Philibert Le Roy

Today, he is chiefly remembered for his appointment as "royal engineer and architect" to King Louis XIII.

[2] Historical records show that in 1625 Le Roy was employed by the King's brother, Gaston, duc d'Orléans.

These included the construction of a tennis court at the King's hunting lodge at Versailles, then a village a few kilometres from Paris.

Its walls were of cream coloured stone which framed stuccoed panels painted to resemble bricks.

A near contemporary of the Versailles chateau, the construction of Maisons is considered a defining moment in French architecture's movement towards the Baroque style.

The garden facade of Le Roy's new chateau at Versailles, after an engraving by Israel Silvestre
The Cour de Marbre at Versailles, beneath the rich ornamentation is the three-winged chateau of Philibert Le Roy