Mathurin Crucy
Encyclopedia
Mathurin Crucy was a French architect and urban planner, who conceived a major Neo-Classical architectural programme for Nantes
which deeply marked the town.
and the painter Joseph-Marie Vien
. These contacts helped him to join the Académie royale d'architecture in 1771. He won the first Academy Award in 1774, later called the Prix de Rome
, for his plan for a public spa-water bath. This allowed him to make a living in Italy for four years. At the Villa Medici, he met the painter Jacques-Louis David
. He became deeply influenced by the villas of the architect Andrea Palladio
.
He returned to Nantes in 1779 and succeeded Ceineray as overseer of the town architecture in 1780. He was responsible for the management of large urban developments underway at the time, including the transformation of the districts of Graslin and la Bourse. He originated the planning of Place Graslin and designed the Théâtre Graslin
and Palais de la Bourse
.
During the French Revolution
he sought to protect important monuments from destruction by revolutionary extremists. He saved the tomb of Duke Francis II of Brittany and Marguerite de Foix
during the destruction of the Carmelite church in the ducal parish in 1793. The tomb was later re-erected in Nantes cathedral
.
He resigned in 1800 to devote himself to the family business, a naval shipyard, with his brother Louis. The business was growing because of the wars with England. His company, based in Basse-Indre
, built frigates for the Napoleonic fleet, but it went bankrupt in 1808 and he completely abandoned this activity in 1810. He was appointed architect of the department of Loire-inférieure
in 1809.
In 1808, he was asked by the sculptor François-Frédéric Lemot
(1771-1827) to create a landscaped area of Italian inspiration in the town of Gétigné
(near Clisson). It is currently known as Domaine de la Garenne Lemot. He started building the park and built the maison du jardinier de la Garenne between 1811 and 1815, one of the masterpieces of architecture in the rustic Italian style in France. He quarrelled with Lemot in 1821 and never finished the project, which was left to his successor, Pierre-Louis Van Cleemputte.
His niece, Justine Crucy, married Louis-Prudent Douillard, an architect, in 1821 and in 1823, another niece, Zita Crucy, married Louis-Prudent's brother Constant, an architect too, who designed some of the hospitals of Loire-inférieure, notably St. Jacques General Hospital in Nantes, and the place du Sanitat in the same town. Justine and Zita were daughters to Louis Crucy
(born 1756), Mathurin's brother. On the 4 October 1785, in the Saint Similien church in Nantes, Louis and Mathurin Crucy had themselves married sisters Le Roux, Françoise and Marie Françoise.
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
which deeply marked the town.
Life
The son of a lumber contractor, Crucy trained as an architect in Nantes in the studio of Jean-Baptiste Ceineray. With his help, he went to Paris and met the architect Étienne-Louis BoulléeÉtienne-Louis Boullée
Étienne-Louis Boullée was a visionary French neoclassical architect whose work greatly influenced contemporary architects and is still influential today.- Life :...
and the painter Joseph-Marie Vien
Joseph-Marie Vien
Joseph-Marie Vien , French painter, was born at Montpellier. He was the last holder of the post of Premier peintre du Roi, serving from 1789 to 1791....
. These contacts helped him to join the Académie royale d'architecture in 1771. He won the first Academy Award in 1774, later called the Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
, for his plan for a public spa-water bath. This allowed him to make a living in Italy for four years. At the Villa Medici, he met the painter Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David
Jacques-Louis David was an influential French painter in the Neoclassical style, considered to be the preeminent painter of the era...
. He became deeply influenced by the villas of the architect Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio was an architect active in the Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture...
.
He returned to Nantes in 1779 and succeeded Ceineray as overseer of the town architecture in 1780. He was responsible for the management of large urban developments underway at the time, including the transformation of the districts of Graslin and la Bourse. He originated the planning of Place Graslin and designed the Théâtre Graslin
Théâtre Graslin
The Théâtre Graslin is a theatre and opera house in the city of Nantes in France. Created in a new district of the city in the late 18th Century by the local architect Mathurin Crucy and named after the owner of the land, Jean-Louis Graslin...
and Palais de la Bourse
Palais de la Bourse (Nantes)
The Palais de la Bourse is a building on place du Commerce in Nantes, France, begun at the end of the 18th century and completed in the 19th century. It was rebuilt at the end of the 20th century to house a branch of Fnac....
.
During the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
he sought to protect important monuments from destruction by revolutionary extremists. He saved the tomb of Duke Francis II of Brittany and Marguerite de Foix
Tomb of Francis II, Duke of Brittany
The tomb of Francis II, Duke of Brittany is a monument located in Nantes, in the Cathedral of St. Peter. The project was commissioned by Anne of Brittany, Queen of France, who was the daughter of Francis and his second wife Margaret of Foix, who is also depicted beside Francis. The tomb was...
during the destruction of the Carmelite church in the ducal parish in 1793. The tomb was later re-erected in Nantes cathedral
Nantes Cathedral
Nantes Cathedral or the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul, Nantes , is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France...
