Before the Palace was built the Versailles village church was dedicated to Saint-Julien of Brioude. This church was demolished in 1679 when the palace annexes were extended. In 1684 Louis XIV laid the foundation stone for a new building, Notre Dame church, which became the heart of the new town. At the beginning of the 19th century, the present Saint-Louis district was a game preserve, walled and called "Parc aux cerfs" (deer reserve).

Around 1685, Louis XIV, in spite of his passion for hunting, decided to sacrifice the "Parc aux cerfs" in order to built lodgings because the increase of the population made it necessary. There he granted plots of building land after personally drawing the regular squaring of the streets with its two main thoroughfares : "rue Royale" and "rue d'Anjou"

The first chapel

In 1714, Louis XIV promised to take charge of the expense of a new parish.
This promise was not fulfilled until the reign of Louis XV. As a beginning, a temporary chapel was built between "rue d'Anjou" and "rue des Tournelles" along the "rue de Satorv". It was dedicated to Saint-Louis and was inaugurated in 1727. It was first considered as a mere succursal chapel of Notre Dame parish.

In 1730. Mgr Charles de Vintimille. the archbishop of Paris, declared that Saint Louis’ chapel should be considered a free and independent parish. But this chapel rapidly became too small for the local population. Robert de Cotte, king's first architect, was required to submit a project about a large church to match Notre Dame built in 1684 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The architect drew a plan but for several unknown reasons, probably for financial matters, the project was not carried out immediately.

Saint Louis' church

After the death of Robert de Cotte in 1635, Jacques Hardouin-Mansart de Sagonne, the last member of the famous dynasty of architects and a grand son of Jules Hardouin Mansart. was entrusted with the project. At last, the construction could start .

On June 12th 1743, the king laid the foundation stone of the building during a celebration presided over by Mgr de Vintimille, archbishop of Paris. The king himself accompanied by the Dauphin, laid a gold medal and four silver medals in a cavity dug under the first pillar of the sanctuary.

Then Louis XV went into a court-yard of a house located rue des Tournelles to see a model of the Saint Louis ' church made by sieur Mansart.
That model was "very accurate and full of details". Then being satisfied. the King retired. The construction lasted ten years. It was financed by the "Economats" which collected the ecclesiastical possessions temporary without a beneficiary. The inauguration took place on August 24th 1754, the royal family being absent : the previous day, the Dauphine, Marie Joseph de Saxe gave birth to a son, Louis XVI to be.

On the next day, August 25th, the first feast of our patron Saint Louis was solemnly celebrated. In 1755 the king offered six bells whose names and sponsors are recorded in the parish registers. The former church was demolished in 1760 and the presbytery was erected at the same place. The great size of the presbytery is due to the large number of priests ministering to the parish.
At the time, the parish was ministered by the Lazarist priests belonging to the "Congrégation de la mission" founded by Saint Vincent de Paul.

In 1764, the "Economats" asked their own architect, Louis-François Trouard, to complete the inner decoration of the church and also to build a chapel for the catechists.

The revolution period

On May 4th 1789,on the opening of the "Etats généraux", the ceremonial procession of the "three orders" went from Notre Dame to Saint Louis. From the pulpit, Mgr de la Fare exposed the abuses of the court. Several sessions took place at Saint Louis in June. In 1790, Versailles became a see. The first constitutional bishop monsieur Avoine, decided that Notre Dame should be the Cathedral. At Saint Louis’, the Lazarist priests who had all refused to take the constitutional oath were expelled and their property was seized. One of them died a martyr in 1792.

At the end of 1792, Saint Louis' church was closed to worship, and turned into a "Temple of Abundance".
The picture of a ploughman was painted on the fronton of the church where clubs went into session. The gold plate was sent to the Royal Mint, the bells were melt down and the paintings were lodged in the central Museum of Arts in Paris.
In spite of these vicissitudes, the worship was never interrupted. During the revolution, about twenty priests sacrificed themselves at the risk of their lives. Clandestine chapels were opened in several houses of the district. Lazarist priests, who had refused to take the oath, said mass secretly in them. Recorded christenings and marriages registers give evidence of their courage and of their fidelity.

The church became a Cathedral

As soon as the catholic worship was restored, the constitutional bishop, monsieur Clement, who succeeded to monsieur Avoine, preferred Saint Louis’ to Notre Dame. Therefore the church was turned into a Cathedral in 1797. Mgr Charier de la Roche, the first legitimate bishop of Versailles, ratified this choice. He was formally enthroned at Saint-Louis on May 27th 1802.

On Januarv 3rd 1805, in his Cathedral, he welcomed Pope Pius VII who was in Paris for the coronation of emperor Napoleon. This event is recorded on an inscription in the Lady chapel. After the turmoil of the revolution, once again the church was furnished and received vestments and sacred vases. The church is greatly indebted to Charles X and Louis Philippe who had the pannellings repaired as well as confessionals and altar decorations.

Consecration

In 1843, Mgr Blanquard de Bailleul consecrated the Cathedral which had only received a benediction when inaugurated.

Restoration works during the 19th century

Following a wow made in 1832 during an outbreak of cholera, the Lady chapel was restored and stained glasses windows from the Sevres factory were installed. Restoration lasted from 1840 to 1848.
From 1853 to 1863 the high white glass windows were replaced by stained glass windows in the choir and later on in the chapels.

The second millennium

In 1905, in spite of Mgr Gibier's strong protests but according to the injunctions of the law of separation between Church and State, the inventory took place and provoked a great turmoil in the district. Only the sacristy door was broken open.
In 1906 the Cathedral was classified as an historic building.

The third millennium

In the year 2000, following the instructions of the Vatican II Council and in order to put and end to a temporary situation, a scheme was done about a new arrangement of the choir and the transept. The "Monuments de France" architect, Bruno Chauffent-Yvart, designed the stone oval altar steps from a Robert de Cotte's sketching. The sculptor Philippe Kaeppelin designed and made the high altar, the ambo, the reading desk, the bishop's seat and the seats of the celebrants. The whole was inaugurated on April 7th 2002 by Mgr Eric Aumonier, bishop of Versailles.