François-Jean Bralle
Encyclopedia
François-Jean Bralle was a French architect and engineer, best known as for the construction of fountains in Paris
during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Bralle was commissioned to build fifteen new fountains in Paris, including the fontaine de Mars, the fontaine du Fellah
, and the Fontaine du Palmier
in the Place du Chatelet
, which are still functioning today.
. During the French Revolution and under the French Consulate
of Napoleon, he was named director of the machine de Marly
, which pumped water from Seine
to feed to fountains of the Gardens of Versailles
. He was also in charge of the pumps of Chaillot, of Gros-Caillou, and La Samaritaine
, which pumped water from the Seine to provide drinking water to the people of Paris.
On May 2, 1806, Napoleon issued the Decree of Saint Cloud, which began, "Beginning next July 1, water will flow from all the fountains of Paris day and night, in a manner to provide water not only for individual persons and the needs of the public, but also to refresh the atmosphere and to clean the streets." The decree ordered that existing fountains be cleaned and put into working order and supplied with fresh water from aqueducts, that steam and hydraulic pumps be repaired, and that "In the city of Paris fifteen new fountains will be erected, for which the projects will be subimtted to the Minister of the Interior."
The project of supplying water and building the fountains was given to Francois-Jean Bralle, who held the title of Chef du service des eaux de la Ville de Paris. He was given a budget of 540,000 francs in 1806 to build the fountains, and an additional sum of 80,000 francs was added in 1808 to finish the project. Bralle in turn commissioned several different architects to design the fountains. Architects of new buildings, such as Gondoin, Brongniart and Vaudoyer, were commissioned to create new fountains in front of the new buildings they designed.
The fountains commissioned by Bralle under the May 2, 1806 decree were to be located at:
Fourteen of the fifteen fountains on the plan were constructed by Bralle between 1806 and 1808. They were built by many different architects, in many different styles, ranging from Egyptian to classical. They all shared the same problem; a shortage of water. Before the completion of the new canal Napoleon was building to bring water to Paris, the best they could provide was a thin stream of water from several different spouts; there was not enough water pressure to shoot water upwards.
of Napoleon III, several were demolished or moved to new locations. The most important of the fountains of Bralle still existing are:
Fountains in Paris
The Fountains in Paris originally provided drinking water for city residents, and now are decorative features in the city's squares and parks...
during the time of Napoleon Bonaparte. Bralle was commissioned to build fifteen new fountains in Paris, including the fontaine de Mars, the fontaine du Fellah
Fontaine du Fellah
The Fontaine du Fellah, also known as the Egyptian Fountain, located at 52 rue de Sèvres in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, next to the entrance of the Vaneau metro station, was built in 1806 during the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the neo-Egyptian style inspired by Napoleon's Egyptian campaign...
, and the Fontaine du Palmier
Fontaine du Palmier
The Fontaine du Palmier is a monumental fountain located in the Place du Châtelet, between the Théâtre du Châtelet et the Théâtre de la Ville, in the First Arrondissement of Paris....
in the Place du Chatelet
Place du Châtelet
The Place du Châtelet is a public square in Paris, on the right bank of the river Seine, on the borderline between the 1st and 4th arrondissements...
, which are still functioning today.
Bralle and the fountains of the Decree of Saint Cloud
Bralle was a specialist in hydraulic engineeringHydraulic engineering
This article is about civil engineering. For the mechanical engineering discipline see Hydraulic machineryHydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive...
. During the French Revolution and under the French Consulate
French Consulate
The Consulate was the government of France between the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire in 1804...
of Napoleon, he was named director of the machine de Marly
Machine de Marly
The Machine de Marly, also widely known as La Machine de Marly and The Machine of Marly, was a French engineering marvel completed in 1684. King Louis XIV needed a large water supply for his fountains at Versailles...
, which pumped water from Seine
Seine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
to feed to fountains of the Gardens of Versailles
Gardens of Versailles
The Gardens of Versailles occupy part of what was once the Domaine royal de Versailles, the royal demesne of the château of Versailles. Situated to the west of the palace, the gardens cover some 800 hectares of land, much of which is landscaped in the classic French Garden style perfected here by...
. He was also in charge of the pumps of Chaillot, of Gros-Caillou, and La Samaritaine
La Samaritaine
La Samaritaine was a large department store in Paris, France, located in the First Arrondissement. The nearest metro station is Pont-Neuf. It is currently owned by LVMH, a luxury-goods maker. The store, which had been operating at a loss since the 1970s, was finally closed in 2005 because the...
, which pumped water from the Seine to provide drinking water to the people of Paris.
On May 2, 1806, Napoleon issued the Decree of Saint Cloud, which began, "Beginning next July 1, water will flow from all the fountains of Paris day and night, in a manner to provide water not only for individual persons and the needs of the public, but also to refresh the atmosphere and to clean the streets." The decree ordered that existing fountains be cleaned and put into working order and supplied with fresh water from aqueducts, that steam and hydraulic pumps be repaired, and that "In the city of Paris fifteen new fountains will be erected, for which the projects will be subimtted to the Minister of the Interior."
The project of supplying water and building the fountains was given to Francois-Jean Bralle, who held the title of Chef du service des eaux de la Ville de Paris. He was given a budget of 540,000 francs in 1806 to build the fountains, and an additional sum of 80,000 francs was added in 1808 to finish the project. Bralle in turn commissioned several different architects to design the fountains. Architects of new buildings, such as Gondoin, Brongniart and Vaudoyer, were commissioned to create new fountains in front of the new buildings they designed.
