Versailles, Palace of

   The palace of Versailles, perhaps the most famous in Europe, is closely associated with king louis XIV. Beginning in 1624, king louis x III had additions made to a royal lodge that already existed at Versailles, and in 1631 construction began on a château on the site of the present palace. in 1661, Louis xiV began modifications following the design of louis le vau. An Orangerie and Menagerie were designed by André le nôtre, and a second building phase (1668-71) transformed the château entirely, creating a palace oriented around the new royal court, with interiors done under the direction of charles le brun. The third phase began in 1678 under the direction of jules hardouin-mansart. As part of this, the north and south wings of the palace were constructed and the Hall of Mirrors, the work of both Le Brun and Hardouin-Mansart, was completed. it measures 75 meters by 10 meters and is illuminated by 17 great windows to which correspond 17 panels of mirrors on the opposite wall (the 400 accompanying glass panels were the greatest collection of the period). Le Brun did the paintings on the ceiling. Shortly after, Hardouin-Mansart completed his work at Versailles with the building of the new Orangerie (1684-86), the Grand Trianon, and the Chapel. Louis xiV had already moved the government from Paris to Versailles in 1682. Under louis XV, the right wing (where the Ambassadors' Staircase had been) was torn down and in its place was built the present structure with its colonnaded facade. The opera House at Versailles was built in 1770 for the occasion of the marriage of the dauphin to marie Antoinette. Until the end of the Bourbon monarchy, Versailles was associated with all major French political developments. Under louis-philippe, a part of the left wing was rebuilt and the Hameau, built originally for queen Marie Antoinette by hubert robert, was made into a historical museum. The gardens of Versailles are considered the prototype of the French garden style and were the masterwork of Le Nôtre, who created them between 1661 and 1668. There, simplified lines are complemented by fountains and classical statues and by an equestrian figure of Louis xiV by italian sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini. The Grand Canal at the gardens' center was completed in 1671.