Notes on Early 18th Century Architectural Debates: Gothic, Classical, and the 'Graeco-Gothic Ideal'

Early Considerations of Gothic Style: Félibien's Contribution

  • André Félibien (c. 1656-1733):
    • Son of the Academy's first secretary, André Félibien (1619-1695).
    • Published "Recueil historique de la vie et des ouvrages des plus célebres architectes" (Historical compilation of the life and works of the most celebrated architects).
    • Chronology of Gothic Practice:
      • In the South: Assigned its beginnings to the reign of Honorius (384−423384-423).
      • In France: Assigned its origins to the reign of the sons of Hugh Capet, roughly around the start of the 11th11^{th} century.
    • Distinction between Gothic Styles:
      • Gothique Ancien: Roughly equivalent to Romanesque style, characterized by "solidity and grandeur."
      • Gothique Moderne: Commenced in 11401140 with the Church of St. Denis, characterized by a "rather grand excess of delicacy."
    • Appreciation of Chartres Cathedral: Félibien discusses major French cathedrals and places Chartres "within the rank of the most sumptuous that can be seen today in Europe."
  • Setting the Stage for a "Graeco-Gothic Ideal":
    • Félibien's historical survey, combined with Perrault's earlier references to Gothic style in his defense of the Louvre and proposal for the Church of Ste.-Geneviève, paved the way for a more radical examination of Gothic in relation to classical theory.
    • This burgeoning fascination with a "Graeco-Gothic Ideal" (Middleton's expression) became evident at the beginning of the 18th18^{th} century with the publication of two seminal books.

Michel de Frémin: Functionalism and Critique of Classical Hybrids

  • Mémoires critiques d'architecture (1702):
    • The first of the two influential books, written by Michel de Frémin.
    • Author Profile: Frémin was a financial administrator, engineer, and inspector of roads and bridges, not a respected academician.
    • Textual Style and Approach: Described as a "salty text," lacking the decorous composure of an academician. Instead, it was filled with the critical enthusiasm of someone outside the Academy's formal deliberations on architectural orders.
    • Critique of Column Orders: Frémin belittled the importance of column orders, deeming them the "least part of architecture," and prioritized practical architectural pursuits.
    • Format and Audience: Composed of 4848 letters, a format chosen so the book could be read even by "people a little short on intelligence." The letters often rambled, covering diverse topics like worker malpractice, smokeless chimney designs, Frémin's inventions, the benefits of plaster, and even disputing unusual beliefs like "the ridiculous opinion that the moon eats stonework."
  • Functionalist Turn on Perrault's Dégagement:
    • The book's significance lies in Frémin's specific application of Perrault's footnote on dégagement (spaciousness), giving it a distinct functionalist interpretation.
  • Comparative Critique of Churches (Sixth Letter):
    • Frémin compared two Gothic churches (Notre-Dame and Ste.-Chapelle) with two classical churches (St. Eustache and St. Sulpice).
    • Critique of Classical/Hybrid Designs:
      • Church of St. Eustache (begun 1532): An intriguing hybrid, featuring a Gothic plan with Renaissance forms. Its interior piers are classical but approximate Gothic proportions. Frémin criticized its "crudeness" due to the massive pillars, especially for the organ supports, where "more than half of the ground area is taken up by stonework!"
      • Church of St. Sulpice (begun 1645): Also combined classical and Gothic elements, but with more classical piers and proportions than Gothic. Frémin was even more critical, citing its squared "monstrous pillars" measuring 9extfeet9 ext{ feet} in width. These pillars were deemed to occupy excessive space and symbolized the architects' timidity, as they "pile up entire quarries to support a small pedestal, then tremble lest the work will collapse when they remove their hands."
    • Praise for Gothic Functionality:
      • Ste.-Chapelle: Considered a "model of true architecture" due to its absence of side aisles, colorful oversized windows (advantageously emphasized by slender Gothic piers).
      • Notre-Dame: Commended for its spacious plan, its effective accommodation of acoustics, daylight, and ventilation, and its innovative and economical vaulting system.
    • Frémin's Underlying Goal: Similar to Perrault, Frémin did not advocate a return to Gothic style but rather the integration of its functional and structural efficiencies into contemporary church design.
  • Reception and Influence:
    • Frémin's book was met with a cool reception from the Academy of Architecture, which considered his observations "quite remote" from the subject of architecture.
    • Nonetheless, it was instrumental in shaping the arguments presented in "Nouveau traité de toute l'architecture" (1706) by Jean-Louis de Cordemoy.

