The writings of Viollet-le-Duc: architect and nationalist

Delaugere, Maxime (2025). The writings of Viollet-le-Duc: architect and nationalist. University of Birmingham. M.A.

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Abstract

This thesis explores the nationalist dimensions of Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc’s (1814-1879) architectural theory and practice through a broad analysis of his literary works, including his contributions to the Annales archéologiques (1844-1849), his Dictionnaire raisonné de l’architecture française du XIe au XVIe siècle (1854-1868), and Entretiens sur l’architecture (1863-1872) to name but a few. While previous scholars have touched upon nationalist undercurrents in certain of his writings, this study posits that he was a nationalist outright who authored explicitly nationalist works from the beginning to the end of his career, and that they served to justify his rationalist doctrine and purist approach to architectural restoration; both of which contrasted with mainstream contemporary ideas and methodologies. This thesis shows how in response to the maligning of medieval architecture perpetuated by the likes of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, the bastion of Classical arts and ideas in France, Viollet-le-Duc stressed that the Gothic alone corresponded with the social, political, religious, geographic, climatic, and even racial contexts of the French nation, acting as a conduit for its creative vitality. Appropriating contemporary ideas in racial theory and evolutionary biology, Viollet-le-Duc asserted the universality and scientific nature of his rationalist doctrine, which demanded that the forms of national architecture relate intimately to their function, and that stylistic composites be homogenised or purified, even at the cost of rewriting historical narratives. The idea of restoring Gothic monuments to their supposed original or ideal state by purging them of Classical, Byzantine, Romanesque, Baroque, and Neoclassical modifications played into rising nationalist sentiments of the day, heightened by waves of revolutionary upheaval (1830, 1848), the declaration of the Second French Empire (1852), and the Franco-Prussian War (1870-1871). Viollet-le-Duc portrayed the Eclectic restoration approach of his peers, which drew much from the developments of the Italian Renaissance, as an abuse of logical construction principles, a disregard for good sense, and above all a symbol of anti-nationality. He argued that in France, and indeed all countries, the cultivation of pure national architecture was a means of unshackling the national genius and warding off degeneration in the arts, industry, and civilization at large. By foregrounding Viollet-le-Duc’s nationalism, this thesis not only reframes his contributions to architectural theory and practice, but also underlines the ways in which his work intersected with and reflected broader political and intellectual currents. From this perspective, his restorations are seen as both a literal and symbolic act of national reclamation, deeply intertwined with the shaping of modern French national identity. This thesis thus contributes to a broader understanding of Viollet-le-Duc’s lasting impact on French architectural heritage and his role as a nationalist figure within the intellectual and cultural fabric of nineteenth and twenty-first-century French society alike.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Masters by Research > M.A.)

Award Type:

Masters by Research > M.A.

Supervisor(s):