Bosquet des Rocailles, Historic garden in Versailles, France
Bosquet des Rocailles is a garden pavilion within Versailles featuring an elliptical clearing with cascading marble steps and rock formations arranged along carefully designed pathways. The central space creates an Italian-style theater layout with tiered marble cascades from the Languedoc region.
Andre Le Notre designed this garden space between 1680 and 1683 as part of the royal Versailles gardens. The opening celebration took place in 1685 with a banquet hosted by the Grand Dauphin.
The sculptures and decorative vases depict day and night themes throughout the garden, embodying the formal ideals of French garden design that visitors can observe while walking through the space.
The garden is accessible from the southeastern sections of Versailles and sits next to the Latone parterre, with multiple entry points from surrounding pathways. Wear comfortable shoes since the stepped terrain and uneven surfaces require navigating different levels.
The name comes from rocaille decorations, small shell-shaped stone ornaments woven throughout the design creating hidden details of charm. This Baroque taste for shell-shaped ornaments was a fashionable innovation when the garden was created.
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