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François Mansart

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François Mansart
Born(1598-01-23)23 January 1598
Paris
Died23 September 1666(1666-09-23) (aged 68)
Paris
NationalityFrench
Alma materstudio of Salomon de Brosse
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsChâteau de Balleroy, Temple du Marais, Château de Maisons, Church of the Val-de-Grâce
ProjectsChâteau de Blois
Designplans to redesign the Louvre and the royal mausoleum at Saint-Denis

François Mansart (French pronunciation: ​[fʁɑ̃swa mɑ̃saʁ]; 23 January 1598 – 23 September 1666) was a French architect. He introduced classicism into Baroque architecture of France. According to the Encyclopædia Britannica, he was the most accomplished French architect from the 1600s.[1]

Mansart made the mansard roof popular.[2]

Career[change | change source]

Mansart was popular after the 1620s because of his style and skill as an architect. People thought he was stubborn and a perfectionist. Sometimes, he would tear down his buildings and start over. His works were very expensive. Only the richest could afford them.

His only surviving early work is the Château de Balleroy. This was commissioned by a chancellor to Gaston, Duke of Orléans. The duke liked the building so much that he asked Mansart to renovate his Château de Blois (1635). Mansart wanted to rebuild the entire house, but he was not able to finish. In 1632, Mansart designed the Church of St. Mary of the Angels. He used the Pantheon in Rome as an inspiration.[3]

Most of Mansart's buildings were reconstructed or destroyed.

In the 1640s, Mansart worked on the convent and church of the Val-de-Grâce in Paris.

In the 1650s, Mansart was targeted by enemies of the prime minister Cardinal Mazarin. Mansart worked for Cardinal Mazarin ofen. In 1651, Mazarin's enemies published "La Mansarade". This pamphlet falsely accused Mansart of many things.

After Louis XIV became the king, Mansart lost many commissions. He had plans to remodel the Louvre and the royal mausoleum at Saint-Denis. These buildings were never remodeled.[4] Mansart died in Paris in 1666.

Gallery[change | change source]

  • The Château de Balleroy, Mansart's earliest surviving work
    The Château de Balleroy, Mansart's earliest surviving work
  • The Church of the Visitation in the Rue Saint-Antoine, now the Temple du Marais[5]
    The Church of the Visitation in the Rue Saint-Antoine, now the Temple du Marais[5]
  • Château de Maisons
    Château de Maisons
  • Church of Val-de-Grâce, built for Anne of Austria
    Church of Val-de-Grâce, built for Anne of Austria

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ "Western architecture | History, Styles, Examples, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  2. ↑ AMHER, 4th edition, 2000.
  3. ↑ Pénin, Marie-Christine. "Couvent des Filles de la Visitation Sainte-Marie de la rue Saint-Antoine". Tombes Sépultures dans les cimetières et autres lieux.
  4. ↑  "François Mansard" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.
  5. ↑ Braham and Smith 1973, pp. 203–205.

Further reading[change | change source]

  • Braham, Allan; Smith, Peter (1973). François Mansart. London: A. Zwemmer. ISBN 9780302022511.
  • Perrault, Charles (1696), "François Mansart", Les hommes illustres qui ont paru en France pendant ce siècle - avec leur portraits au naturel (in French), vol. 1 (2 vols. folio ed.), Paris, pp. 87–88
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