The fountains commissioned by Bralle under the May 2, 1806 decree were to be located at:
- The Marché des Jacobins, rue Saint-HonoréRue Saint-HonoréThe rue Saint-Honoré is an ancient street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France.It is named after the collegial Saint-Honoré church situated in ancient times within the cloisters of Saint-Honoré....
- The chateau d'eau, place Tribunat. (not constructed).
- above the sewers, place des Trois Marie
- On a new place at the far end of the Pont au ChangePont au ChangeThe Pont au Change is a bridge over the Seine River in Paris, France.The bridge is located at the border between the first and fourth arrondissements. It connects the Île de la Cité from the Palais de Justice and the Conciergerie, to the Right Bank, at the level of the Théâtre du Châtelet.Several...
. The Fontaine de la Paix, now on the allee de Seminaire. - At the foot of the water main of Saint-Jean le Rond, against the wall of the church of Notre-Dame
- At the foot of the water main, rue des Lions Saint-Paul
- Rue Popincourt, next to the army barracks
- Rue Saint-DominiqueRue Saint-DominiqueThe rue Saint-Dominique is a street in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It has formerly been known as chemin de la Longue Raye , chemin des Treilles , chemin Herbu ou chemin Herbu des Moulins à Vent , chemin du Moulin à Vent, chemin de l'Oseraie , chemin du Port , chemin des Vaches , chemin de la...
, at Gros Caillou, next to the army barracks (The Fontaine de Mars) - On the Place of the Palais des Arts. (Fountain closed in 1865, and statuary of lions moved to square Boulogne-Billancourt.)
- On rue des Sevres, at the hospice for incurable patients. (Fontaine du FellahFontaine du FellahThe Fontaine du Fellah, also known as the Egyptian Fountain, located at 52 rue de Sèvres in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, next to the entrance of the Vaneau metro station, was built in 1806 during the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the neo-Egyptian style inspired by Napoleon's Egyptian campaign...
.) - One the place of the intersection of rue de VaugirardRue de VaugirardRue de Vaugirard is the longest road in Paris, at 4.3 km. It spans the 6th and 15th arrondissements.-Location:Rue de Vaugirard is mostly a one-way street from the Latin Quarter towards the edge of Paris . Traffic flows in both directions between Rue de Rennes and the Place de l'Odéon...
, rue d'Assis, and rue de l'Ouest. The Fontaine de LedaFontaine de LédaThe Fontaine de Léda is a sculptural wall fountain built in 1806–1808 during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. The fountain depicts the legend of Leda and the Swan, with a central bas-relief panel by Achille Valois...
, now hidden behind the Medici FountainMedici FountainThe Medici Fountain is a monumental fountain in the Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement in Paris. It was built in about 1630 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France and regent of King Louis XIII of France...
in the Luxembourg Gardens. - On the place Saint-SulpicePlace Saint-SulpiceThe large public space at the Place Saint Sulpice, which is dominated on its eastern side by the church of Saint-Sulpice, was built in 1754 as a tranquil garden in the Latin Quarter of the 6th arrondissement of Paris.-Attractions of the square:...
- On the place in front of the lycee Bonaparte, rue Caumartin
- Rue Mouffetard, between rue Censier and rue Fer-a-Moulin. (demolished 1866-67 to make room for Rue Monge).
- The square at the end of the rue du Jardin des PlantesJardin des PlantesThe Jardin des Plantes is the main botanical garden in France. It is one of seven departments of the Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. It is situated in the 5ème arrondissement, Paris, on the left bank of the river Seine and covers 28 hectares .- Garden plan :The grounds of the Jardin des...
.
Fourteen of the fifteen fountains on the plan were constructed by Bralle between 1806 and 1808. They were built by many different architects, in many different styles, ranging from Egyptian to classical. They all shared the same problem; a shortage of water. Before the completion of the new canal Napoleon was building to bring water to Paris, the best they could provide was a thin stream of water from several different spouts; there was not enough water pressure to shoot water upwards.
The fountains of Bralle today
During the reconstructions of Paris that followed the French Empire, particularly during the Second French EmpireSecond French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
of Napoleon III, several were demolished or moved to new locations. The most important of the fountains of Bralle still existing are:
- The Fontaine du PalmierFontaine du PalmierThe Fontaine du Palmier is a monumental fountain located in the Place du Châtelet, between the Théâtre du Châtelet et the Théâtre de la Ville, in the First Arrondissement of Paris....
, Place du ChateletPlace du ChâteletThe Place du Châtelet is a public square in Paris, on the right bank of the river Seine, on the borderline between the 1st and 4th arrondissements... - The Fontaine du FellahFontaine du FellahThe Fontaine du Fellah, also known as the Egyptian Fountain, located at 52 rue de Sèvres in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, next to the entrance of the Vaneau metro station, was built in 1806 during the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the neo-Egyptian style inspired by Napoleon's Egyptian campaign...
, on Rue de Sevres - The Fontaine de LédaFontaine de LédaThe Fontaine de Léda is a sculptural wall fountain built in 1806–1808 during the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte. The fountain depicts the legend of Leda and the Swan, with a central bas-relief panel by Achille Valois...
, hidden behind the Medici FountainMedici FountainThe Medici Fountain is a monumental fountain in the Jardin du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement in Paris. It was built in about 1630 by Marie de' Medici, the widow of King Henry IV of France and regent of King Louis XIII of France...
, Luxembourg Gardens