MASDAIRI

France Architecture Introducction

France is a country rich in architecture. You can spend all your days day walking through the streets of Paris, or museums, and taking pictures next to one of the many impressive monuments. France has many old monuments good condition like the Maison Carre and the Pont du Gard near Nmes.

The Carolingian dynasty of Charlemagne was a period of innovative buildings, using the Romanesque architec which gave rise to the architecture of the Romanesque period. Many works of art were constructed in France du period such as Gothic style cathedrals, an example of which is Chartres Cathedral (begun 1194), St. Sernin, Tou (1080-1120) and Ste-Madeleine Church Vzelay (1089-1206).

The term Romanesque comes from the buildings of the Roman Empire. The Romanesque style incorporates el Byzantine and Eastern origin and it is thought to have been a response to the needs of monasteries and churches the stone vault being one of the most successful Romanesque innovations. Each region has its own Romanesque which reflects the regional traditions and customs The Benedictine monastery church at Cluny in Burgundy is t and most important Romanesque building in France. Cluny was once the centre of the Benedictine order in Fran

The Gothic Period The Renaissance Period The Baroque and Rococo Period The nineteenth century The twentieth century

BIANCA
The Gothic Period

The Gothic style began in the twelveth century, and had as a base the Romanesque style. During this period Fr

become a centre of commerce, and many cathedrals with Gothic style were constructed with the donations of m interests. By the thirteenth century The Gothic style had become the Universal style in all of Europe, and was th French style to be used in all Europe.

The most important example of Gothic style is the church of Saint-Denis, near Paris, built between 1137 and 11 there are also other churches built in this style in Noyon, Senlis, Sens, Reims, Rouen and Laon, Amiens Cathed Sainte-Chapelle. Chartres Cathedral was rebuilt in this period due to a fire.

The Renaissance Period

The Renaissance period began at the end of the fifteenth century and was much influenced by the Italian Renaissance. This style came to France with the Italians who arrived in the Loire Valley. One of the first examples of this period is Chateau d'Amboise, and it's famous because Leonardo Da Vinci spent his last days there. The gothic style mixed with the Italian Renaissance in France, made impressive results. The Chateau de Chambord is one of the most recognizable chteaux in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture that blends traditional medieval forms with classical Italian structures. The massive castle features 6 immense towers, 440 rooms, 365 fireplaces, and 84 staircases, and it's said that the original design of the Chateau de Chambord was by Domenico da Cortona, and that Leonardo da Vinci was also involved in the design. The Renaissance style progressed under architects such as Sebastiano Serlio and artists such as Rosso Fiorentino, Francesco Primaticcio, and Niccolo dell' Abbate, who formed the First School of Fontainebleau. Architects such as Philibert Delorme, Giacomo Vignola, Androuet du Cerceau and Pierre Lescot, were inspired by the new ideas. The southwest interior facade of the Cour Carree of the Louvre in Paris was designed by Lescot and was covered with

exterior carvings by Jean Goujon.

YESENIA The Baroque and Rococo Period

French Baroque is an architectural style and had its beginnings in the first decade of the seventeenth century, and evolved in France during the reigns of Louis XIII (1610-43), Louis XIV (1643-1714) and Louis XV (1714-74). The best example of this style is the Palais du Luxembourg (1615-20) by Salomon de Brosse.

Other architects also made magnificent works of art, such as the architect Jacques Lemercier, builder of Richelieu's Palais Cardinal (begun 1633). In its place today is the Palais Royale. He also built the Church of the Sorbonne in 1635. Franois Mansart designed the Chteau de Maisons (1642), introducing the full Baroque to France.

The architect Louis Le Vau constructed the Vaux-le-Vicomte (1656-61), and this palace has a beautiful garden which was constructed by the gardener Andr Le Ntre. This new element contributed to the development of this kind of architecture in France and in Europe and was known as the "Magnificent Manner".

Jean Baptiste Colbert was the minister of commerce and royal works in the period of the reign of Louis XIV (1661-1715), and under his direction the arts served the state. The fabulous palace of Versailles was built during this period by the architect Jules HardouinMansart, and was used as the king's residence. The Louvre in Paris was also enlarged during this period.

When the chteau was built, Versailles was just a country village, but today it is now a suburb of Paris with city status in its own right. From 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, until the royal family was forced to return to the capital in 1789, the Court of Versailles was the centre of power in Ancien Rgime France.

Hardouin-Mansart's Btiments du Roi, took the shape of the rococo's more delicate and intimate manner, largely limited to interiors and works of decorative arts. Nicolas Pineau helped Hardouin-Mansart with the interiors of the royal Chteau de Marly. Architect Jean Aubert constructed the Chteau de Chantilly between 1728 and 1730. This house is one of the masterpieces of rocaille architecture.

DIOGENES The nineteenth century

During the last decades of the eighteenth century the neoclassicism was perpetuated by monumental forms serving the political ambitions of the Second Empire (1852-70) of Napoleon III. In the mid-nineteenth century the Gothic revival was ardently championed in France by the architect and theorist Eugne Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, restorer of many of the country's most famous monuments, including Notre Dame in Paris (1842-68). During this period, the city of Paris was extensively remodelled under Napoleon III. The French preference for classicism was institutionalized in the cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, buildings such as Jean Louis Charles Garnier's spectacular Paris Opera or Palais Garnier (1861-75), located at the northern end of the Avenue de l'Opra in the IXe arrondissement of Paris, played an important role in Baron Haussmann's modernization of the city during the Second Empire.Haussmann was commissioned to build new boulevards through the heart of the city. During this period the most famous French building, the Eiffel tower by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1889) was constructed. Properties made of new industrial materials and construction techniques were researched by such pioneers as Henri Labrouste. The Bibliothque Ste Genevive (1843-50) was designed by Henri Labrouste who used a cast-iron construction.

The nineteenth century

During the last decades of the eighteenth century the neoclassicism was perpetuated by monumental forms serving the political ambitions of the Second Empire (1852-70) of Napoleon III. In the mid-nineteenth century the Gothic revival was ardently championed in France by the architect and theorist Eugne Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc, restorer of many of the country's most famous monuments, including Notre Dame in Paris (1842-68). During this period, the city of Paris was extensively remodelled under Napoleon III. The French preference for classicism was institutionalized in the cole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, buildings such as Jean Louis Charles Garnier's spectacular Paris Opera or Palais Garnier (1861-75), located at the northern end of the Avenue de l'Opra in the IXe arrondissement of Paris, played an important role in Baron Haussmann's modernization of the city during the Second Empire.Haussmann was commissioned to build new boulevards through the heart of the city. During this period the most famous French building, the Eiffel tower by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1889) was constructed. Properties made of new industrial materials and construction techniques were researched by such pioneers

as Henri Labrouste. The Bibliothque Ste Genevive (1843-50) was designed by Henri Labrouste who used a cast-iron construction.