 it was distinguished by magnificent fetes in honour of tho 

 visit of Queen Victoria to the emperor Napoleon III. 



In the park of Versailles are the two royal seats of the Grand 

 Trianon and the Petit Trianon, with their respective gardens. The 

 Grand Trianon was built by Louis XIV. ; the Petit Trianon by 

 Louis XV. The ' English garden,' which is the great attraction of 

 the Petit Trianon, was formed by the orders of Marie Antoinette. In 

 the Place-d'Annes, opposite to the town-front of the palace, are the 

 two ranges of stables, buildings of great extent, occupying respectively 

 the spaces between the Avenue of Paris and the converging avenues of 

 St. Cloud and Sceaux. There are near the palace various other build- 

 ings, as tho Grand Commun, which hod a thousand sleeping-rooms, 

 and could lodge two thousand persons. To the south-east and south 

 of the palace are the kitchen-garden and a very large piece of water. 

 The former mansions of the master of the king's household, and of the 

 chief huntsman, are now converted respectively into the town-hall and 

 the courts of law ; the former Garde-Meuble is now the prefect's office. 

 The Tennis-court, famous for the oath taken in it by the National 

 Assembly (June 20, 1789), was used as a studio by Horace Vernet, who 

 executed here all of his paiutiugs that adorn the collection in the 

 palace. Besides these and other buildings connected with tha court 

 or the government offices, Versailles has two churches, namely, the 

 cathedral of St. Louis and the church of Notre-Dame. There is also 

 a beautiful chapel attached to the royal college, and there is a pari-h 

 church in the suburb of Moutreuil. Tho general hospital is one of 

 tho finest in France. Versailles has also an ecclesiastical school, a 

 primary normal school, a public library of 42,000 volumes, a mn 

 a free-school for drawing, an agricultural society, a theatre, baths, 

 several barracks, and :i pri -on. 



Versailles has a good corn-market, manufactures of fire-arm", files, 

 clocks and watches, jewellery, cotton-yarn, net, pastel"-iav>l, hats, 



