The traditional architecture of France

Main phases of French architectural design

Gothic architecture

This type of architecture is reputed to have been the first type of architecture to be replicated throughout Europe. Some of the most impressive buildings in this style are the Basilica of Saint Denis, Notre Dame de Chartres, and Notre-Dam de Reims, where French kings were crowned. In addition to these churches, religious palaces were also built, the Palais des Papes being a surviving monument.

Romantic

Like all of Western Europe except Spain and Portugal, which chose to adopt Mooresqure architecture, France also adopted Romanesque-style architecture, a mix of Gothic and ancient Roman architecture. The most important surviving sample of this style is the Basilica of Saint Sernin in Toulouse, the largest Romanesque church in Europe.

Architecture in the Middle Ages

This was the era of fortified castles where lords of manors exercised their authority over their serf subjects. Eventually fortified cities developed and most of the French castles fell into ruin. Castles like Richard the Lionheart’s Château Caillard were demolished, as were the Château de Lusignan, the massive Château de Vincennes, and the Cather Castles.

Baroque

After the 100 Years War ushered in an era of further architectural transition, it was the time of the French Renaissance when architects from Italy and Spain added their style to French architecture in a style of architecture known primarily as the Baroque style. in the Loire Valley. The style flourished mainly in the Loire Valley, where impressive residential palaces such as the Château de Chambord, Château de Chenonceau, and Château d’Amboise were built. Architecture also flourished in the secular domain with the Palace of Versailles and the dome of Les Invalides.

post-revolution architecture

Neoclassicism was the main feature of post-revolution France, although the style had been around long before the revolution in buildings such as the Parisian Panthéon and the Capitole in Toulouse. The most representative structures of this type are found in the Arc de Triomphe and Sante Marie-Madeleine.

Under Napoleon III

When Napoleon’s nephew ascended the French throne as Napoleon III during the Second Empire, a new wave of urban architectural design and renewal swept the country. Extravagant buildings called Second Empire architecture, such as the neo-Baroque Palais Garnier, began to appear as Haussmann began the renovation of Paris. Simultaneously, a revival of the Gothic style appeared both in Europe and in France thanks to the presence of architects such as Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and the famous Gustave Eiffel, whose ingenuity created the iconic Eiffel Tower.

20th century architecture.

French architects of the time embraced a combination of modern and traditional architectural styles, exemplified by the Louvre Pyramid. Due to the unique and diverse types of architectural buildings existing in the country, in addition to having low profiles, it was difficult to combine skyscrapers with traditional buildings. For this reason, only one area, the business district of La Défense, is home to a large number of skyscrapers. The large bridges also present a forbidding structure to blend into the architectural environment.