Grand Trianon, Royal residence in Versailles domain, France.
The Grand Trianon is a French Baroque château in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles, built from 1687 by Jules Hardouin-Mansart for Louis XIV. Its exterior is pink Languedoc marble, which earned it the name Trianon de Marbre. A single-storey cream-stone facade of repeated round-arched windows sits behind a low balustrade, while an open peristyle of red marble columns on a black-and-white checkerboard floor links the wings.
The architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart built this residence in 1687 following the wishes of Louis XIV, who wanted a retreat away from court protocol. Napoleon refurnished the rooms in the early 19th century, and later the building served as a residence for French presidents.
The left-wing gallery displays twenty-four canvases showing how the gardens and tree-lined paths of this area appeared during the reign of the Sun King. Visitors today walk through rooms that once served as a private retreat from the ceremonies at the main court.
The Grand Trianon stands at the end of the eastern arm of the Grand Canal, within its own park that also holds the Petit Trianon. Access to the domain is by invitation of the museum; the peristyle opens the courtyard toward the garden, so visitors pass from the marble colonnade straight into the park. The ground floor is level and step-free along the gallery.
The flower beds around the building once held thousands of potted plants buried in the soil, allowing wilted blooms to be swapped out each day. This system ensured that the king always found fresh flowers in full bloom.
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