The secret stories of one of the most visited palaces in the world

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The Palace of Versailles was the seat of power for the absolutist monarchy that reigned until the French Revolution, but it was built for another reason: pleasure — and lust. The palace on the right, with gardens at the front and woods in the background Getty Images via BBC The palace looks like a mirage. The water in the canal glistens in the sunlight, drawing my gaze. The opulent building dominates the landscape, which seems to have been created especially for it. I get on the bike. Beams of light pass through the narrow gaps between the trees as I pedal over the gravel. As I walk along a hidden path, the leaves of the trees form a kind of tent over my head, and I spot an open area that spreads out in the distance. There’s no one in sight. But, close by, thousands of people huddle inside the luxurious halls of the Palace of Versailles. I’m in the Park of Versailles, the 800-hectare garden dedicated to the kings, queens and political leaders who once formed France’s ruling class. Versailles was the center of power and the material embodiment of the absolutist monarchy that reigned until the French Revolution (1788-1799). The palace was the scene of strategic weddings and state visits. But the property was actually built for another reason: fun. With its sweeping parkland and smaller ornate gardens, the place was all about pleasure—and lust. Dependance of the Petit Trianon at the Palace of Versailles, used by Marie Antoinette Getty Images via BBC In the centuries since its construction, Versailles has become one of the most famous and visited palaces in the world. Every day, it receives 27 thousand visitors, who trample themselves with their selfie sticks in the Palace’s Hall of Mirrors. But outside the palace, it’s a different story. The park stretches for several kilometers — and it’s almost impossible to cover it on foot in a single day. That’s where the bike lanes come in, making way for fresh air, solitude and a facet of Louis XIV’s remarkable vision that few visitors get to see. “When you visit the gardens, you ride a bike… and you get to know more about the history of Louis 14th, 15th and 16th”, says Paris tour guide Mara Alfaro Prias. “It’s not just what’s behind the paintings or the chandeliers.” The Architect King It all started in 1623, when Louis the 13th built a hunting lodge in the countryside around the small town of Versailles, about 20km southwest of central Paris. But his son, Louis XIV, had bigger plans for the land. “Louis 14 was a kind of architect”, explains Mathieu da Vinha, scientific director of the Research Center of the Palace of Versailles. “In Paris, he really couldn’t expand the palaces because the urban fabric was too dense… In Versailles, it was the opposite.” Louis XIV’s ‘bachelor apartment’ is depicted in this 1668 work by Pierre Patel Getty Images via BBC But it wasn’t just more space the king wanted. “Louis XIV needed what we might today call a ‘bachelor’s apartment’ — that is, a small house of pleasures… for parties and fun with friends”, explains Michel Vergé-Franceschi, one of the authors of the book Une Histoire Érotique de Versailles (An Erotic History of Versailles, in free translation). “So he created Versailles, partly for his enjoyment, partly for his sexuality, with fantastic gardens.” Near the Grand Canal — the main part of the park, surrounded by cafes and restaurants — there is a place where visitors can rent bicycles. In recent years, biking Versailles has become the main escape route from my home in Paris in search of fresh air. A friend used to cycle from Paris to Versailles and he ended up inspiring me. But I had never ventured far beyond the Channel. So last fall, I decided to walk across the gardens to the bike stand, past Fonte Latona, kicking up the fallen orange leaves from the trees. I wanted to know more about those flower-filled gardens and romantic groves. This was the vision of the king’s gardener, André Le Nôtre. “In this garden, nothing is left to chance,” says the palace’s communications director, Hélène Dalifard. “The vision is always oriented towards a specific effect… the idea is really to imagine the garden as a museum, where the visitor thinks he is taking a random walk, but in fact he is completely guided by the effects of perspective.” The dimensions of Versailles and its park were carefully calculated to mirror the Louvre. The Etoile Royale (the strategic point at the end of the canal) and the Fountain of Apollo are exactly the same distance that separates Place de l’Etoile (now Place Charles de Gaulle) from Place de la Concorde in Paris. And the distance between the Fountain of Apollo and the Palace of Versailles is the same as between the Place de la