Under the reign of Louis XIV, France experienced a period of power and success that at the time was unparalleled. Versailles was not merely an extension of this power, or some sort of flaunting of wealth just for the sake of flaunting it. The gardens of Versailles were composed of highly complex and intricately executed designs and themes that were meant to create a perfect and ideal space, one that could only be seen under the perfect and ideal leadership of Louis XIV. In particular, Le Notre’s understanding of geometric spatial planning and a new emphasis on “clarity, simplicity, austerity, and refinement” (96) are what make Versailles such a unique and effective garden. Le Notre managed to take such a vast space and create gardens that never feel overwhelming or necessarily ornate. Throughout the garden, the various references and images of the sun god give a sacredness to the gardens, as well as also emphasizing the divine role of Louis XIV. The effect of having such geometrically perfect planning and symbols of Louis’s power is that Versailles becomes a microcosm for France itself. Rolling through the gardens, one is not just aware of Louis’s power or wealth, or the great vastness of the gardens. One instead feels that all attributes of the gardens are ones that France herself shares. As a nation, France is vast, prosperous, and bursting forward with life. Given this context, it makes even more sense that Louis XIV also used Versailles as a way to keep the nobles under his thumb. It was not just a garden that was pleasurable to stroll around in (although it certainly is that, too). It is all the ideals of France under Louis’s reign communicated via the art of gardens. In this way, Versailles takes gardens from mere pleasure to a level of spatial design that gives more meaning than ever to what a garden could mean.    

This first photo exemplifies the vast yet simple approach to Versaille, which emphasizes its role as a refined and subtle encapsulation of all that was France at the time. 

This photo shows the Latona Fountain, which depicts the story of Apollo and Diana surrounded by ungrateful peasants, which is an allegory for the Fronde. This emphasizes Louis's roll within France