architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

, a ''corps de logis'' () is the principal or main block, or central building of a

mansion A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property l ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

, or

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

. It contains the rooms of principal business, the state apartments and the ceremonial or formal entry.Curl, James Stevens (2006). ''Oxford Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture'', 2nd edition. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, p. 204. . The grandest and finest rooms within the ''corps de logis'' are often found not at grade level, but on the first or even the second floor above. This floor is often referred to as the Italian ''

piano nobile ( Italian for "noble floor" or "noble level", also sometimes referred to by the corresponding French term, ) is the architectural term for the principal floor of a '' palazzo''. This floor contains the main reception and bedrooms of the house ...

'', the French '' bel étage'', or the German '' beletage''. The ''corps de logis'' is usually flanked by lower, secondary wings, such as the ''barchesse'' of Venetian villas. When the secondary wings form a three sided courtyard, the courtyard is known as the ''

cour d'honneur A court of honor ( ; ) is the principal and formal approach and forecourt of a large building. It is usually defined by two secondary wings projecting forward from the main central block ('' corps de logis''), sometimes with a fourth side, co ...

'', as opposed to a quadrangle when a fourth wing encloses it. Examples of a ''corps de logis'' can be found in many of the most notable

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and Neoclassical civil buildings of Europe including the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

, Blenheim Palace, and the

Palazzo Pitti The Palazzo Pitti (), in English sometimes called the Pitti Palace, is a vast, mainly Renaissance, palace in Florence, Italy. It is situated on the south side of the River Arno, a short distance from the Ponte Vecchio. The core of the present ...

Gallery

File:Schlossesterhazyhinten.jpg, The ''corps de logis'' of the

Schloss Esterházy Schloss Esterházy () is a palace in Eisenstadt, Austria, the capital of the Burgenland state. It was constructed in the late 13th century, and came under ownership of the Hungarian Esterházy family in 1622. Under Paul I, 1st Prince Esterhá ...

, see from the garden File:Bensberg Neues Schloss Denkmal 136 2011.jpg, The ''corps de logis'' of the Schloss Bensberg, main entrance File:Hôtel de Besenval Paris courtyard main entrance residence and small courtyard (2).jpg, The ''

'' and the ''corps de logis'' of the

Hôtel de Besenval The Hôtel de Besenval is a historic ''hôtel particulier'' in Paris, dating largely from the 18th century, with a ''Court of honor (architecture), cour d'honneur'' and a large English landscape garden, an architectural style commonly known as ''en ...

, main entrance File:Schloss Gödöllő Ungarn.jpg, The ''corps de logis'' of the Royal Palace of Gödöllő, main entrance

References

Architectural elements {{Architecturalelement-stub