Recollects Convent (Versailles) Recollects Convent (Versailles) The Recollects Convent was built originally in 1684 at the Palace of Versailles, France by order of Louis XIV as a house for the religious order of Recollects - a reform branch of the Franciscans created in 16th century in France, Germany, and Holland. After the order was suppressed during the French Revolution, the building was converted into a prison, and then later in the 19th century was used by the French army. Currently occupied by the French Ministry of Defense, the convent is only open to visitors during certain public events, such as Le Mois Molière
Palace of Versailles achieve, required several hundred kilograms of silver and gold to complete. One of the more costly endeavours for the museum and France's Fifth Republic has been to repurchase as much of the original furnishings as possible. Consequently, because furniture with a royal provenance – and especially furniture that was made for Versailles – is a highly sought after commodity on the international market, the museum has spent considerable funds on retrieving much of the palace's original furnishings. In 2003, a new restoration initiative – the "Grand Versailles" project – was started, which began with the replanting of the gardens, which