A patron of the arts, Louis XIV brought together a prodigious diversity of talents that would have a critical influence on Europe’s artistic history. One most brilliant achievements of this period is The Château de Versailles (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), comprising the Estate of Marie-Antoinette, and the magnificence of its royal Gardens. In addition to the visiting the Royal Palace itself, it is possible to relive — if for a fleeting moment — the splendors of the court life as it may have been, through an explosion of the senses.
The Château de Versailles. Attribution: Jean-Christophe Benoist. Wikimedia Commons.
Particularly impressive, Les Jardins Musicaux (The Musical Gardens) present fountain shows to music in the French-style royal groves designed by Le Nôtre, Louis XIV’s principal landscape architect. Wandering through this monumental green labyrinth, you stumble upon the garden’s most secret corners filled with fountains and jets of water rising and falling to royal music, sculptures, and fabulous stage machinery such as were devised during the king’s reign.
With La Sérénade representation, one can get a taste Louis XIV’s daily life and experience the apartments of the king, especially the sumptuous Hall of Mirrors in the glorious sunset lights, all accompanied by baroque musicians and dancers in the manner of a ravishing French ball.
The Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. Public domain image.
The night culminates with Les Grandes Eaux Nocturnes (The Nocturnal Water Shows) when the Royal Gardens transform themselves into an otherwordly spectacle of sights and sounds. In the spirit of the original masters, lighting and scenographic artists produce a number of mesmerizing installations using modern equipment to illuminate the groves and playing fountains in a dizzying array of colors, smoke effects and lasers.
And in the summer, the show concludes with the most grandiose fireworks. The Tapis Vert (the expanse of lawn that stretches between the Latona Fountain and the Apollo Fountain) roars in a row of monumental flames set to music, while beyond, a breathtaking pyrotechnic display set against the backdrop of the Grand Canal ignites the evening sky, resounding to the masterpieces of French baroque music.
