Press kit exhibition Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre gifts from European royal courts to jerusalem the House of Chateaubriand and the Palace of Versailles www.hauts-de-seine.net www.chateauversailles.fr 2 CONTENTS Press release 3 foreword by catherine pégard and béatrix saule 5 foreword by patrick devedjian 7 AT the House of Chateaubriand 9 the works exhibited 10 the House of Chateaubriand 12 practical information 13 AT the Palace of Versailles 14 the visit circuit and the principal works 16 the scenography of the exhibition 29 the Crusades rooms 31 practical information 33 the Holy Sepulchre and the Custody of the Holy Land 34 around the exhibition 43 publications 44 guided tours and specific activities 47 visuals available for the press 49 the partners of the exhibition 55 radio classique 56 connaissance des arts 57 courrier international 58 le figaro magazine 59 historia 60 paris première 61 Versailles, 5 April 2013 press release Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre Gifts from European royal courts to Jerusalem 16 April — 14 July 2013 Palace of Versailles, Crusades rooms and House of Chateaubriand, Châtenay-Malabry PRESS CONTACTS the Palace of Versailles and the general council of the hauts-de-seine department are organising the exhibition "Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre, gifts from european royal Palace of Versailles courts to jerusalem". it presents for the first time about 250 unknown masterpieces Violaine Solari +33 (0)1 30 83 77 14 from one of the last treasures of the west, exhibited simultaneously at the palace of Behiye Altan +33 (0)1 30 83 77 03 versailles and the House of Chateaubriand. +33 (0)1 30 83 75 21 [email protected] Jerusalem, "the new centre of the world" Conseil général des Hauts-de-Seine With the spread of christianity, the centre of the world moved to Jerusalem. The faithful Grégoire Lebouc + 33 (0)1 47 29 32 32 everywhere were very quickly drawn towards the Holy Sepulchre, the place of the Resurrection of [email protected] Christ. It became the major source of the spread of the Christian mystery to the entire Western world. From the 5th century on, it became a very popular place of pilgrimage, drawing thousands of believers who were received by the Franciscan Friars, guardians of the Holy Places, who have now national museum been established in Jerusalem for twenty-eight generations. In 1219, the meeting between Saint of the palaces of Francis and the Sultan Al Malik, nephew of Saladin, in the middle of the period of the Crusades, versailles and opened the way for dialogue between Christians and Muslims. trianon Béatrix Saule in the early 19th century, the writer Chateaubriand (1768-1848), after visiting "the land of Director prodigies and the sources of the most astonishing poetry", published his Itinerary from Paris to curators Jerusalem which gave a new impetus to travel in the East. The writer also proposed to oversee the Bernard Degout restoration of the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre, after the fire that severely damaged it in 1808. Director of the House of Chateaubriand Jacques-Charles Gaffiot The Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre: An extraordinary Art historian accumulation of objets d’art over the centuries scenography Jérôme Dumoux The Treasure of the Holy Sepulchre is made up of extraordinary works of art sent by the principal European rulers to enhance the splendour of the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem as well as those in Bethlehem and Nazareth and to pay homage to the Holy Places. sent over many centuries by the faithful or brought by pilgrims, these gifts are very varied in their origin, style and period: from Limoges enamel ware of the 12th century to an even more ancient Chinese bell. From the late 14th century on, a large number of gifts poured in from all over Europe. From its courts came a multitude of silver or gold sanctuary lamps, gilded silver candelabras, monstrances, bowls worthy of the most sumptuous royal tables, liturgical vases enriched with emeralds and precious stones, crosiers and procession crosses engraved by the finest goldsmiths and silversmiths, as well as precious fabrics, lampas silk, brocade and embossed velvet, decorated with the most exuberant patterns. the bourbon dynasty of France perpetuated this royal tradition of religious and diplomatic gifts: Louis XIV sent sumptuous pieces of gold and silver ware that reveal a Versailles of long ago. In 1686, the Most Serene Republic of Genoa sent one of the most extraordinary sets of liturgical vestments ever made, embroidered with polychrome silk. But, more than all the other nations, after the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation and Portugal, Spain sent the most splendid gifts, culminating in a number of solid gold decorative objects that are regarded as without equivalent in the world. The DIPLOMATIC AND politic dimension inherent in the putting together of this treasure is highlighted in the art and history book accompanying this exhibition. Forty contributors of international standing have provided articles for this 432-page book, available in French and English, jointly published by the General Council of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the House of Chateaubriand. 