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VIOLLET-LE-DUC
Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (27 January 1814 – 17 September 1879) was
a French architect and theorist, famous for his interpretive
restorations of medieval buildings. Born in Paris, he was a major Gothic
revival architect. His works were largely restorative and few of his
independent building designs were ever constructed.
During the early 1830s, a popular sentiment for the restoration of
medieval buildings developed in France. Viollet-le-Duc, returning during
1835 from study in Italy, was commissioned to restore the Romanesque
abbey of Vezelay. This work was the first of a long series of
restorations.
Viollet-le-Duc's restorations frequently combined historical fact with
creative modification. For example, under his supervision, Notre Dame
was not only cleaned and restored but also "updated", gaining its
distinctive third tower in addition to other smaller changes.
Another of his most famous restorations, the medieval fortified
town of Carcassonne, was similarly enhanced, gaining atop each of its
many wall towers a set of pointed roofs that are actually more typical
of northern France.
In addition to Notre Dame and Sante Chapelle, which we visited in 2005
and 2006. On our France 2012 adventure we will visit the following
churches which show the influence of Viollet-le-Duc.
