"Normandie"s first-class dining hall was the largest room afloat. At 305 feet (93 m), it was longer than the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles, wide, and high. Passengers entered through doors adorned with bronze medallions by artist Raymond Subes. The room could seat 700 at 157 tables, with "Normandie" serving as a floating promotion for the most sophisticated French cuisine of the period. As no natural light could enter it was illuminated by twelve tall pillars of Lalique glass flanked by 38 matching columns along the walls. These, with chandeliers hung at each end of the room, earned the "Normandie" the nickname "Ship of Light" (similar to Paris as the "City of Light").