The Louvre Palace (France) is a museum and architectural complex in the center of Paris, which took shape over many centuries. Initially, it housed a massive fortress, later converted into an elegant royal residence. Today it is the greatest museum in the world with a rich collection of works of art.
Description
The largest historical mansion in Europe, converted into a museum, is located on the right bank of the Seine. For 800 years, the complex was rebuilt many times. In architectural terms, the Louvre has absorbed elements of the styles of the Renaissance, Baroque, neoclassicism and eclecticism. Separate buildings attached to each other, in general, form a powerful structure, erected according to the plan of an elongated rectangle. Of course, one of the most important sights of Paris is the Louvre Palace.
The complex plan includes:
- the main building, consisting of three parts connected by galleries;
- an underground exhibition, the visible part of which is a glass pyramid in the courtyard of Napoleon;
- the triumphal arch of Carousel and the Tuileries Garden.
The complex of buildings with a total area of 60, 600 m 2 houses a museum with more than 35, 000 works of art. The world heritage is represented by paintings, sculptures, jewelry, household items, architectural elements, covering the period from ancient times to the mid-nineteenth century. Among the most valuable exhibits are a stele with the Hammurabi code, a sculpture by Nika Samothrace, a painting "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci and other masterpieces.
Early middle ages
The Louvre Palace, whose history dates back to the 12th century, initially performed purely defensive functions. During the reign of Philip-Augustus II, a thirty-meter defensive tower, a donjon, was built outside of Paris. Around it were built 10 smaller towers connected by a wall.
In those turbulent times, the main danger came from the north-west: at any time the Vikings or pretenders to the French throne from the Plantagenet and Capetian families could attack. In addition, in alliance with the king of England was the duchy of Normandy, located next door.
The fortress performed a sentinel-defensive function. Individual parts of the tower can be seen in the basement. They belong to the exposition dedicated to the history of the Louvre, and declared an archaeological reserve. It is possible that the king built the citadel on the foundation of an earlier defensive system. By the way, the word "Louvre" in the language of the Franks means "watchtower."
Late middle ages
In the second half of the fourteenth century, the Louvre Palace underwent dramatic changes. By then, Paris had expanded significantly. New city walls were erected, and the old citadel was inside the city limits. The strategic importance of the defensive structure was leveled. Charles V the Wise rebuilt the fortress into a representative castle and moved his headquarters here.
Donjon was radically rebuilt. The internal layout was adapted for residential needs, a roof with pinnacles appeared. Around the quadrangular courtyard built residential and farm buildings of the same height. Two small elegant towers towered above the main gate, which gave the building a certain elegance.
The lower part of the walls is partially preserved to this day. The remains of buildings occupy a quarter of the eastern wing of the current Louvre. In particular, a quadrangle around a square courtyard.
Renaissance
In the sixteenth century, Francis I decided to rebuild the Louvre Palace. Architect Pierre Lescot proposed to reconstruct the castle in the style of the French Renaissance. Work began in 1546 and continued under Henry II.
The new building was originally supposed to have a rectangular shape with a large courtyard (Kur Kare), but ultimately the shape was changed to square. During the life of Pierre Lescot, only part of the western wing was built on the south side. These are the oldest fully preserved buildings of the current Louvre.
The architect widely used classical forms in architecture, combining them with the French traditional school (high roofs with attics). The building is characterized by a harmonious articulation of the facade with three gap zones in the form of rectangular windows topped with triangular gables separated by pilasters and arcades on the ground floor. The facade was complemented by a large number of sculptural compositions. The Louvre Palace inside was a no less impressive sight. Lesko and the sculptor Jean Goujon built the Great Hall with a statue of Artemis.
Castle extension
During the reign of Catherine de Medici, the Tuileries Palace was built nearby and a concept was developed for the extension of the existing Louvre buildings to it. The project was carried out by Henry IV.
First, the Louvre Palace was cleared of the remnants of the old castle and expanded the courtyard. Then architects Louis Meteso and Jacques Andruet completed the construction of the Petite Gallery and began work on the Grand Gallery (Grand Gallerie), which connected the Louvre and the Tuileries.
Already at this stage, the complex becomes the focus of science and culture. It housed a printing house, a mint. And later, sculptors, artists, jewelers, watchmakers, gunsmiths, carvers, and weavers were allowed to settle and work in one of the buildings.
XVII century
The Louvre Palace continued to grow in the seventeenth century. Louis XIII picked up the baton of his ancestors. Under him, Jacques Lemersier began construction of the Clock pavilion in 1624, and a building was erected to the north - a copy of the Pierre Lescot gallery.
Louis XIV, who had a weakness for grandiose projects, ordered the demolition of old buildings and the completion of premises around the courtyard. All of them were designed in the same style. But the most ambitious task was the construction of the Eastern colonnade.
Since this part of the palace is facing the city, they decided to make it especially spectacular. The best European architects of that time were invited. The boldest project was presented by the Italian Giovanni Bernini. He proposed to demolish the palace and build a new one. Given the difficulty and persistence the complex was built by the previous kings, the idea was rejected. Claude Perrault (elder brother of the storyteller Charles Perrault) developed a compromise version, from which they began to build on.
Face of Paris
The eastern colonnade transformed the Louvre Palace. The experts characterize the description of the 173-meter building as follows - this is the highest embodiment of the ideas of French classicism. Claude Perrault abandoned the massive Roman architecture that dominated at that time, whose elements were half-columns and pilasters. Corinthian style open air columns replaced the flat roof (which was also an innovation).
It is amazing that C. Perrault (who was actually self-taught) was able to give the building grandeur without the elaborate sculptures and “decorations” that were so popular in the 17th century. His ideas of a giant slender order towering above the massive ground floor were picked up by architects across Europe. Similar types of buildings are found in St. Petersburg. The idea of placing columns in pairs between windows, on the one hand, made it possible to preserve the airiness of the colonnade, and on the other, increased the amount of light entering the halls.
VXIII-XX centuries
During this period, the Louvre Palace loses the status of a royal residence. In 1682, King Louis and his retinue moved to Versailles. Many halls remained unfinished. Under Napoleon Bonaparte, construction continued. According to the Visconti project, the northern wing was completed. New galleries were erected - Fontaine and Persie.
In the XX century (1985-1989), the famous architect M. Pei proposed a bold and elegant project of the museum's underground exhibition. Moreover, an additional entrance to the Louvre was through a glass pyramid, which is also the dome of the underground hall.
Formation of collections
The unique collections of the Louvre began to form since the time of King Francis I, who admired Italian art. He collected in his suburban residence Fontainebleau Renaissance works, then migrated to Paris.
In the collection of Francis I were paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, a collection of jewelry. In addition, the monarch invited the best Italian architects, painters, jewelers, sculptors from the Apennines. His most famous guest was Leonardo da Vinci, from whom the Louvre inherited the painting "The Mona Lisa".
During the reign of Monarch Henry IV, the Louvre Palace in Paris became the art center of France. Dozens of famous masters worked in the Grand Gallery, whose creations became the basis of the future museum. Louis XIV also loved all that was beautiful. In his royal office, there were one and a half thousand paintings, French, Flemish, Italian, Dutch artists.
The great French revolution contributed to the development of the museum and its transformation into a public institution. Collections of kings, aristocrats, churches were nationalized and replenished the museum. Napoleonic campaigns became the next source of replenishment of expositions. After Bonaparte’s defeat, over 5, 000 captured works were returned to their former owners, but many remained in the Louvre.
