Max Sainsaulieu (17 July 1870 – 21 February 1953) was a French architect. Author of numerous accomplishments in

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

and

Soissons Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital ...

before the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(including the completion of the church of Sainte Clotilde, the church of Saint Benoît, and the house of Jacques Simon) he participated actively in the reconstruction of Reims in the immediate post-war period.

Life

Born in 1870 in Péronne, Max Sainsaulieu trained in architecture with Edmond Duthoit, Inspector of Historic Monuments in Algeria, before joining in 1891 the

École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts École or Ecole 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 The Seine ( , ) is a river in nor ...

in Paris. He attended the lessons of Constant Moyaux (1837–1889) and of

Paul Boeswillwald Paul Louis Boeswillwald (October 22, 1844, in Paris – July 17, 1931, in Paris) was a French architect and art historian. Biography Son of the architect Émile Boeswillwald and father of the painter Émile Artus Boeswillwald, he was a pupil ...

(1844–1931). In 1898, he received his architecture degree after a study on the restoration of the Fontenelle Abbey in

Saint-Wandrille-Rançon Saint-Wandrille-Rançon () is a former commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in north west France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Rives-en-Seine.Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

to contribute to the completion of the Basilica of St. Clotilde. He married the daughter of local architect Alphonse Gosset (1835–1914). He then settled at Soissons in 1903, where he was appointed architect of historical monuments. In 1909, he returned to Reims to gradually resume the activities of his father-in-law Alphonse Gosset. He designed several houses, mansions and churches in Reims. At the declaration of war, Sainsaulieu left Reims but returned after the

First Battle of the Marne The First Battle of the Marne or known in France as the Miracle on the Marne () was a battle of the First World War fought from the 5th to the 12th September 1914. The German army invaded France with a plan for winning the war in 40 days by oc ...

. Appointed official architect attached to the

Cathedral of Reims Notre-Dame de Reims (; ; meaning "Our Lady of Reims"), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic Church, Catholic cathedral in the Reims, French city of the same name, the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Reims, Archdiocese of R ...

, his first mission was to protect the left portal of the western facade of the cathedral. Day after day, he reported the effects of the bombardments on the cathedral and on other monuments of Reims. He took all necessary measures to consolidate the battered buildings of the city. On 12 January 1918, Sainsaulieu was created a knight of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

Selected works

Carnegie Library of Reims The Carnegie Library of Reims () is a public library built with money donated by businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to the city of Reims after World War I. Reims was one of three "front-line" cities to be given a Carnegie library, the ...

, 1927 * Railway station of

Contrexéville Contrexéville () is a commune of north-eastern France, in the Vosges département. The mineral springs of Contrexéville have been known locally for many years, but became generally known only towards the end of the 18th century. The particul ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sainsaulieu, Max 1870 births 1953 deaths People from Péronne, Somme École des Beaux-Arts alumni 20th-century French architects Knights of the Legion of Honour