Eugène Viollet-le-Duc celebrated in Google doodle
Google's latest doodle marks the birthday of Eugène Emmanuel
Viollet-le-Duc, the French architect known for his gothic revivalist
restorations of medieval buildings.
Born in Paris in 1814 to a civil servant father, the young Viollet-le-Duc embraced republicanism and anti-clericalism and took part in the July Revolution of 1830.
After his return in 1835 from studying in Italy, he was commissioned to restore the Romanesque abbey of Vézelay, the first in a long series of restorations which included work at Notre Dame de Paris.
The later project brought him to national attention, as did work at Mont Saint-Michel, Carcassonne, Roquetaillade castle and Pierrefonds.
After 1848 he supervised the restoration of numerous medieval buildings, the most important being the Amiens Cathedral in 1849, the synodal hall at Sens in the same year, the fortifications of Carcassonne in 1852 and the church of Saint-Sernin at Toulouse in 1862.
Viollet-le-Duc's influence in early 19th-century theories of architectural restoration was largely unrivalled. But while his early aim was to carry out restorations in the style of the original building, his addition of entirely new elements later on has been criticised by 20th century archeologists.
Later in his career, he was involved in the defence of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1, developing theories which influenced the engineers behind the fortifications at Verdun prior to Second World War and the Maginot Line before the Second World War to World War II.
He lived out his final years in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he constructed a villa and died there in 1879.
Born in Paris in 1814 to a civil servant father, the young Viollet-le-Duc embraced republicanism and anti-clericalism and took part in the July Revolution of 1830.
After his return in 1835 from studying in Italy, he was commissioned to restore the Romanesque abbey of Vézelay, the first in a long series of restorations which included work at Notre Dame de Paris.
The later project brought him to national attention, as did work at Mont Saint-Michel, Carcassonne, Roquetaillade castle and Pierrefonds.
After 1848 he supervised the restoration of numerous medieval buildings, the most important being the Amiens Cathedral in 1849, the synodal hall at Sens in the same year, the fortifications of Carcassonne in 1852 and the church of Saint-Sernin at Toulouse in 1862.
Viollet-le-Duc's influence in early 19th-century theories of architectural restoration was largely unrivalled. But while his early aim was to carry out restorations in the style of the original building, his addition of entirely new elements later on has been criticised by 20th century archeologists.
Later in his career, he was involved in the defence of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1, developing theories which influenced the engineers behind the fortifications at Verdun prior to Second World War and the Maginot Line before the Second World War to World War II.
He lived out his final years in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he constructed a villa and died there in 1879.
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