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On 11 August 1672 Louis XIV, King of France, inaugurated a small pavilion which his brother, Monsieur, had had constructed by Thomas Gobert the King's architect and engineer, at the southern extremity of the Allée du Mail in the Parc de Saint-Cloud. Begun in 1670 and finished at the end of the following year, the Trianon de Saint-Cloud, as it was then called, stood halfway up a hillside overlooking the Seine. A fine example of the architecture of the 17th century, this pavilion, having a flat roof and belvederes in the classical style, was built to hold fêtes and receptions and to embellish the already magnificent park and Château de Saint-Cloud. It is known today as the Pavillon de Breteuil.
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The origins of the Domaine de Saint-Cloud go back to the year 1577 and stem from the marriage of Henri Duc d'Orléans, the future Henri II, to Catherine de Médicis. In 1577 Catherine, who by then had become very influential as Queen Mother and Regent, bought for Jérôme II de Gondi the small Domaine d'Aunay, about 12 arpents (5 hectares) in extent situated on the banks of the Seine at Saint-Cloud. The small house on this domaine then became known as the Maison de Gondi. Jérôme and his son Baptiste II virtually rebuilt the house, thereby beginning what was to become the Château de Saint-Cloud. It was in the Maison de Gondi that Henri III died in 1589 after being stabbed by the Dominican monk Jacques Clément, on the banks of the Seine at Saint-Cloud.
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The gardens of the Maison de Gondi were soon decorated and laid out in the Italian style with fountains, cascades and statuary, probably designed by the Italian master Thomas Francine. In the year 1618, however, Jean-Baptiste de Gondi, presumably for financial reasons, sold the property. It was acquired by Jean de Bueil, who died soon afterwards, and in 1625 the estate was bought by Jean-François de Gondi, Archbishop of Paris. Jean-François made many improvements to the estate including, once again with the help of Thomas Francine, the construction of many ornamental water effects. These include the Cascade de Gondi and the Grand Jet, still extant, in the square pool in the lower park.
After the death of Jean-François de Gondi in 1654 the property passed to Philippe-Emmanuel de Gondi and then to his nephew Henri, Duc de Retz, who decided to sell in 1655. Barthélémy Hervart, a financier of German descent, became the new owner. Hervart made further acquisitions, increasing the area of the property to about 12 hectares. He also increased the size of the house and made yet further improvements to the waterworks in the gardens. The estate had by then taken on a certain grandeur and on the 8 October 1658 a sumptuous fête was organized in honour of the young Louis XIV, his brother known as 'Monsieur', his mother Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin. This, it turned out, was an unwise thing for Barthélémy Hervart to do, for Mazarin had been looking for a country house for the King to give as a present to Monsieur. A little more than two weeks later, on the 26 October 1658, Monsieur (Philippe d'Anjou, then d'Orléans) took possession of his new property at Saint-Cloud which the unfortunate Barthélémy Hervart had been forced to sell.
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Summary
