Lemercier, Jacques

Lemercier, Jacques

▪ French architect
Lemercier also spelled  Le Mercier  
born 1585, Pontoise, France
died June 4, 1654, Paris

      French architect who, along with François Mansart (Mansart, François) and Louis Le Vau, shaped French architecture by introducing classical elements.

      Lemercier belonged to a famous family of builders. For several years between 1607 and 1614 he was in Rome, where he probably studied with Rosato Rosati, whose Church of San Carlo ai Catinari was Lemercier's model for the Church of the Sorbonne, in Paris.

      Following his completion of the Church of l'Oratoire (1616; begun by C. Métezeau), Lemercier became recognized as the new master of classicism in France. He was commissioned by Louis XIII to carry out the enlargement of the old Louvre courtyard (now the Cour Carrée), planned by Pierre Lescot (Lescot, Pierre), and to this purpose he built the Pavillon de l'Horloge and the adjoining wings to the north. The rich ornament and complex proportions of the Pavillon de l'Horloge make it one of his most successful buildings.

      Cardinal Richelieu (Richelieu, Armand-Jean du Plessis, cardinal et duc de) soon became his patron, and Lemercier built for him the Palais-Cardinal, subsequently renamed the Palais Royal (Palais-Royal Theatre), in Paris (1629). The theatre of the Palais was one of the first structures in France built exclusively for theatrical use. It was also for Richelieu that Lemercier built the Church of the Sorbonne (begun 1626), perhaps the earliest French building to have a dome set on a high drum. The most ambitious project carried out for his patron was the design of a château and surrounding town at Richelieu in Indre-et-Loire (begun 1631). Although the château was largely demolished in the early 19th century, the town survives.

      In 1646 Lemercier took over the completion of François Mansart (Mansart, François)'s Church of the Val-de-Grâce in Paris; however, he is now believed not to have been responsible for finishing the church because very little construction was done between 1646 and his death. Lemercier died just after beginning Saint-Roch (1653), which became the principal Parisian church of the early 18th century.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Lemercier, Jacques — • Born at Pontoise, about 1585; died at Paris, 1654. Lemercier shares with Mansart and Le Muet the glory of representing French architecture most brilliantly under Louis XIII and Richelieu Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Lemercier, Jacques — (c. 1585 1654)    French architect who worked for King Louis XIII. Little is known of Lemercier s training. He was the son of a mason and may have learned the principles of building from his father. In c. 1607, he went to Rome, where he remained… …   Dictionary of Renaissance art

  • Lemercier, Jacques — (ca. 1585 1654)    architect, sculptor, engraver    Born in Pontoise, Jacques Lemercier, a major French architectural innovator, came from a family of architects. He went to Rome in 1607 and, in 1618, became the chief architect to King louis x… …   France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present

  • Lemercier, Jacques — ► (1585? 1654) Arquitecto francés. Sucedió a Lescot en los trabajos del Louvre (Pabellón del Reloj) y construyó la Sorbona …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Lemercier — Lemercier, Jacques …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Jacques Le Mercier — Jacques Lemercier, Porträt von Philippe de Champaigne. Im Hintergrund die von Lemercier entworfene Universitätskapelle der Sorbonne in Paris Jacques Lemercier (auch: Le Mercier) (* 1585 in Pontoise; † 1654 in Paris) war ein französischer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jacques Lemercier — Jacques Lemercier, Porträt von Philippe de Champaigne. Im Hintergrund die von Lemercier entworfene Universitätskapelle der Sorbonne in Paris Jacques Lemercier (auch: Le Mercier) (* 1585 in Pontoise; † 1654 in Paris) war ein französischer… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Jacques Lemercier —     Jacques Lemercier     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► Jacques Lemercier     Born at Pontoise, about 1585; died at Paris, 1654. Lemercier shares with Mansart and Le Muet the glory of representing French architecture most brilliantly under Louis XIII …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Jacques Le Mercier — Jacques Lemercier Pour les articles homonymes, voir Lemercier. Jacques Lemercier par Philippe de Champaigne. Jacques Lemercier ( …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Lemercier — (Jacques) (v. 1585 1654) architecte français; précurseur du classicisme français …   Encyclopédie Universelle

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