Parc du Chateaux de Versailles Under the guidance of Louis XIV (reigned 1643–1715), the residence was transformed (1661–1710) into an immense and extravagant complex surrounded by stylized French and English gardens. Every detail of its construction was intended to glorify the king. Grand Canal, a 200-foot- (60-metre-) wide 1-mile- (1.6-km-) long waterway. During Louis XIV’s tenure at Versailles, Venetian gondolas traversed the Grand Canal. The Latona Fountain, designed by André Le Nôtre and sculpted by Gaspard and Balthazard Marsy, inspired by Ovid's Metamorphoses; at the Palace of Versailles, France.