.
He resigned in 1800 to devote himself to the family business, a naval shipyard, with his brother Louis. The business was growing because of the wars with England. His company, based in Basse-Indre
Indre, Loire-Atlantique
Indre is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-Etymology:The name Indre, pronounced in French, derives from that of Latin Antrum. The city was called Antrum and Antrinse monasterium in 840, Andra in 1144 was renamed Aindre and Indre.The inhabitants of Indre are known in...
, built frigates for the Napoleonic fleet, but it went bankrupt in 1808 and he completely abandoned this activity in 1810. He was appointed architect of the department of Loire-inférieure
Loire-Atlantique
Loire-Atlantique is a department on the west coast of France named after the Loire River and the Atlantic Ocean.-History:...
in 1809.
In 1808, he was asked by the sculptor François-Frédéric Lemot
François-Frédéric Lemot
François-Frédéric Lemot was a French sculptor, working in the Neoclassical style.-Biography:Lemot was born at Lyon....
(1771-1827) to create a landscaped area of Italian inspiration in the town of Gétigné
Gétigné
Gétigné is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-See also:*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department...
(near Clisson). It is currently known as Domaine de la Garenne Lemot. He started building the park and built the maison du jardinier de la Garenne between 1811 and 1815, one of the masterpieces of architecture in the rustic Italian style in France. He quarrelled with Lemot in 1821 and never finished the project, which was left to his successor, Pierre-Louis Van Cleemputte.
His niece, Justine Crucy, married Louis-Prudent Douillard, an architect, in 1821 and in 1823, another niece, Zita Crucy, married Louis-Prudent's brother Constant, an architect too, who designed some of the hospitals of Loire-inférieure, notably St. Jacques General Hospital in Nantes, and the place du Sanitat in the same town. Justine and Zita were daughters to Louis Crucy
Louis Crucy
Louis Crucy was a French architect and brother of Mathurin Crucy, with whom he worked on the naval facilities at Indre, near Nantes, from 1800 onwards, as they expanded due to the war effort against England.- Life :...
(born 1756), Mathurin's brother. On the 4 October 1785, in the Saint Similien church in Nantes, Louis and Mathurin Crucy had themselves married sisters Le Roux, Françoise and Marie Françoise.
Main projects
- 1780-1788 : Place Graslin
- 1783 : Hôtel de Montaudoin or Hôtel des Colonnes, on what is now Place du Maréchal-Foch
- 1784-1788 : Théâtre GraslinThéâtre GraslinThe Théâtre Graslin is a theatre and opera house in the city of Nantes in France. Created in a new district of the city in the late 18th Century by the local architect Mathurin Crucy and named after the owner of the land, Jean-Louis Graslin...
at Nantes - 1787 : Place Royale (destroyed in the Second World War and rebuilt more grandly on the same model)
- 1787 : Cathédrale de RennesCathédrale Saint-Pierre de RennesRennes Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, and located in the town of Rennes. It is a monument historique since 1906..It is the seat of the Archbishops of Rennes, previously Bishops of Rennes.-Building history:...
(built after the old building was demolished as it threatened to fall down) - 1789 : Halle aux blés (demolished 1882)
- 1791 : Cours Cambronne (plans, completed during the 19th century)
- 1802 : Public baths (demolished) and west quays of the Île Feydeau
- 1807 : Halle aux poissons (demolished 1851)
- 1808 : Bourse du commercePalais de la Bourse (Nantes)The Palais de la Bourse is a building on place du Commerce in Nantes, France, begun at the end of the 18th century and completed in the 19th century. It was rebuilt at the end of the 20th century to house a branch of Fnac....
, Nantes - 1811-1815 : Maison du jardinier du domaine de la Garenne Lemot, communes of GétignéGétignéGétigné is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.-See also:*Communes of the Loire-Atlantique department...
and CugandCugandCugand is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire department in the Pays de la Loire region in western France....
, near ClissonClissonClisson , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique département in western France.It is situated at the confluence of the Sèvre Nantaise and the Moine southeast of Nantes .... - 1818-1823 : Garden structures in the Garenne-Lemot (temple of friendship, column, obelisk)
- 1816 : start of works on the house of the master of the Garenne-Lemot, to plans by Crucy (abandoned in 1823)
See also
- Île Feydeau
- Place du Maréchal-Foch
- Place Graslin
- Place Royale (Nantes)
- Théâtre GraslinThéâtre GraslinThe Théâtre Graslin is a theatre and opera house in the city of Nantes in France. Created in a new district of the city in the late 18th Century by the local architect Mathurin Crucy and named after the owner of the land, Jean-Louis Graslin...
- Cours Cambronne
- Palais de la BoursePalais de la Bourse (Nantes)The Palais de la Bourse is a building on place du Commerce in Nantes, France, begun at the end of the 18th century and completed in the 19th century. It was rebuilt at the end of the 20th century to house a branch of Fnac....