Grand Trianon Grand Trianon The Grand Trianon () is a "château" (palace) situated in the northwestern part of the Domain of Versailles. It was built at the request of King Louis XIV of France (r. 1643–1715), as a retreat for himself and his maîtresse en titre of the time, the Marquise de Montespan (1640–1707), and as a place where he and invited guests could take light meals ("collations") away from the strict "étiquette" of the Court. The Grand Trianon is set within its own park, which includes the Petit Trianon (the much smaller château built between 1762 and 1768 during the reign
Subsidiary structures of the Palace of Versailles dining table to be lowered to the kitchen level of the house, thus eliminating the need for servants in the dining room. At this time, the "jardins botaniques" were removed to Paris and the "Hameau de la reine" constructed in their stead. Regarded by opponents as a folly of Marie Antoinette, the Hameau was a model bucolic village and farm in which advances in agronomy and animal husbandry were practiced. Owing to the association with Marie Antoinette's perceived excesses—such as the construction of a theater where she and her friends acted to private audiences—the Petit Trianon and the Hameau were