Jean-Louis de Cordemoy: Rationalism and the Ideal Church

  • Nouveau traité de toute l'architecture (1706):
    • Authored by Jean-Louis de Cordemoy, a layman and canon at the Church of S. Jean des Vignes, with no apparent architectural training.
    • Familial Background: Fifth son of Gerauld de Cordemoy (1626−16841626-1684), a Cartesian philosopher and historian.
    • Connection to Perrault: Cordemoy structured his book as a traditional treatise and explicitly linked his ideas to Perrault's "Ordonnance," aiming to simplify its more diffuse and obscure aspects.
    • Contrasting Views: His architectural perspectives sharply diverged from prevailing academic teachings.
  • Cordemoy's Rationalist Principles:
    • He was primarily a rationalist, viewing architecture as a refined extension of Perrault's concepts of âpreté (visual tension) and dégagement (spaciousness).
    • Aesthetic Preferences: Favored minimal ornament, plain surfaces, and rectilinear architectural forms.
    • Opposition to Baroque and Rococo Devices: Strongly opposed elements such as multiple pilasters, giant pilasters or columns, twisted columns, columns on pedestals, statues on roofs or in niches, niches themselves, and gabled roofs.
    • Embrace of a Modern Invention: Enthusiastically supported the freestanding colonnade featuring coupled columns and a flat entablature (a post-and-lintel system).
      • Reasons for Preference: Valued for its "true proportions" and "true beauty," but primarily because it uniquely offered the "beauty that results from the visual tension (âpreté) or squeezing together (serrement) [of columns] that pleased the ancients so much, and the spaciousness (dégagement) for which the moderns so carefully search."
  • Critique of Church Interiors and the Ideal Design:
    • Dispute of St. Peter's (Rome): Cordemoy challenged the common belief that St. Peter's was the world's most beautiful church, arguing that its pilaster-and-arcade system created a negative precedent for church interiors, despite its vastness, height, and ornamentation.
    • Partial Approval of Val-De-Grâce (Paris): While considering the Church of Val-De-Grâce a better example, he believed it could have been significantly improved.
    • Hypothetical Ideal Interior: He posed, "Would it not be infinitely more beautiful if, instead of all those useless and ponderous arcades, those pilasters and large piers that occupy so much space and necessarily create gloom, we had placed there columns in order to carry the rest of the edifice…? Would not its dome have been more beautiful if it were supported by a colonnade, instead of by the square arcades on which it is falsely supported?" This underscores his preference for lightness and openness.
    • His "Most Beautiful Thing in the World": He envisioned an ideal church designed "in the taste of the portico of the entrance to the Louvre, or that which is the invention of the illustrious P. de Creil at the Abbey of Ste.-Geneviève in Paris."

Critiques of Cordemoy: Amédée François Frézier

  • Immediate Opposition: Cordemoy's views, like Perrault's before him, quickly attracted criticism.
  • Amédée François Frézier (1682-1773): A young infantry officer and engineer, he became a prominent critic.
  • Basis of Frézier's Hostility: His criticism primarily stemmed from Cordemoy's perceived lack of practical knowledge and constructional experience.
    • Specific Naivete: Frézier particularly lambasted Cordemoy's "rather naive belief" that massive and heavy domes, such as those of St. Peter's or Val-de-Grâce, could be adequately supported solely by columns.
    • Defense of Established Practices: Frézier also defended many elements Cordemoy sought to eliminate, including the arcuated system for masonry currently in use.
    • Material Constraints: He argued that flat lintels or entablatures were not feasible given the smaller stones available in France.
  • Public Exchange: Frézier's review sparked a series of debates and exchanges between the two men from 17091709 to 17121712.
  • Cordemoy's Second Edition (1714):
    • Cordemoy published a second edition of his book specifically to address Frézier's accusations.
    • Key Defenses: He staunchly defended:
      • The right of laymen to critique architectural theory.
      • The proposition that columnar churches possess superior beauty (a belief he called "a faith I have in common with the Ancients").
      • The structural ingenuity exemplified by the Louvre colonnade.
    • Reinforced Criticism: He reiterated his earlier assertion that Bramante and Michelangelo erred in their use of pilasters and arcades for church interiors.
    • Perraultian Adherence: Cordemoy emerged as a devoted Perraultian, advocating for an ideal church design that found substantial historical precedent in the basilicas of early Christianity.

Architectural Trends and the Submergence of the Debate

  • Dominant Counter-Current: Despite Cordemoy's vigorous defense of his stance, his ideas struggled to gain significant traction in the early 18th18^{th} century due to a powerful opposing trend in French architectural practice.
  • Rise of Rococo: The increasingly sumptuous interiors introduced at Versailles by Hardouin-Mansart inspired numerous imitators across France, including Gilles-Marie Oppenord, Robert de Cotte, Jean Aubert, and Jules-Aurèle Meissonnier.
  • Rococo's Maturation: By the mid-1730s1730s, the ornate Rococo style had fully matured and established itself as a "nouvelle manière" (new manner) throughout Europe.
  • Temporary Eclipse of the Debate: Consequently, the architectural debate initiated by Perrault, and continued by Frémin and Cordemoy, was temporarily relegated to the background by the widespread acceptance of Rococo aesthetics.