Philibert Le Roy was a 17th century French architect and military engineer

Military engineer

In military science, engineering refers to the practice of designing, building, maintaining and dismantling military works, including offensive, defensive and logistical structures, to shape the physical operating environment in war...

 who worked in the Baroque

Baroque

The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

 and classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 styles. Today, he is chiefly remembered for his appointment as "royal engineer and architect" to King Louis XIII.

Works

Historical records show that in 1625 Le Roy was working for the King's brother, Gaston, duc d'Orléans. By 1627 he had become a royal architect and was involved in some small projects on behalf of the king. One of these was the construction of a tennis court at the King's hunting lodge at Versailles, a village a few kilometres from Paris. It can be assumed that he replaced Nicolas Huau, the previous court architect who died in 1626. From 1631 he was employed in the creation of a small chateau

Château

A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...

 replacing the existing hunting lodge. This phase of construction was completed in 1634.

It was this small chateau of three wings around an open court that would eventually become the core of the great chateau at Versailles built by Louis XIV. Le Roy's original chateau was of a simple construction. Its walls were of cream coloured stone which framed stuccoed panels. These panels were painted to resemble bricks. The chateau's roof was of blue slate. The colours employed by the architect were no coincidence, but reflected the red, white and blue of the King's livery. In appearance, Le Roy's Chateau de Versailles is not dissimilar from Francois Mansard's designs for the Château de Maisons

Château de Maisons

The Château de Maisons , designed by François Mansart from 1630 to 1651, is a prime example of French baroque architecture and a reference point in the history of French architecture...

. A near contemporary of the Versailles chateau, the construction of Maisons is considered a defining moment in French architecture's drift towards the Baroque style.

Little more is known of Le Roy's personal life. He died in 1646.