History of the Palace of Versailles Cotte and his team of decorative designers. There were also some modifications in the "appartement du roi", namely the construction of the "Salon de l’Œil de Bœuf" and the King's Bedchamber. With the completion of the chapel in 1710, virtually all construction at Versailles ceased; building would not be resumed at Versailles until some twenty one years later during the reign of Louis XV. After the death of the Louis XIV in 1715, the five-year-old king Louis XV, the court, and the "Régence" government of Philippe d’Orléans returned to Paris. In May 1717, during his visit to France, the Russian
Palace of Versailles Marly— the Machine de Marly that fed the fountains— was possibly the biggest mechanical system of its time. The water came in from afar on monumental stone aqueducts which have long ago fallen into disrepair or been torn down. Some aqueducts, such as the unfinished Canal de l'Eure, which passes through the gardens of the Château de Maintenon, were never completed for want of resources or due to the exigencies of war. Despite enormous investment in canals and machinery for hoisting water, Versailles never had a sufficient water supply for its hundreds of fountains. When the King promenaded in the