Why was Versailles so smelly?

While it smells fine now, hygiene practices (or the lack thereof) in France during Louis XIII's reign meant that the palace smelled like urine, fecal matter, and more. Some claim that a lack of toilets in the palace even led some visitors to relieve themselves behind curtains and pillars.



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Everywhere you go, you're reminded of the foul stench that emanates from the walls, from the cesspits, and even from the gardens. No place is safe. Although today we think of Versailles as an architectural masterpiece, to the people living there, it was like being in a smelly nightmare.

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The children of the King could only claim a stool in their father's presence. Princesses of the blood were generally entitled to a chair with a back but not to one with arms. Cardinals could sit on a sofa when a prince of the blood was in the room but if the Queen entered he had to move to a stool.

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But where did they stay? Most apartments consisted of a bedchamber, a cabinet and perhaps a wardrobe. The lucky ones could add a few antechambers or had rather large rooms. In this context, the servants' quarters were in the wardrobe.

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Beds used to be short because people didn't use to sleep lying down because old superstitions considered it to be the position of the dead. So they slept in half sitting position.

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