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onjour! We are dedicating this February newsletter to the Louvre, a castle built during the Middle Ages in
the heart of Paris. This building underwent extraordinary changes over eight centuries of expansions and
improvements. Originally a military building, it is today one of the largest and most beautiful art museums
in the world.
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| The Louvre Museum! |
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A Medieval Castle in the 12th Century
In 1180, King Philip Augustus came into power. He had a defensive great wall built around Paris to protect
it from the English enemy lurking nearby in Normandy. He also had a fortified castle built that backed onto
this rampart next to the river Seine, in a place called the Louvre. This military fortress consisted of a
somewhat square enclosure with one door close to the Seine, and another facing Paris. It had ten towers and
was surrounded by a large circular moat about 35ft wide. The ditch served not only as a foolproof barrier,
but also as a true godsend for the kingdom. Indeed, it was fed by the waters of the Seine and cleaned out
regularly; the collected fish were then sold at a profit for the Royal Treasury. In the interior courtyard,
an imposing donjon 50 ft in diameter stood as a symbol of the monarchy’s power, and served as a prison, an
arsenal and a hiding-place for the Archives and Royal Treasury. The scene was set for what was eventually
to become today’s famous museum.
A Royal Residence in the 14th Century
A century and a half later, Paris had spread out way beyond the Louvre, and the fortress found itself surrounded
by the city. With the Louvre no longer in a strategic position, Charles V decided to transform the medieval castle,
little by little, into a royal palace. It took more than two decades for the king to build new main buildings,
raise the existing ones, add sloping roofs above the crenellations, and cap the towers with turrets decorated
with wind vanes that displayed France’s coat of arms. Because danger still lurked, Charles V had a new protective
great wall built. He continued to embellish the castle with rich interior decoration, additional space and comfort,
and also had magnificent gardens designed. The famous miniature from "The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry"
series suggests a castle straight out of a fairy tale. It accurately represents the Louvre of 1380 from an
architectural point of view. However, it was a different time, a different setting, and there was still a long
way to go to arrive at the Louvre we know today...
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| Recipe
for February 2004 |
Zucchini Gratin
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Cooking SOS !
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A Castle Worthy of Kings in the 16th Century
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It is probably Francois I who deserves credit for the true metamorphosis of the palace over the centuries. Although
he was passionate about hunting, and an admirer of the Loire valley castles, he decided to make Paris the principal
seat of the monarchy and to settle down in the Louvre. He had the enormous dungeon demolished to make way for a paved
and sunny courtyard. The Louvre remained a medieval fortress, but the silhouette of the old castle vanished behind the
new rectilinear buildings with ornate facades that displayed columns and richly sculpted cornices. He reached his
original goal, which was to dazzle his fellow citizens and the neighboring kingdoms, as the Louvre hosted tournaments,
parties and elegant balls. An artistic impetus followed that did not relent at least until the reign of Louis XIV, who
as we know, abandoned the Louvre castle for Versailles which he much preferred.
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The Tuileries
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Catherine of Medicis, wife of Henry II, did not like the Louvre. She felt confined in what was no longer a fortress
but not much of a royal palace either. Her chief complaint was its lack of comfort. The queen mother decided to have
her own castle built 1,640 ft west of the existing one, on the site of an old tile factory, hence the name "Tuileries".
The initial project consisted of a set of buildings forming a giant 4-sided polygon. However, she eventually chose to
settle down in a townhouse closer to the center of Paris, and forgot all about the Tuileries which remained unfinished,
after the completion of just one wing and a magnificent garden. However, as history would show, the palace’s fate was
not yet sealed. Indeed, later in time, in 1789, it was to the Tuileries that the Parisians brought Louis XVI after
having forcefully removed him from Versailles. It was also from the Tuileries that the king attempted to flee in
disguise with his family, only to be caught in Varennes and returned there under firm escort, on June 25, 1791. Once
again, the fate of the Tuileries remained uncertain, but not that of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. They had aroused
absolute hatred in the Parisians who felt betrayed by them.
