“St. Étienne du Mont, Paris” by H. W. Brewer

St. Étienne du Mont, Paris

H. W. Brewer

c. 1880

Signed with initials lower left

Source: Stevenson’s House Architecture, I, 66

Click on image to enlarge it

“The irregularity which we find in many old Gothic buildings was not part of their original design. The Strassburgers at first intended that their cathedral should have two western towers, but, when they determined to have a higher spire than any other city, they felt that the symmetry became absurd and abandoned the building of the second spire. A similar feeling probably influenced the builders at Cologne, and when its two western towers are finished, I believe the result will show that in finishing only one tower the Gothic builder was right.” [continued below]

[You may use this image without prior permission for any scholarly or educational purpose as long as you (1) credit the Internet Archive and (2) link your document to this URL in a web document or cite the Victorian Web in a print one.]

Commentary by J. J. Stevenson

The sense of freedom and emancipation which the Revival brought, mingling with older mediaeval ideas, showed itself in the architecture of which the Church of St. Éienne du Mont, beside the Pantheon at Paris, seems to me a typical example. There is a richness and sumptuousness in the building which express the increase of physical well-being and the joy in physical life of the times. In features and ornament the design is mainly Classic, but there is nothing of Classic repose or correctness. The pediments are broken and twisted into curves, and the Classic mouldings and ornaments are altered with a freedom which horrifies Classic purists. The old Gothic spirit shows itself in the general form, in the high-peaked roof, and in the movement and energy of the design. The general effect of the design is rich picturesque confusion, which fitly expressed the spirit of the times which produced it; perhaps also of our own. [I, 66-67]

Bibliography

Stevenson, J. J. House Architecture. 2 vols. London: Macmillan, 1880.

Victorian
Web

Archi-
tecture

H. W.
Brewer

Last modified 20 July 2017