Gardens and Park of the Château
Commissioned in 1661, the design and construction of the gardens required over forty years to reach completion. Thousands of workers, including entire regiments labored to clear the grounds for the fountains and symmetrical beauty of the palace exterior. Hedges were crafted into topiary shapes while clear areas allowed many visitors to sprawl through the grounds.
From the central window of the Hall of mirrors the Grand Canal can be seen. Designed and created by André Le Nôtre, the Water Parterre(open space) stretches across the horizon to the surrounding gates of the palace. The Grand Canal once hosted water spectacles, boat cruises and even transformed into a skating rink in the winter (1).
Jean-Baptiste Colbert assisted Le Nôtre and directed the construction project from 1664 to 1683 while Charles Le Brun devised the Chateau's layout, including room for fountains and statuary (2). Jules Hardouin-Mansart, an architect and visionary under the Sun King's reign, enthusiastically constructed landscaping. One of his highlights was the Orangerie which boasts large perennial beds, busts modeled after the king and orange, lemon and pomegranate trees originating from Spain and Italy. Louis XIV was an orange aficionado because the oranges looked like miniature suns, the symbols of the Sun King (3). Clearing the natural landscape proved to be immense work, requiring the service of thousands of laborers, sometimes entire regiments who engaged in the leveling of the countryside, the clearing of brush and the transportation of dirt and trees to furnish the high-spun glory of the Bourbon monarchy.
"The total ethos of this garden bespeaks not merely the power and glory of a political reign but also the intellectual depth and refinement of an entire culture" (4).
From the central window of the Hall of mirrors the Grand Canal can be seen. Designed and created by André Le Nôtre, the Water Parterre(open space) stretches across the horizon to the surrounding gates of the palace. The Grand Canal once hosted water spectacles, boat cruises and even transformed into a skating rink in the winter (1).
Jean-Baptiste Colbert assisted Le Nôtre and directed the construction project from 1664 to 1683 while Charles Le Brun devised the Chateau's layout, including room for fountains and statuary (2). Jules Hardouin-Mansart, an architect and visionary under the Sun King's reign, enthusiastically constructed landscaping. One of his highlights was the Orangerie which boasts large perennial beds, busts modeled after the king and orange, lemon and pomegranate trees originating from Spain and Italy. Louis XIV was an orange aficionado because the oranges looked like miniature suns, the symbols of the Sun King (3). Clearing the natural landscape proved to be immense work, requiring the service of thousands of laborers, sometimes entire regiments who engaged in the leveling of the countryside, the clearing of brush and the transportation of dirt and trees to furnish the high-spun glory of the Bourbon monarchy.
"The total ethos of this garden bespeaks not merely the power and glory of a political reign but also the intellectual depth and refinement of an entire culture" (4).
The Grand Trianon
The works at Versailles under Louis XIV, carried out by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart, began in 1661 by Levaue before Mansart was appointed architect in 1676. He started work in 1676 (5). In 1687, Mansart built the Grand Trianon at the request of Louis XIV who desired to enjoy the company of his mistresses without the hushed gossip and listening ears at court. Mansart carefully obeyed his monarch's instructions and established a lovely residence featuring a courtyard, symmetrical gardens and a double staircase. His work faithfully celebrates the persona of his liege while embodying the classical nature of Italian architecture.
The Trianon is full of oranges, statues and marble which decorate the open, geometric gardens that often lapse into mazes of shrubbery or into ponds featuring Greek figurines.
The Trianon is full of oranges, statues and marble which decorate the open, geometric gardens that often lapse into mazes of shrubbery or into ponds featuring Greek figurines.
Important Residents
Louis XIV primarily occupied the Grand Trianon. Later, Marie-Antoinette performed here but preferred the Petit Trianon, which Louis XVI bestowed to his wife as a present. During Napoleon Bonaparte's reign, he restored the furnishing of the Grand Trianon due to the many visits he and his wife, Empress Marie-Louise, enjoyed in the secluded chateau. A final restoration occurred in 1963 when French President Charles de Gaulle converted the structure into an official presidential residence(6).
The Queen's Residence
From the Petit Trianon to the Queen’s Gardens, spans Marie-Antoinette’s private property.
Petit Trianon and its rural sanctuary are entwined with the memory of Queen Marie-Antoinette. The only queen to have modified Versailles to her liking, Louis XVI presented her the Trianon in order for his wife to escape the rigors of court life(7). No one could come there without her invitation(8).
Often, she would host dinners and perform musicals before select visitors in her theater; basking in the guarded castle that completely belonged to her whims.
(1) "Versailles - The Story of a Palace."
(2) Monicart(Jean-Baptiste), Versailles Immoralized or Talking Wonders...Versailles, Paris. 2. 1720.
(3) Civitello, Linda, Cuisine and Culture: La Galerie des Glaces of Louis XIV. 448. 2011.
(4) Berger, Robert W. In the Garden of the Sun King: Studies on the Park of Versailles Under Louis XIV. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, 1985.
(5) Francis, J. "A Journal of Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music, and the Drama (Google eBook)." The Athenaeum (1887), 778.
(6) "The Grand Trianon." Chateau Versailles.
(7) "Marie-Antoinette's Estate." Chateau Versailles.
(8) Desjardins, Gustave, Le Petit Trianon, Versailles, 1885.
(2) Monicart(Jean-Baptiste), Versailles Immoralized or Talking Wonders...Versailles, Paris. 2. 1720.
(3) Civitello, Linda, Cuisine and Culture: La Galerie des Glaces of Louis XIV. 448. 2011.
(4) Berger, Robert W. In the Garden of the Sun King: Studies on the Park of Versailles Under Louis XIV. Washington, DC: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library, 1985.
(5) Francis, J. "A Journal of Literature, Science, the Fine Arts, Music, and the Drama (Google eBook)." The Athenaeum (1887), 778.
(6) "The Grand Trianon." Chateau Versailles.
(7) "Marie-Antoinette's Estate." Chateau Versailles.
(8) Desjardins, Gustave, Le Petit Trianon, Versailles, 1885.