The Jeu de Paume is a long, bare indoor tennis court — the royal version of a sport that was popular in the 17th century — tucked behind the north wing of the palace. It would be entirely unremarkable except for what happened here on 20 June 1789.
The deputies of the Third Estate had been gathering at Versailles for weeks, attempting to agree a constitution with the king. On that morning they arrived at their usual meeting hall to find the doors locked — officially, the hall was being prepared for a royal address, but the deputies assumed they were being shut out deliberately. They marched to the nearest covered space they could find, which was the tennis court, and there took an oath not to dissolve until France had a written constitution. It was the first major act of defiance against royal authority in the Revolution.
The room is plain and rather moving: a rectangular space with a wooden floor, whitewashed walls, and a small spectator gallery. A plaque lists the names of all 577 deputies who took the oath. Jacques-Louis David painted an enormous unfinished canvas of the moment; a large print of it hangs in the room. Entry is included in the main palace ticket.