Paris1972-Versailles2003

The beautiful Petit Trianon of Versailles. You know if reading my blog, I lived here for 9 + years! sublime but more importantly for me , the Petit Trianon was my hanging out area, we jogged here, and ate on the little Angelina open air terrace; so many family memories. Do go along with me on this new journey on the history of this wonderful little castle! Glad to have found older cd rom pictures in my vault that should be in my blog for you and me, Therefore, again, my take on the Pavillon Français of the Petit Trianon of Versailles !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

The Pavillon Français or French pavilion is a garden factory built for Louis XV and Madame de Pompadour by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in the French garden of the Petit Trianon, in the park of the Palace of Versailles. Built in 1750, this pavilion was integrated into the heart of the French garden and the maid-French windows opened on its sights. The originality of its plan is based on an octagonal living room accosted by four small square cabinets arranged on the cross. This play and conversation pavilion brings together loved ones and friends of Louis XV and the Marquise de Pompadour, who also taste, in the summer, the products of the vegetable and fruit gardens and the dairy. The king likes to stop there after his walks in the botanical garden to classify his herbaries.

The French garden whose pavilion is the center ,includes a long lawn with flowering edges whose regularity is broken by two of the four basins. These, of circular or square shape and at the edge of marble, are arranged vis-à-vis each facade of the pavilion and are embellished with lead statues representing groups of three children playing with fish and aquatic birds, The long parallel aisles bordered by poplars also delimit green rooms arranged in charmilles, they allow you to easily go to the chapel or to the theater, Going towards the Grand Trianon, we take the Allée des Evergreen, planted with persistent leaf trees, before arriving at the “Pont de la Réunion “, (see post on Ghosts) so named as long as the Napoleon project is the only realization of the two trianons between which there were previously no communication,

The pavilion is said to be “French” because of its location in the center of the French garden. It is a model of rocky architecture. Its plan is centered, in the shape of a cross of Saint André. The corniche of the Central Salon is supported by eight columns of the Corinthian order. The frieze, decorated with farmyard animals, reminds, not without humor, the neighboring menagerie ; there are chickens, roosters, pigeons, ducks and even some swans, as well as loves, above door, playing with cages and baskets, and representing, in harmony with exterior decoration, the four elements of this ornamentation is directly inspired by the taste of the king and Madame de Pompadour for domestic animals and gives the impression that Nature bursts into this pavilion which integrates perfectly into the garden, The floor is covered with marble drawing various patterns thanks to different colors: Turquiose and Green blueish, Languedoc red and cherries of Italy, and white veined , The four cabinets are arranged on a diagonal axis compared to the composition lines of the garden and the prospects of the central show towards the buildings surrounding the pavilion. The Boudoir, located on the left, facing the castle, has a ceiling and paneling decorated with opposite arabesques is a non -chamber with simple woodwork but embellished with a marble chimney of Languedoc. The third cabinet is a recovery, a small kitchen where the dishes are held warm, accessible only from the outside and equipped with a stove as well as a hood leaning against the chimney of the central living room today, the partition has disappeared and a staircase was created to lead to the underground installations.

A bit of history tell us that at the end of 1744, King Louis XV returned to stay at the Palais de Trianon, abandoned for several decades, but of which he had a pleasant memory of his childhood.The Marquise de Pompadour, mistress of the king for two years, supports this project, in order to distract Louis XV from his melancholy and his sadness. From 1749 a new garden was set up on the land located east of the castle built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, first built a menagerie, very different from that of Louis XIV, more exotic, because it is only intended to welcome domestic animals: chickens, cows and sheep the king and his favorite appreciate the “beautiful hens” and like to taste dairy products ;but the center of perspective is a small pavilion allowing to immerse themselves in this new garden: The French pavilion, then called the pavilion of the new menagerie, is intended for the game, the snack or the concert recreations. With the adjoining garden, the place is called upon to become the seat of a harmonious society, lit by the wise precepts of the physiocrats, Considered as the paragon of the Louis XV style, the pavilion is abundantly adorned with projections started in the spring of 1749, it is empty and covered in August and ready to accommodate flower vases and sculpted children’s groups forming depreciation above the balustrade , The works are completed in the spring of the year 1750 and the lambris and interior decorations are done in the Fall, Marie-Antoinette, who took possession of the Domaine du Petit Trianon in 1774, did not make any modification to the pavilion, the only substantial contribution to the French garden being the construction of its small theater. During the French revolution, the French pavilion, like the entire Domaine du Petit Trianon, is abandoned, then stripped of its furniture during auctions which began in August 1793, Under the Directory, it is a coffee shop fitted, for the occupants of the Petit Trianon transformed into a hotel, and the French garden is the place of popular balls mixing on the occasion Illuminations and fireworks while the Petit Trianon resumes its rank of palaces under the Impulse of Napoleon Ier, a restoration of the pavilion was undertaken in 1806, These modifications have not, however, having continued: the Corinthian columns are taken up and the new capitals are created in winged or scroll capitals; An eagle is painted on the dome, taking off towards Empyréa; The paneling are covered with gray and blue tones, the chimneys withdrawn. In 1810, a circus was installed nearby in order to give a representation of the Franconid brothers. At the peak of imperial life in Trianon, the following year, Marie-Louise used the French pavilion as part of the Empress Festival; on this occasion, it draws up, as in the previous century, two major blue and white striped coutil tents with a red woolen fringe, The building was restored for the first time in the 19C, but the last campaign, led in 2008 thanks to the patronage of Breguet watches, gives the pavilion its original state with the two marble chimneys as well as the hood of the groove are restored. The interior shutters are recreated. Finally, the organization of small wings is returned according to the original configuration: indeed, under Louis XV, two of them, reserved for the service, are completely separated from the central salon, and their access is only possible by the exterior, The work of 2008 therefore restores these old partitions , Anecdote I like the Pavillon Français sometimes served as a frame for filming for cinema as the popular 2005 film « Marie-Antoinette » directed by Sofia Coppola.

The Château de Versailles on the pavillon Français du Petit Trianon : https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/estate-trianon/french-gardens-petit-trianon#the-french-pavilion

The city of Versailles tourist office on the Petit Trianon: https://en.versailles-tourisme.com/the-petit-trianon.html

There you go folks,  Versailles is Royal, magnificent, gorgeous, historical, architectural wonders and the history of France and the world. You need to spent more time, there are a lot of wonderful architecturally stunning full of incredible history to see in my dear Versailles. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Pavillon Français of the Petit Trianon of Versailles !!! as I.

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!