The Grand Trianon

The Grand Trianon was buit by Louis XIV, and was designed to be a place where he and his close family could escape from the hectic life of court. In 1670, Louis XIV purchased Trianon, a hamlet on the outskirts of Versailles. He built a palace called the Porcelain trianon and commissioned the architect Louis Le Vau to design it.

Built so he could spend time alone in privacy with his mistress Madame de Montespan, Louis XIV realised that the porcelain was not strong enough to resist bad weather. He commissioned the architect Jules Hardoin-Mansart in 1687 to demolish and build another palace on the same site. His finished design was twice the size of the Porcelain Trianon and its principle material was marble.

After the demise of the French Monarchy, the Grand trianon was occupied by Napoleon who refurnished it in Empire Style. It is now used by the French President when entertaining foreign officials

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