Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso (farm) alongside the lodge and shrine. The site was purchased from the monks in 1719 by King Philip V, after his summer palace nearby at Valsaín burned to a shell. He was the first Spanish king from the French Bourbon dynasty. Beginning in 1721, Philip began building a new palace and gardens modeled on Versailles, built by his grandfather, Louis XIV of France. Like Versailles it embraced a "cour d'honneur" on the approaching side, and formal gardens, with a main axis centred on the palace, that were surrounded by woodland in which further hidden garden features were disposed. Like Versailles,
1978 Palace of Versailles bombing 1978 Palace of Versailles bombing The Palace of Versailles bombing took place around 2:30 am on Monday 26 June 1978 when terrorists belonging to the Breton Liberation Front (FLB) detonated a powerful bomb at the historic palace in Versailles, near Paris, France. The explosion occurred on the ground floor of the left wing of the palace and caused damage within an 80 metres radius. Many statues and priceless paintings were damaged, including an entire gallery and several pieces of Napoleonic art, and a wide hole was opened on the ceiling. Millions of francs in damages were caused by it. The