The Great Stables (Grandes Écuries) of the Palace of Versailles, located on the Place d'Armes in front of the Palace and flanked by the avenues of Saint-Cloud and Paris, together with the Petites Écuries form the Royal Stables, where about a thousand people worked during the reign of Louis XIV. Designed by the architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, its construction began in 1679 and was completed in 1682.

The stables were equipped with a riding school where the king's hunting and war horses were kept and housed the School of Pages. In the 18th century, the Royal Stables had more than two thousand horses. During the Ancien Régime, the Grand Stables were directed by the chief cavalryman of France and housed the King's School of Pages, which trained future cavalry officers. To be admitted as a page to the king was a great honor, second only to the Court Honors. The pages also accompanied the king on his nightly journeys, carrying torches to light his way.

Between 1680 and 1830, the Grand Stables also housed the School of Versailles, the origin of French artistic horsemanship. A major restoration took place in 1770, and between 1793 and 1794 the royal emblems were removed from the gables. Another significant restoration took place between 1810 and 1811. From 1854, the army occupied the stables, and in 1978, Gerald van der Kemp installed in them the collection of the Trianon Carriage Museum.

In the 20th century, the stables were classified as a historical monument in 1913. In 1985, the Carriage Museum was opened to the public, temporarily closed in 2007 for an extension and reopened in 2016 thanks to the sponsorship of the Michelin Foundation. In 2002, the original use of the stables was restored and in 2003 the National Equestrian Academy of the Domaine de Versailles was inaugurated, directed by the horseman Bartabas. The rectangular riding arena was restored by architect Patrick Bouchain.

The Grand Stables have a horseshoe-shaped trapezoidal plan, organized around five courtyards: a large main courtyard surrounded by a hemicycle colonnade and two symmetrical side buildings, two medium-sized enclosed courtyards and two small open side courtyards, called "manure courtyards". The side entrances from the avenues Saint-Cloud and Paris are separated by a high wall interrupted by a portico with a pediment.

The architectural design includes stone walls and red brick clad with stone facing, with a succession of arcades on the first floor. The second floor is illuminated by rectangular windows, and the mansard roofs of the top floor have skylights. The interior has simple galleries, while the Small Stables have a double gallery separated by a colonnade. The roofs of the galleries are composed of vaulted vault sections.

Sculptural groups, notably a group of three rampant horses in the tympanum, the work of Pierre Granier and Jean Raon, adorn the building. The pediments of the pavilions and porches are also sculpted with horse heads and other decorative elements. In 2016, with the reopening of the Carriage Gallery, the motto "Écuries du Roi" was installed above the access grille, highlighting its historic connection to royalty.