Concorde and the Louvre Museum. Signs of the Sun King Throughout the park, there are optical illusions, hidden forests and subliminal messages alluding to the Sun. When he took the throne, Louis XIV chose the Sun as his personal symbol and came to be known as the Sun King. To reinforce this connection, the image of Apollo – the Greek god of the Sun – appears in fountains, groves and statues throughout the park. Symbolically, Versailles would revolve around the king, and the gardens were the stage where he would stand. “Versailles was the king’s theater,” says Vergé-Franceschi. He says that Luís 14 even wrote a book about the correct way to visit the gardens. The route starts at the upper steps of the garden, and the book is practically a manual, with precise instructions on where to walk, where to stop and what to admire along the way. Detail of the Fountain of Apollo at Versailles Getty Images via BBC The cycle paths are surrounded by trees towering over our heads. Dirt trails open onto a network of lawns as you approach the Fountain of Apollo. As I pedal, I have the impression of being in the middle of nowhere, even knowing that the palace, next door, is one of the most visited places on the planet. In 1661, Louis XIV married Maria Theresa of Austria. That’s when he met Louise de La Vallière, the woman who would be his first official lover. “She rode a horse in the park … she could stand on a horse holding the animal’s reins with silk ropes, and she was able to kill a wild boar in the forest of Versailles with sticks,” says Vergé-Franceschi. They were hiding in Louis XIII’s hunting lodge in the park. The Pleasures of the Enchanted Island party — a legendary event that lasted several days in the park and gardens — was officially to honor the mother and wife of Louis XIV. But, unofficially, it was dedicated to Louise de La Vallière. The event featured carousels, fireworks and performances by renowned French playwright Molière. “As the palace was too small before the expansion carried out by Luís XIV, most of the parties took place in the gardens”, says da Vinha. The park has an air of exaggeration and exclusivity, but the gardens have traditionally never been closed to the public, which is surprising. The entire complex remained open, from the king’s bedroom (as long as he wasn’t there) to the park and gardens. Currently, Versailles remains open to the public — and access to the park and gardens is free, except on specific days. “The tradition of the French monarchy was that the king should be accessible to his subjects, so that anyone could enter the palace freely, as long as they were well dressed”, explains da Vinha. The lack of privacy may have been one of the factors that led to the land’s expansion. At Versailles, one palace simply wasn’t enough. Louis XIV wanted a refuge from his refuge. So he commissioned the building of the Grand Trianon at the north end of the Grand Canal in 1670. There he spent time with Madame de Montespan, the mistress who succeeded Louise de La Vallière. The Trianon is a 30-minute walk from the palace, but a cycle path leads directly to it in five minutes from the bike rental stand. A gravel path connects the Grand Trianon to the canal, encircling the watercourse. The structure sits on high ground, and its salmon-pink marble walls form arches that open onto the landscape. It’s beautiful and airy, like a small jewelry box appearing out of nowhere. When I went there later in the day, there were very few people visiting their rooms. A short ride from the Grand Trianon is the Petit Trianon, a palace commissioned by Louis XV for the Countess du Barry in 1758, his mistress at the time. It was believed to be for Madame de Pompadour, but she died before the opening. The palace would end up being offered to Marie Antoinette as a gift from Louis 16, in 1774. She spent most of her time there. The isolation of the monarchy at Versailles played a role in the French Revolution. Royalty continued to live in opulence, while the French population starved, until hundreds of citizens ended up invading the palace in 1789. “Versailles helped to make [Luís 16 e Maria Antonieta] disconnected from reality”, says Vergé-Franceschi. A few years after the Revolution, the palace and its gardens were appropriated by the Republic, so that they could be preserved for the public. I get off my bicycle and leave the park at sunset. lights illuminating the roads and pathways, just patches of darkness. The palace lights are barely visible in the distance. When the sun goes down, the complex closes its gates, leaving the Sun King’s labyrinth of fountains, groves, and cycle paths in solitude—but until the following day Read the original version of this report (in English) on the BBC Travel website.

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