Question: What if these pink marble walls could whisper tales of royal rendezvous and secret suppers? This is Le Grand Trianon. It stands before us. This French Baroque château is in Versailles France. Louis XIV commissioned it. He wanted a retreat for himself and his mistress. The Marquise de Montespan needed a place for light meals away from court etiquette.
Le Grand Trianon’s story begins earlier. Louis XIV purchased the hamlet of Trianon. This was between 1663 and 1665. In 1670 he commissioned a porcelain pavilion. It was named Trianon de porcelaine. Louis Le Vau was the architect. The façade was made of Delft-style porcelain tiles. These came from Rouen Lisieux Nevers and Saint-Cloud. Construction finished in 1672. The porcelain deteriorated. Louis XIV ordered its demolition in 1686. He replaced it with a larger building.
Jules Hardouin-Mansart was entrusted with the work. The new structure was twice the size. It used red marble from Languedoc. Construction began in June 1687. It finished in January 1688. Louis XIV and his secret wife inaugurated it. This was the Marquise de Maintenon in the summer of 1688.
Early plans changed substantially. The core of the Trianon de porcelaine was to be kept. This was vetoed. An open-air peristyle was favored. It featured red marble columns facing the garden. Three other structures were built and torn down. This happened before the peristyle was settled on. The king vetoed the Mansard roof. He felt it looked too heavy. The interior design scheme differed from Versailles. Louis ordered the architects to paint everything white. He wanted no gilt or color for the walls of Le Grand Trianon.
Le Grand Trianon housed Louis XIV’s extended family. His son Louis Grand Dauphin lived here. This was from 1703 to 1711. The Duchess of Burgundy also favored it. She was the wife of his grandson Louis de France. Later the King’s sister-in-law resided here. This was Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate. Louis XIV ordered a larger wing for Le Grand Trianon. This wing was called Trianon-sous-Bois.
In 1708 prototypes for commodes Mazarine were delivered. They were delivered to Le Grand Trianon. The first Duke of Antin inspected them. He said one suited the room perfectly.
Peter the Great of Russia resided at Le Grand Trianon in 1717. He was studying Versailles. The Peterhof Palace was inspired by Versailles.
Louis XV gifted Le Grand Trianon to his wife Marie Leszczynska in 1741. Louis XV fell ill during a stay at Trianon. He died soon after. Louis XVI made no structural changes. His wife Marie Antoinette preferred the Petit Trianon. She gave theatrical representations here.
During the French Revolution Le Grand Trianon was neglected. Napoleon made it one of his residences. He furnished it in the Empire Style. He lived here with his second wife. The next royals were Louis Philippe I and his wife Maria Amalia.
In 1873 Marshal François Achille Bazaine was imprisoned here. His trial took place in the peristyle.
In 1920 the Treaty of Trianon was signed here. It left Hungary with less than one-third of its pre-World War I land size.
Charles de Gaulle ordered a renovation in 1963. Today Le Grand Trianon is a popular tourist site. It is also a presidential residence. It hosts foreign officials.
Notice the Peristyle. It is a sheltered colonnade. It connects the two wings of Le Grand Trianon. Louis XIV oversaw its construction. The colonnade allows a seamless transition. It is between the courtyard and the gardens. In 1810 Napoleon added windows. They were removed in 1910.
The Trianon-sous-Bois wing has a second storey. It housed apartments for the royal family.
Le Grand Trianon continues to stand. It is a testament to royal life. It reflects changing tastes and historical events. Take a moment to imagine those pink marble walls whispering their secrets.