![Vue de la face extérieure de la Grotte de Versailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01386/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
The Grotto
One of the most celebrated features of early Versailles was the Grotto of Tethys (often spelled Thetis), adjacent to the northern side of the palace. Initially built as a simple water tower, the pavilion was redesigned in 1665 around the theme of the descent of Apollo, the sun god, into the sea at the end of his daily procession across the heavens. Located close to Louis XIV’s bedroom, the Grotto allegorized the hard-working king’s retreat to Versailles for rest and recreation. It also echoed the Apollo Fountain at the opposite end of the gardens, where the god is shown rising out of the sea on his horse-drawn chariot. The Grotto’s whimsical, under-the-sea interior was decorated with precious stones, shells, mirrors, mosaics, and masks. It was not completed until 1676, when three marble groups were placed in the bays at the back.
Despite its great success, the Grotto was demolished in 1684 to make way for the north wing of the expanding palace. Only its marble sculptures were preserved and transferred to the gardens. Their original setting can be envisioned thanks to a set of twenty detailed engravings published in the 1670s, of which nine are displayed on the walls of this alcove.
Section Items
![Vue de la face extérieure de la Grotte de Versailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01386/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
![Le Soleil qui se couche dans la mer…](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01387/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Le Soleil qui se couche dans la mer…
![Plan de la grotte de Versailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01385/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Plan de la grotte de Versailles
![Pilier orné de coquillages et de rocailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01395/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Pilier orné de coquillages et de rocailles
![Groupe de marbre blanc, représentant deux chevaux du soleil et deux Tritons qui les pansent](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01399/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Groupe de marbre blanc, représentant deux chevaux du soleil et deux Tritons qui les pansent
![Le Soleil après avoir achevé son cours descend chez Thétis](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2013/00210/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Le Soleil après avoir achevé son cours descend chez Thétis
![Groupe de marbre blanc représentant deux chevaux du soleil, et deux Tritons qui les pansent](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01398/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Groupe de marbre blanc représentant deux chevaux du soleil, et deux Tritons qui les pansent
![Pilier orné de coquillages et de rocailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01391/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Pilier orné de coquillages et de rocailles
![Masques de coquillages et de rocailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/pudl0083/2012/01397/00000001.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Masques de coquillages et de rocailles
![Fontaine des Bains d’Apollon dans le Jardin de Versailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/exhibits%2FVersailles%2FVersailles_photographs_8bit%2FJulie_0093.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Fontaine des Bains d’Apollon dans le Jardin de Versailles
![Vue du fond de la grotte de Versailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/exhibits%2FVersailles%2FVersailles_photographs_8bit%2F24-flat.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Vue du fond de la grotte de Versailles
![Le Bain de Diane en bas-reliefs](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/exhibits%2FVersailles%2FVersailles_photographs_8bit%2F25.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)
Le Bain de Diane en bas-reliefs
![Explication historique de ce qu’il y a de plus remarquable dans la maison royale de Versailles](https://libimages.princeton.edu/loris/exhibits%2FVersailles%2FVersailles_photographs_8bit%2F26.jp2/full/200,/0/default.jpg)