Jacques Cellerier (1742–1814) was a French architect in the neoclassical style whose buildings can be seen mainly in Paris and

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

Life

Born in Dijon, son of innkeepers, a student of , to whom he was related, he continued his training at the

Académie royale d'architecture The Académie Royale d'Architecture (; ) was a French learned society founded in 1671. It had a leading role in influencing architectural theory and education, not only in France, but throughout Europe and the Americas from the late 17th centur ...

. Together with his friend the sculptor

Jean-Antoine Houdon Jean-Antoine, chevalier Houdon (; 20 March 1741 – 15 July 1828) was a French neoclassical sculptor. Houdon is famous for his portrait busts and statues of philosophers, inventors and political figures of the Enlightenment. Houdon's subjects ...

, he was pensionnaire du Roi in Rome before being appointed engineer of the

Généralité ''Recettes générales'', commonly known as ''généralités'' (), were the administrative divisions of France under the Ancien Régime and are often considered to prefigure the current '' préfectures''. At the time of the French Revolution, ther ...

of Paris. His work was mainly focused on private mansions and theatres. A supporter of the

Lumières The Lumières (literally in English: ''The Lights'') was a cultural, philosophical, literary and intellectual movement beginning in the second half of the 17th century, originating in France, then western Europe and spreading throughout the rest ...

, he drew the imposing funeral chariot that carried the ashes of his friend

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...

to the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

in 1791. In 1790, he made the drawings for the triumphal arch of the Champ-de-Mars for the

Fête de la Fédération The (; ) was a massive holiday festival held throughout Kingdom of France, France in 1790 in honour of the French Revolution, celebrating the Revolution itself, as well as national unity. It commemorated the revolution and events of 1789 which ...

. In 1800, on the occasion of the celebration of the Treaty of Mortefontaine between France and the U.S, he proceeded to the restoration of the theatre of the . In 1807,

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

charged him with the task of erecting a monument to the glory of his victories over the English and Russians. He was finally replaced for this project by

Jean-Antoine Alavoine Jean-Antoine Alavoine (4 January 1778 – 15 November 1834) was a French architect best known for his column in the Place de la Bastille, Paris (1831–1840), the July Column to memorialize those fallen in the Revolution of 1830. The column, cons ...

. In 1812, Napoleon entrusted him with the project of building a palace of the Archives, the first stone of which was laid on August 15, Saint Napoleon's Day, the Emperor being in the middle of the

Russian campaign The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the continent ...

in front of Smolensk. This palace of the Archives was to be located in the new administrative district designed by the Emperor and was to face the

Palace of the King of Rome The Palace of the King of Rome is the designation of two separate palaces intended for the use of the King of Rome, Napoleon II, son of Emperor Napoleon: an immense palace designed by the emperor in Paris on the hill of Chaillot, in the modern da ...

, at one of the four ends of the Champ de Mars, at the east and along the river Seine. Its realization was to be entrusted to Cellerier. The events of 1815 and the fall of the Empire, however, put an end to this project, which remained unfinished. In 1813, he used again the gothic style for the first time since the completion of the Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans, at the

Basilica of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and archite ...

, which was endowed with a richly decorated Gothic chapel. Cellerier also built a neoclassical winter choir.

Gallery

File:Dijon Theatre JPM.jpg, Opera de Dijon. File:Hotel ESMONIN de DAMPIERRE.jpg, Hôtel Esmonin de Dampierre in Dijon. File:Dijon - Hôtel Chartraire de Montigny-1.jpg, Hôtel Chartraire de Montigny in Dijon. File:TheatreVarietes.jpg,

Théâtre des Variétés The Théâtre des Variétés () is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8, boulevard Montmartre, 2nd arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1974. History The theatre owed its creation to Mademoiselle Montans ...

, circa 1820. File:Projet pour le Palais des Archives de l'Empire-Archives-nationales-AE-II-3809.jpg, Project for the Palais des Archives in 1812. File:Eléphant Bastille Etude.jpg,

Elephant of the Bastille The Elephant of the Bastille was a monument in Paris which existed between 1813 and 1846. Originally conceived in 1808 by Napoleon I, the colossal statue was intended to be created out of bronze and placed in the Place de la Bastille, but only ...

, initial project of 1809.

Realisations

In Paris

Théâtre de l'Ambigu-Comique The (, literally, Theatre of the Comic-Ambiguity), a former Parisian theatre, was founded in 1769 on the boulevard du Temple immediately adjacent to the Théâtre de Nicolet. It was rebuilt in 1770 and 1786, but in 1827 was destroyed by fire. A ...

boulevard du Temple The Boulevard du Temple (), formerly nicknamed the "Boulevard du Crime", is a thoroughfare in Paris that separates the 3rd arrondissement of Paris, 3rd arrondissement from the 11th arrondissement of Paris, 11th. It runs from the Place de la Répu ...

(1769) * Hôtel de Verrière, rue Verte-Saint-Honoré (1774) * Hôtel of Mme d'Épinay, rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin (1776-1777) * House of Duke of Laval,

boulevard du Montparnasse The Boulevard du Montparnasse () is a two-way boulevard in Montparnasse, in the 6th, 14th and 15th arrondissements of Paris. Situation The boulevard runs south-eastward from the Place Léon-Paul Fargue to the Port-Royal ( Place Camille Jul ...

(1777) * Hôtel built for Cousin de Méricourt at 19 . Cellerier lived in. * La maison du prince de Soubise, rue de l'Arcade (1787-1788) *

, boulevard Montmartre (1806-1807). * Restoration of the

Porte Saint-Denis The Porte Saint-Denis (; ) is a Parisian monument located in the 10th arrondissement, at the site of one of the gates of the Wall of Charles V, one of Paris's former city walls. It is located at the crossing of the Rue Saint-Denis continued by ...

(1807)

In Dijon

* , rue Vannerie (trésorier des

États de Bourgogne In Burgundy, under the Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France { ...

) (1779). * Grand Théâtre de Dijon, place du Théâtre. Cellerier only started it because his first stone was laid in 1810, but the work was suspended from 1811 to 1822. They resumed under the direction of the Parisian architect Vallot; the monument was completed in 1828 * , rue de la Préfecture

In Maisons-Alfort

* Development of the school known as the Royal Veterinary School of Alfort, currently

École nationale vétérinaire d'Alfort The National veterinary school of Alfort ( or ''ENVA'') is a French public institution of scientific research and higher education in veterinary medicine, located in Maisons-Alfort, Val-de-Marne, close to Paris. It is operated under the superv ...

In Compiègne

* Former prison (1773-1778)

In Tremblay-en-France

* Rehabilitation of the Saint-Médard church (1781)

In Châtenay-en-France

* Saint-Martin Church (1784-1787).

In Saint-Germain-en-Laye

* Modification of the

manhole A manhole (utility hole, maintenance hole, or sewer hole) is an opening to a confined space such as a shaft (civil engineering), shaft, utility vault, or large container, vessel. Manholes, typically protected by a manhole cover, are often used ...

of Hennemont in

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

(1787).

References

External links

Biographie

Coupe sur la longueur de la salle de spectacles de Dijon, 3rd project, 1787, watercolor plan by Jacques Cellerier