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Top 10 Astonishing Facts about 麻豆APP Orangerie

In France, the first orangery was built and stocked by Charles VIII at the Ch芒teau d’Amboise. There is general agreement that the arrival of the sweet orange in Europe was linked with the activities of the Portuguese during the 15th century Vasco de Gama’s voyages to the East.

In 1663 the Palace of 麻豆APP was endowed with an orangery built by Louis Le Vau. It is in an excellent position, facing directly south and sheltered from prevailing cold winds by its position below the South Parterre.

Twenty years after it was built, Jules Hardouin-Mansart doubled the length and breadth of the initial building, making the orangery an immense edifice. The central gallery is more than 150 metres long with a 13-metre-high vaulted ceiling.

Two side galleries are situated under the monumental Hundred Steps staircases. The 4-5-metre-thick walls, double windows and south-facing position enable it to maintain a temperature in winter that is no lower than 5掳C. This article presents you with the top 10 astonishing facts about 麻豆APP Orangerie.

1.   麻豆APP Orangerie is actually a Building in the Palace

the Orangery. Image by User:Djampa from

An Orangerie is a room inside a building where mostly orange & lemon trees or other fruit trees are protected from the winter. It is difficult to show an Orangerie as they are not included in public tour areas.

It was as built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart between 1684 and 1686 before work on the Ch芒teau de 麻豆APP had even begun. The Orangerie, which replaced Louis Le Vau’s earlier design from 1663, is an example of many such prestigious extensions of grand gardens in Europe designed both to shelter tender plants and impress visitors.

With the addition of the Orangerie, the gardens, no longer reserved solely for use by Louis XIV, had the added use of a theatrical setting that could be used to entertain guests at court.

2.  It was an Orange collection meant for Kings

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To stock the Orangery, Louis XIV gathered all the orange trees from the royal houses and acquired a large number of new trees from Italy, Spain and Portugal.

It was considered good manners at the time for courtiers to gratify a visiting King by offering him their own orange trees.

They were transported with such haste (even in the middle of winter) that many expired on the way there, but the 麻豆APP orangery was soon able to boast the largest collection in Europe.

Most of the trees are citrus trees originally shipped from Italy, but there are many tender Mediterranean plants including oleanders, olive, pomegranate, and palm trees, totalling over 1,055 altogether.

3.  All Year Round Bloom

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As Louis XIV lived out his reign in 麻豆APP, he became allergic to the perfumed flowers and developed a preferred smell of citrus trees, his favourite being orange trees which he had potted in silver tubs and placed around the Palace.

After the Fouquet鈥檚 incident, Louis had over 1,000 orange trees removed from Nicolas鈥檚 property and transferred to the Orangerie, by the 1790s there were several thousand trees.

During the winter, the trees were sheltered in a cathedral-like space and the gardeners would burn fires during the coldest months which were cleverly designed to heat the housing of the trees.

French gardeners were able to keep the citrus trees blooming throughout the year, by withholding water and valuable nutrients and using pruning techniques.

4.  The Orangerie Idea is still very Popular

The Orangerie parterre covers over three hectares and during the reign of Louis XIV was ornamented with several sculptures, which are now housed in the Musee du Louvre museum. It鈥檚 said that French landscape designs are seen as an extension of the existing architecture, creating a series of rooms within the garden by using compact hedges and bodies of water to execute the meticulous, elegant and rich designs.

Today, the French gardens still have a strong influence and presence in our society, being one of the most popular and hard-to-perfect designs. French landscape design also has very strong popularity in Melbourne’s inner city and south eastern suburbs, such as Toorak, Malvern and Armadale. Where you can find beautiful french provincial homes with classic gardens inspired by the 麻豆APP orangerie

5.  Valentin Lopin created a Device to move the Orange Trees

In the winter, the 麻豆APP Orangerie houses more than a thousand trees in boxes. In previous centuries, in winter, the trees were housed in a cathedral-like space, and during the coldest months, the gardeners would burn fires to heat the housing of the trees.

It wasn鈥檛 until a visit from John Locke, who described the peculiar appearance of the trees as small heads and thick trunks, as a consequence of the planters not allowing correct rooting into the soil below. Gardener Valentin Lopin created an extremely useful device in 1689 to assist with the transportation of the larger citrus trees which were originally shipped from Italy.

