Versailles, Louisiana
| Versailles | |
| Unincorporated community | |
| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | Louisiana |
| Parish | St. Bernard Parish |
| Coordinates | 29°56′54″N 89°57′39″W / 29.94833°N 89.96083°WCoordinates: 29°56′54″N 89°57′39″W / 29.94833°N 89.96083°W |
| Timezone | CST (UTC-6) |
| - summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
  Location of Versailles in Louisiana
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 Location of Louisiana in the United States
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Versailles is an unincorporated community in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana. It is along the East Bank of the Mississippi River, about 3.5 miles below the lower limit of New Orleans. The community, for governmental and postal address purposes, is considered part of Chalmette and by some designations, part of neighboring Meraux. The name "Versailles", as a place designation, continues in local use.
Versailles was founded by a descendant of French Canadian judge and poet, René-Louis Chartier de Lotbinière, poet Alain Chartier, and explorer . Major-General Pierre Denis de la Ronde (1762–1824), one of Louisiana's wealthiest plantation owners.
In 1802, Denis de La Ronde was appointed to Louisiana (New Spain)'s governing authority, the Cabildo. In 1805, during the U.S. territorial period, along with other local investors, he made plans to build Versailles along the Mississippi River and to then cut a barge canal through some dozen miles of swamp to the shore of Lake Pontchartrain, where they planned to build another town, called Paris. The intended communities were named after Paris and Versailles in France and were meant to recreate the French style. Denis de La Ronde envisioned that this Versailles would overtake New Orleans in size and popularity.
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