5 foreword by catherine pegard and Béatrix saule Gold and silver Eucharistic Baldaquins, monstrances studded with precious stones, embroidered and over-embroidered a number of times: Versailles is honoured to host for three months such a treasure, owing to its exceptional quality, of course, but perhaps more for the rich history that it reveals and the trials that it went through. We wish to express our gratitude to the Custody of the Holy Land, and to Friar Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Custodian of the Holy Land, for their trust, and to the two curators who designed and organised this fine project. thank you for giving us the opportunity to let the public discover this treasure which is practically unique and unexpectedly sumptuous, a collection of objects often without any equivalent in the world in the world, whose diversity of periods and techniques serves the same goal: the creation of sacred art whose beauty is designed solely to induce souls to turn to God. A Tradition since Saint Louis and the Crusades, reinforced by the close relations that France maintained with the Sublime Porte of Turkey since François I, the involvement of the rulers and the court in the protection of the Holy Places deserves to be recalled. Louis XIV, above all, of whom the exhibition reveals the new image of him as "Louis the Grand Protector of the Holy Land". It is true that, among the European nations that supported the Custody, the roles were carefully distributed: Italy provided the men, Spain the money, and France the diplomacy. as often with our major exhibitions, one of the long-disappeared aspects of Versailles will be revealed. The ornaments of the Royal Chapel, its gold and silver ware and its liturgical vestments, all disappeared during the Revolution. We can see them again in the gifts of the kings of France to the Custody, from Louis XIII, Louis XIV and Louis XV, and in those from other courts of Europe. built Around the cedarwood door that sultan Mahmud sent to king Louis-Philippe, the five newly restored Crusades rooms will display these gifts in an imaginary Oriental setting that evokes the turbulent period when Saint Francis met the Sultan of Egypt. This meeting opened the way for dialogue between Christians and Muslims and is the origin of the presence of the Franciscans in the Holy Land. 6 Twenty-eight generations of franciscans have guarded this treasure whose exhibition offers the opportunity to restore numerous pieces and to complete studies on them. In order to restore the historical, artistic and religious context, the curators Jacques Charles-Gaffiot and Bernard Degout surrounded themselves with eminent specialists, including Alvar Gonzalez-Palacios, the "discoverer" of the treasure in the 1980s, Michèle Bimbenet, Danièle Véron-Denise, Antoine Tarantino and Xavier Petitcol, as well as Jean Vittet, who travelled to Jerusalem to inventory these collections. our gratitude is also due to the state Secretariat of the Vatican for the interest that it brought to carrying through this project and to the Pontifical Council for Culture for its High Patronage. And Friar Stephane Milovitch, superior of the Monastery of Saint Catherine in Bethlehem, has earned our profound gratitude. lastly, this exhibition, presented in Versailles and at the House of Chateaubriand, would not have come about if the General Council of the Hauts-de-Seine department and its President, Patrick Devedjian, had not handled the organisation and launched the preparation. catherine pégard President of the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles Béatrix saule Director of the National Museum of the Palaces of Versailles and Trianon 7 FOREWORD by patrick devedjian As the owner of the House of Chateaubriand in the Vallée-aux-Loups, where the writer set up his home after returning from the Middle East in 1807, the General Council of the Hauts-de-Seine department is pleased to have been able to provide a distant echo to the writer’s dream of carrying out on behalf of France the reconstruction of the basilica of the Holy Sepulchre after the fire that devastated it in 1808. The church itself was restored soon afterwards, but the fire was fatal for the tapestries, chandeliers, lamps and other precious objects that the Franciscans of the Custody of the Holy Land had received as gifts intended for the Holy Places. Fortunately, many objects escaped the flames. With those in Bethlehem, Nazareth, Ain Karem and Ramleh, they form a vast collection that was further enriched from the early 19th century on.