Chrystian Piotr Aigner (1756 in

Puławy Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was estimated at 47 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, , is a country in Central Europe. Poland is divided into Voivodeships of Poland, sixteen voivodeships and is the fifth most populous member state of the European Union (EU), with over 38 mill ...

– 9 February 1841 in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

) was a

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and theoretician of architecture.

Life

Chrystian Piotr Aigner acquired extensive knowledge of architecture in the course of several journeys to

that he made in the company of his patron and subsequent collaborator and friend

Stanisław Kostka Potocki Count Stanisław Kostka Potocki (; November 1755 – 14 September 1821) was a Polish nobleman, politician, writer, public intellectual and patron of the arts. Life Potocki was a son of General and starost of Lwów, Eustachy Potocki and Ann ...

. He studied in Italy. Later, during a long association with the city of

Warsaw Warsaw ( pl, Warszawa, ), officially the Capital City of Warsaw,, abbreviation: ''m.st. Warszawa'' is the capital and largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the River Vistula in east-central Poland, and its population is official ...

, he created many Classicist buildings in the

capital. A member of

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

's Academy of St. Luke, and of the

Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning The Warsaw Society of Friends of Science ( pl, Towarzystwo Przyjaciół Nauk, ''TPN'') was one of the earliest Polish scientific societies, active in Warsaw from 1800 to 1832. Name The Society was also known as ''Warszawskie Królewskie Towarz ...

, and from 1817 a professor of architecture at

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw ( pl, Uniwersytet Warszawski, la, Universitas Varsoviensis) is a public university in Warsaw, Poland. Established in 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country offering 37 different fields of ...

, he was active in Warsaw until 1825 and in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 159 ...

before leaving for Italy for good in 1827. Aigner at first applied the decorative forms of early Neoclassicism (Marynka's Palace in

) or made reference to the works of

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of ...

(the façade of St. Anne's Church in Warsaw). In a later period, he reworked patterns drawn directly from the architecture of Antiquity (the Puławy

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activitie ...

; St. Alexander's Church in

), and even erected

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

structures (the Gothic House in Puławy). He also published a pattern book, ''Budowy kościołów...'' (Church Building...), which exerted a great influence on Polish sacral architecture in the first half of the 19th century. Aigner's work represents a mature classicism, inspired directly by Italian influences, and later enriched by

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

and

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

influences. The Romantic influences, reflecting a growing interest in Poland's past, were expressed chiefly through the use of

forms and enriched spatial arrangements (palaces with rotunda in a corner). His theoretical writings include "''Rozprawa o świątyniach u starożytnych i o słowiańskich''," ''Roczniki Towarzystwa Warszawskiego Przyjaciół Nauk'' ("A Treatise on Ancient and Slavic Temples," Annals of the

), 1808. During the

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794 and the Second Polish War, was an uprising against the Russian Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Pr ...

, Aigner wrote ''"Krótka nauka o kosach i pikach"'' ("A Brief Treatise on Scythes and Pikes"), which provided a theory for operating on the field of battle with formations of scythemen and

pikemen A pike is a very long thrusting spear formerly used in European warfare from the Medieval warfare, Late Middle Ages and most of the Early modern warfare, Early Modern Period, and were wielded by infantry, foot soldiers deployed in pike square fo ...

Works

*Classicist palace in Olesin, Puławy County (1782–1830), with

*Palace in Igołomia *Palace in Zarzecze, Przeworsk County *Remodeling of

Łańcut Castle Łańcut Castle is a complex of historical buildings located in Łańcut, Poland. Historically the residence of the Pilecki, Lubomirski and Potocki families, the complex includes a number of buildings and is surrounded by a park. The castle i ...

*Church in

Międzyrzec Podlaski Międzyrzec Podlaski ( la, Meserici, german: Meseritz) is a city in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, with the population of 17,162 inhabitants . The total area of the city is . Międzyrzec is located near the Krzna river, not ...

* Czartoryski residence in

(Church of the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption To ...

, Gothic House,

Temple of the Sibyl The Temple of the Sibyl (in Polish, ''Świątynia Sybilli'') is a colonnaded round monopteral temple-like structure at Puławy, Poland, built at the turn of the 19th century as a museum by Izabela Czartoryska. History The "Temple of the Sibyl ...

, Marynka's Palace), 1785–1810 *Church of St. Alexander in

Suwałki Suwałki ( lt, Suvalkai; yi, סואוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. Suwałki ...

*Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in

Żyrzyn Żyrzyn is a village in Puławy County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Żyrzyn. It lies approximately north-east of Puławy and north-west of the regional capital Lubl ...

*Epitaph of Kraków Bishop Kajetan Sołtyk in

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral ( pl, Katedra Wawelska), formally titled the Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus, is a Roman Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it is part of the ...

*Classicist manor house in Bachorza In

: *Krasiński Palace in Ursynów (1785–86), with

, rebuilt in 1858 by Zygmunt Rozpędowski *Remodeling of Leszno, Warsaw, palace (1785–88), probably only the interiors * St. Alexander's Church, 1818–25 *Façade of St. Anne's Church (1786–88), with

; rebuilding of bell tower, 1816 *Façade of St. Andrew's Church *Remodeling of the Warsaw Arsenal (1792) *Remodeling of main entrance hall at

Wilanów Palace Wilanów Palace ( pl, Pałac w Wilanowie, ) is a former royal palace located in the Wilanów district of Warsaw, Poland. Wilanów Palace survived Poland's partitions and both World Wars, and so serves as a reminder of the culture of the Polish ...

(1792) *Villa of Izabela Lubomirska at

Krzeszowice Krzeszowice (german: 1941-45 Kressendorf) is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As of 2004, its population was 9,993. Krzeszowice belongs to ''Kraków Metropolitan Area'', and lies 25 kilometers west of the ...

(1792) *Library of Ignacy Potocki (1788), no longer extant, at site of Warsaw's Hotel Bristol *Remodeling of Natolin Palace (1808) *Morysin Summer Palace, near

Wilanów Wilanów () is a district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It is home to historic Wilanów Palace, the "Polish Versailles," and second home to various Polish kings. History The first mentions of a settlement in the area can be traced to the 13th ...

, with

*Mint on ''ulica Bielańska'' (demolished in 1905 by Russian Imperial authorities) * Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory *Remodeling of the Presidential Palace (formerly, "Viceregal Palace"), 1818–19 Information from the Polish Wikipedia article, 14:07, 22 August 2009, edition.

Gallery

File:Pulawy palac czartoryskich.jpg, Czartoryski palace,

File:Pulawy palac marynki.jpg, Marynka's Palace, Puławy File:Pulawy swiatynia sybilli.jpg,

, Puławy File:Pulawy kosciol wniebowziecia nmp.jpg, Church of the Assumption, Puławy File:Pulawy domek gotycki.jpg, Gothic House, Puławy File:Pałac Prezydencki w Warszawie 2020.jpg,

Presidential Palace, Warsaw The Presidential Palace (Polish: ''Pałac Prezydencki'') is the official residence of the Polish head of state and president alongside the Belweder Palace, located in Warsaw, Poland. Originally constructed in 1643 as an aristocratic mansion, it ...

File:Kościół św. Aleksandra w Warszawie 2018.jpg, St. Alexander's Church,

File:Kościół św. Anny w Warszawie 2020.jpg,

St. Anne's Church, Warsaw St. Anne's Church ( pl, Kościół św. Anny) is a church in the historic center of Warsaw, Poland, adjacent to the Castle Square, at '' Krakowskie Przedmieście 68''. It is one of Poland's most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The ...

File:Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory 1.jpg, Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory File:Łańcut - Pałac.jpg,

File:Międzyrzec podlaski kościół św mikołaja fasada.jpg, St. Nicholas' Church, in

Neoclassicist Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism w ...

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means 'frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

by Aigner.

Notes

References

* T. Jaroszewski, ''Chrystian Piotr Aigner, architekt warszawskiego klasycyzmu'' (Chrystian Piotr Aigner: Architect of Warsaw Classicism), Warsaw, 1970. *"Aigner, Chrystian Piotr," '' Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN'' (PWN Universal Encyclopedia), volume 1, Warsaw,

Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i ...

, 1973, p. 32. *"Aigner, Chrystian Piotr," '' Encyklopedia Polski'' (Encyclopedia of Poland), Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, , p. 12.

External links

"Chrystian Piotr Aigner," in ''Biographies of Persons Connected with Puławy'' (in Polish)

by Zygmunt Vogel (1764–1826), in Polish {{DEFAULTSORT:Aigner, Chrystian Piotr 1756 births 1841 deaths Architects from Warsaw People from Puławy 19th-century Polish architects