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An Artistic Vocation
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Henry IV played an important role in the ongoing transformation of the Louvre and the development of its artistic
vocation. He connected the Louvre to the Tuileries by building the 1,509 ft long "Grande Galerie" along the borders
of the Seine, which allowed him to admire the river while walking down it. Patron of the arts, he offered a home to
the greatest artists, painters, sculptors and goldsmiths of his time. Inside the palace, he had a “Petite Galerie”
built. The Louvre became a huge ongoing construction site in the several centuries that followed, while still
functioning as a residence for artists and their families, courtiers who invaded the numerous rooms of the palace,
and suitors who strolled about the gardens. Shacks and homes sprung up like mushrooms in the interior courtyard.
Although still very far from the monument that we know today, there was nothing left of the original castle at this
time, and the historical events to come were to complete its transformation.
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The Tuileries: The End of a Monarchical Symbol in the 19th Century
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In 1792, the killing frenzy of the French Revolution was at its peak. On August 10, canons fired on the palace during
the violent battle between revolutionaries and Swiss army guards. This resulted in a real massacre, with a death count
of more than 300 revolutionaries and more than 1000 of the king’s guards. Monarchy was abolished, but the State
remained at the Tuileries which was renamed the National Palace. However, this battle had been no more than a reprieve,
as another revolution permanently destroyed the National Palace. In 1870, the city was in an uproar. Starving Parisians
invaded the House of Deputies to demand the fall of the Second Empire and the proclamation of the Republic. A year later,
there were more battles and more tragedies. Soldiers deliberately set fire to the Tuileries, and tried to do the same
to the Louvre, but the guards managed to protect it. The Louvre was saved but the Tuileries buildings were reduced to
ashes. Some hoped to rebuild them, but the all-new Republic was then seated at the Elysée Palace, and in 1882 had only
one thought in mind, to destroy that symbol of a bygone era.
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The Louvre Becomes a Museum
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The Louvre quickly became the seat of the cultural world. With the Tuileries gone, it found its vocation as a museum.
During the Second Empire, gifts of artwork considerably enriched its collection. The museum was originally intended
solely for artists, but for the first time it was opened to the public, who came in droves with their families.
Slowly, the artwork which up until then had been crammed into the rooms rather than properly displayed, took on a new
importance. From then on, it was no longer the richness of the collection that mattered, but the manner in which each
painting, each sculpture, each tapestry and each work of art was presented. Proper display became an art in itself,
that of harnessing the play of space, light and harmony. The exterior of the Louvre continued to change as well. With
the Tuileries no longer standing, the view from the Palace to the Arc of Triumph was much more impressive. Napoleon III
built the Arc of the Carrousel, while Baron Haussmann had the homes that cluttered the interior courtyard destroyed
and built the Rue de Rivoli that runs parallel to the north wing of the museum.
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In the 1980s, with the ever increasing throngs of tourists and art lovers visiting the Louvre each year, it became
urgent to redevelop the museum for better access. President Francois Mitterand chose an American of Chinese descent,
Ieoh Ming Pei, to carry out this project. The ingenious architect opted for the construction of a clear glass pyramid,
surrounded by water fountains, in the heart of the Napoleon courtyard. Built to the proportions of Cheops – the large
Egyptian pyramid south of Cairo – all in glass and steel, it offered both light and volume. It became the official
main entrance to one of the most beautiful museums in the world, where thousands of works of art are gathered. Greek,
Egyptian and Oriental art, and the greatest painters of all times and all countries are harmoniously displayed side
by side in spacious rooms, to the absolute delight of art lovers and novices alike. Do not hesitate to visit the Louvre
yourself, but do dedicate a few days to this monumental museum, or visit it according to a selected theme. Otherwise,
you might risk an artistic overload with so many splendors assembled in one single magical place...
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