Sightseeing Versailles

A palace fit for a king

In 1623, Louis XIII ordered the construction, at Versailles, of "a small country chateau, for hunting purposes". From 1661 to 1668 his son, Louis XIV, asked the architect Louis Le Vau to make the residence larger and more beautiful. But "the little house of cards", as it had been described by contemporary writer Saint-Simon, did not have the potential for grand expansion. Le Vau finally solved the problem in 1668 and over the next two years encircled the original chateau with a secondary building. On the king's orders, Le Nôtre took charge of the gardens.
As of May 6th, 1682, Versailles became the main residence of the French court, the setting for sumptuous entertainments, and the seat of power. The Hall of Mirrors evokes the immense grandeur of Louis, the "Sun King". Louis chose this symbol to indicate his similarity to Apollo, the Greek sun god, patron of the arts and of peace. Apollo is also associated with themes involving statues and fountains. The nearby Trianon residence served as a getaway for the king to relax with his family. This was the known as the "Porcelain Trianon" on account of the blue and white ceramics on the walls.
By 1687 the building was no longer to the king's taste, and so Hardouin-Mansart built him a "little marble palace with delightful gardens". The Hall of Mirrors and the King's Chambres are the two most visited places, along with the gardens of course.
In 2004, thanks to the American Friends of Versailles association, the Bosquet of the Three Fountains, the sole grove mentioned in the king's original plan, was renovated after several years of work. Envisioned by Le Nôtre between 1677 and 1679, it was named after the three basins and three successive terraces connected by stone paths. After over two centuries of neglect, the Bosquet is once again a main feature in the gardens of the chateau.

See also: Cathédrale Notre-Dame d'Amiens - Pont St Bénezet - Palais des Papes - Cathédrale Notre Dame de Reims - Abbaye Saint-Remi - Palais du Tau  - Le Potager du Roi - Canal du Midi - Château et Parc de Fontainebleau  - Vieux Lyon - Cathédrale Saint Etienne - Place Stanislas - Cathédrale de Chartres - En ville à Bordeaux - Théâtre Antique d'Orange - En ville au Havre - La Cité Médiévale - Château de Carcassonne - En ville à Arles - Saline Royale - Le Pont du Gard - La Grande Expo - En ville à Provins - Le Mont Saint-Michel - Basilique Sainte Marie-Madeleine - Sites préhistoriques et grottes ornées de la vallée de la Vézère - Abbaye cistercienne de Fontenay  - Rives de la Seine - Mont Perdu - Juridiction de Saint-Emilion - Val de Loire - Abbatiale de Saint-Savin - Golfe de Porto - Beffrois de Belgique et de France - Chemins de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle - Grande Île - La Petite Venise

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