Hidden behind a small side street just a few blocks from the Palace of Versailles lies the Salle du Jeu de Paume, a site commemorating one of the most significant moments in French history. Originally constructed as a large wooden room for the French nobility to play Jeu de Paume, a precursor to modern tennis, the facility played a minor role in palace life until the economic crisis of 1789 forced King Louis XVI to convene delegates from across France.
Tensions between the monarch and the representatives of the Third Estate, comprising everyone outside the nobility and clergy, escalated dramatically on June 20. After being locked out of their regular meeting hall and fearing a royal crackdown, these delegates sought an alternative space large enough to accommodate them all, finding refuge in the royal tennis court. Led by Jean Sylvain Bailly, a principled polymath, the group declared themselves the National Assembly of France. They swore an oath not to disband until the nation had received a constitution, an act historians widely regard as the official beginning of the French Revolution and the first major assertion of Third Estate power independent of the king.
Since June 30, 1789, the National Assembly has persisted in various forms to the present day. The tennis court itself underwent renovation in 2022 and now houses a mini-museum dedicated to the Revolution. Visitors can view a statue of Bailly, busts of other oath-takers, an original Jeu de Paume racket, and architectural models of both the tennis court and the Bastille prison. Additionally, the room features a massive recreation of the unfinished painting depicting the Tennis Court Oath by Jacques Louis David, a renowned revolutionary propagandist who later served Napoleon.
The site is open to the public daily from 12:30 pm to 6:30 pm, excluding holidays, with free admission.
Sources: Atlas Obscura.