Louis LE VAU, (1612-1670) came from a family of architects and entrepreneurs. He was the main architect of the urbanization of Ile Saint-Louis in Paris which had previously been subject to constant flooding. After erecting several hôtels in the capital, he built the now defunct châteaux of Saint-Sépulcre, Raincy, and Sucy-en-Brie and modified the château of Meudon. Vaux-le-Vicomte and the Institut are his two masterpieces which have survived the ravages of time. In Versailles, he laid out for the King the main lines of successive transformations which turned a hunting lodge into the most famous palace in the worlds.