Louis XIV first visited Versailles at the age of twelve on a hunting expedition. His father, Louis XIII, had purchased the seignory in 1632 and asked his architect Philibert Le Roy to build him a modest lodge. Louis XIV would in time become so attached to this cheerful brick-and-stone house that he could not bring himself to demolish it, even when his own ambitious plans for the site called for a much larger building.
Louis XIV's lifelong love affair with hunting goes some way towards explaining the attraction which Versailles held for him, but his need for a rural retreat became more urgent in 1661 when he became enamoured of Louise de la...
2300 words
Citation: Thompson, Ian H.. "Château de Versailles and its gardens". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 11 January 2007 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1691, accessed 09 June 2026.]