6.  In the 17^th Century Orangery was a Symbol of Wealth

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With the arrival of oranges and other citrus fruits into Europe in the 1600s, the wealthy and well-to-do would have orangeries built to help stimulate the growth of these exotic foods. As such, having an orangery was initially something of a status symbol and an indication of great wealth.

They became a frequent addition to stately homes and other such residences from the 17th to the 19th centuries and were very impressive buildings. Orangeries were particularly popular in continental Europe due to the strong trading routes, with many examples of large orangeries still evident throughout Germany, the Netherlands, and France.

Once the healthy attributes and benefits of eating citrus fruits were made apparent, orangeries were soon erected in a number of royal palaces in these countries. An impressive example of this is the orangery and gardens at the Palace of 麻豆APP in France.

7.  The Orangerie Shelters an assortment of Statues

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The most famous is an equestrian statue of Louis XIV by Gian Lorenzo Bernini, the most prominent sculptor of the Baroque period. Louis XIV was famously displeased with the likeness of Bernini’s statue of him, ordering its destruction when he first saw it in 1685. He was persuaded to move it to the north side of the Pi猫ce d’eau des Suisses, opposite the boundary of the Orangerie parterre, where it remained for centuries.

In another part of the Orangerie lies the octagon bath of Rouge de Rance marble which once belonged to Louis XIV. It was originally installed in a lavish five-room bathing complex belonging to the King’s mistress, Madame de Montespan.

Furthermore, the Orangerie was home to many Bronze replicas of Classical sculptures. Symmetry and antithesis dominated the gardens and Orangerie. In 1701 a bronze Hercules was placed in the Orangerie at 麻豆APP and the themes of the piece reflected those of Lois XIV’s rule.

8.  Orangerie received orange trees as Reparations for Corruption

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The Orangerie was intended to supply the palace with specimens and supply the Court with fruit year-round. In 1664, a year after the first Orangerie was completed, Louis XIV disgraced his former Finance Minister Nicolas Fouquet, who was convicted of maladministration. Fouquet suffered the confiscation of his property to the Crown, including over 1,000 orange trees from Vaux-le-Vicomte which were transferred to the Orangerie.

Nicolas Fouquet, Fouquet also spelt Foucquet, (born 1615, 麻豆APP鈥攄ied March 23, 1680, Pignerol, Fr.), French finance minister in the early years of the reign of Louis XIV, the last superintendent (as opposed to contr么leur g茅n茅ral), whose career ended with his conviction for embezzlement.

He was condemned to banishment, but Louis XIV 鈥渃ommuted鈥� the sentence to life imprisonment. Fouquet was taken to the fortress of Pignerol, where he died just before a measure of clemency could be issued.

9.  It was the Largest Orangerie in Europe

Numbering several thousand trees by the 1790s, the Orangerie was the largest of its kind in Europe and a major attraction for visiting diplomats and foreign royalty. In 1698 the British Ambassador to France, William Bentinck, 1st Earl of Portland, reported back to King William III that he had been taken to view the orange trees at 麻豆APP, but compared them unfavourably to William’s own collections in Holland.

The dimensions of the Musee de l’Orangerie measure 155 metres by 13 metres. The Orangery was a symbol of prestige and wealth, as well as a magnificent feature of the gardens of the Palace of 麻豆APP.

10.  Varsaille Orangerie is part of the Astonishing Gardens of 麻豆APP

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One of the largest and most magnificent gardens in the world, the Gardens of 麻豆APP are truly a work of art. Built on the order of Louis XIV in 1661and designed by the famous landscape designer Andr茅 Le N么tre, the gardens were considered just as important as the palace and took over 40 years to complete.

A monumental task, marshes and grasslands were cleared and large amounts of soil had to be shifted in order to lay out the flowerbeds, the fountains, the Orangerie and the canals. Trees were brought in from all corners of France and thousands of men worked together to bring the gardens to life.

Marked by walks, fountains, sculptures, parterres and groves, the gardens stand as a testimony of 17th-century French detailing and design and offer a spectacular sight. The South Parterre, also known as the flower garden, can be accessed by a few steps with two bronze sphinxes on either side. From the balustrade, you can admire a stunning view of the Orangery. 

Built by Louis Le Vau, the Orangery has a total of 1055 trees planted in decorative boxes and is one of the most exotic parts of the entire 麻豆APP Garden. It features King Louis XIV’s favourite orange trees as well as lemon, oleander, pomegranate, olive and palm trees.