Abraham Hirsch (19 October 1828 – 11 December 1913) was a French architect operating in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1871, he became the chief architect of Lyon and helped to design many buildings of the city, including the atrium, large amphitheatre, main courtyard, and reception room of the University of Lyon and many of its faculties. Hirsch assisted with the plans for the Synagogue of Besançon and under his supervision, the largest group of schools in Lyon was constructed.

Biography and work

Hirsch was born into a Jewish family of embroiderers on 19 October 1828, and attended school at "La Martinière". He studied architecture at the

École nationale des beaux-arts de Lyon École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

, and initially worked for Tony Desjardins, the chief architect of Lyon at that time. In 1871, he became the chief architect of Lyon. As chief architect of the city, he planned many buildings under the support of mayor Antoine Gailleton. Prior to his appointment as chief architect of Lyon, he designed the

Grande synagogue de Lyon The Grande synagogue de Lyon is a synagogue located at 13 quai Tilsitt in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. This neo-Byzantine Jewish place of worship was built between 1863 and 1864 and renovated for the first time in 2014. It was classified as a ...

, a building of

Neo-Byzantine Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Orthod ...

style. He designed the

École du service de santé des armées de Lyon-Bron École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

, and the Faculty of Medicine, the Nursing School, and the Faculty of Law and Letters of the University of Lyon (History). He also designed the main courtyard, atrium, reception room and large amphitheatre of the university, which were inaugurated by President

Félix Faure Félix François Faure (; 30 January 1841 – 16 February 1899) was the President of France from 1895 until his death in 1899. A native of Paris, he worked as a tanner in his younger years. Faure became a member of the Chamber of Deputies for S ...

on 1 May 1896. From 1879 to 1887, Hirsch served as the architect for the astronomical and meteorological observatory of Lyon. Under his supervision, the largest group of schools in Lyon was constructed: Croix-Rousse Boulevard, Berthelot Avenue, Jarente Street, Bossuet Street, Charlemagne, Pierre Corneille Street, and Chavant Street. He also assisted with the plans for the Synagogue of Besançon. He died on 11 December 1913, and received the Legion of Honour during his lifetime.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirsch, Abraham 1828 births 1913 deaths 19th-century French architects Architects from Lyon 19th-century French Jews