Eugène-Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc was superintendent of all sacred buildings in France in the mid-19th century and involved in the preservation of other important medieval buildings. Thus, the architect, monument conservator, architectural theorist and art historian was responsible, among other things, for the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, which had to endure such a devastating fire in 2019, for the basilica in Saint-Denis, for the cathedral in Amiens, for the city fortifications and castle complexes of Carcassonne or the illustrious medieval castle of Pierrefonds, located north of Paris. The latter was to be developed by Viollet-le-Duc into a private residence for Napoleon III, but an early overthrow of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte put paid to this. At least the Bavarian King Ludwig II was able to inspect the reconstruction work in the castle during a stay in Paris and take away ideas for his planned new building in Neuschwanstein.
Viollet-le-Duc wanted to restore Notre-Dame to its original medieval state, just like, for example, the castle complex of Carcassonne, located on the border with Spain and within sight of the Pyrenees. Romanticism certainly influenced him in this respect, with its preference for stylized and picturesque ruins that served as places of longing. Viollet-le-Duc himself went so far as to claim that he was striving for a condition for the historical buildings that, in his eyes, not only took up the medieval ideal, but improved upon it. This he wanted to see enforced, regardless of whether the buildings told a different story, which they had accumulated over the centuries and which did not fit in with the ideal ideas of a 19th century master builder. This radical reduction of the surviving buildings to a medieval fictional ideal and an alleged stylistic "improvement" earned Viollet-le-Duc the disrespectful term "restoration vandal" from his opponents. This did not prevent the Royal Academy in London from accepting him into its ranks, even though it was contrary to John Ruskin's views, who in England was simultaneously striving for the preservation of the existing state of a monument, with all its losses and every stylistic faux pas. An approach, incidentally, that was also followed in the German monument conservation of the time.
For his ten-volume dictionary of 11th- to 16th-century French architecture, Viollet-le-Duc made high-quality drawings, probed floor plans, elevations, and drew details. He was deeply involved in the building techniques of the Middle Ages and was one of their best connoisseurs. One may be critical of the restoration work he did, but the photos of the famous gargoyles he created or had created in the Galerie des Chimères at lofty heights on Notre-Dame are now world famous. Already in Viollet-le-Duc's time, they were no longer the originals from the Middle Ages, but had already been replaced due to their poor condition.
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.jpg "Project for restoration of west facade of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris with reconstruction of the spire at the crossing, 1843 by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "View of Carcassonne from the west side, State of the fortifications and the city, illustration from")
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.jpg "Drawing for the restoration of the gargoyles of Notre Dame, 1855 by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-176139).jpg "Notre Dame de Paris in 1642 - illustration from Notre Dame de Paris, 19th Century by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Design of a Gothic style hall for Chateau de Pierrefonds, with the emperor and empress by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Isometric View of Ideal Cathedral, drawing by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc from Dictionary of French Architecture from 11th to 16th Century by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Reconstruction of the Louvre during the period of the Frankish kingdom in the 6th and 7th centuries, 1895 by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyle from the Balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the West Facade, Replica of a 12th Century Original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Château de Pierrefonds by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Drawing for the Restoration of the Chapel, Château de Pierrefonds, 1864 by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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_called_mangonne_-_(MeisterDrucke-964447).jpg "Reconstruction of a huge catapult (counterweight trebuchet type), called mangonneau by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyle on the balustrade of the Grande Galerie, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Demon Gargoyle from the Balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the West Facade, Replica of a 12th Century Original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyle from the Balustrade of the Grande Galerie, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyle from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the west facade, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyles on the balustrade of the Grande Galerie, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Drawing from the 13th")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-161919).jpg "Basilica of St. Sernin, Toulouse by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "High Altar in Neo-Gothic Style, Surrounded by 4 Angels Carrying the Instruments of the Passion of Christ with a Tabernacle Surmounted by an Elaborately Decorated Spire by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Carcassonne, city wall, heavily damaged by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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_(1814-1_-_(MeisterDrucke-1029160).jpg "Opera Garnier in Paris in 1850 by Eugene Viollet-le-Duc by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyle from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie, devil holding a toad, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Pelican gargoyle from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the west facade, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Monkey gargoyle, from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the west facade, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Designs Submitted by Viollet le Duc for Construction of New Opera House of Paris by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Armchair for the Golden Room, Chateau d")
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.jpg "Column capital with Christ Blessing from the West Portal of the facade by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyle from the Balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the West Facade, Replica of a 12th Century Original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyles from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the west facade, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyle from the Balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the West Facade, Replica of a 12th Century Original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Women Dining at the Tuileries by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Elephant and lion gargoyles from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the west facade, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Competition Project for the Opera of Paris by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyles from the Balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the West Facade, Replica of a 12th Century Original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Gargoyles from the Balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the West Facade, Replica of a 12th Century Original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Tapestry motifs for the alcove of the Golden room, Chateau d")
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.jpg "Low back chair for the Golden room, Chateau d")
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.jpg "Drawing from")
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.jpg "Two gargoyles from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie of the west facade, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Design of the Cornice for Mademoiselle de Montpensier")
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.jpg "Gargoyle from the balustrade of the Grande Galerie, replica of a 12th century original by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Armchair and commode for Golden Room by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Architectural details for the restoration of Notre Dame by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "View of the Abbey of Cluny and the Carolingian Cathedral by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Capital illustrating the vice of despair, Abbey Church of La Madeleine, Vezelay, France by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Feast of Ladies at Tuileries in 1835 by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Interior of Cluny Cathedral by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Dinner at the Tuileries by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-268453).jpg "Basilica of St. Sernin, Toulouse by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Design of a Gothic style hall for Chateau de Pierrefonds, with the emperor and empress by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-228476).jpg "South Rose Window by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Front cover of")
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.jpg "The Facade of La Madeleine de Vezelay by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Tapestry motifs for the Great Hall of the apartment of the Countess of Paris, Golden room, Chateau d")
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.jpg "Low Back Chair and Writing Desk for Golden Room by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Motifs for a bathroom tile, Chateau d")
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.jpg "Decorative scheme with King Arthur and the Knights of the Round table, for a fireplace in Cesar Tower at Chateau de Pierrefonds, France by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "The Grand Staircase in Tuileries Palace by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Architectural Project for the House of P.J. Hetzel by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-312050).jpg "Viollet-le-Duc on his travels through France by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Architectural details for the restoration of Notre Dame by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Motifs for bathroom tiles, Chateau d")
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.jpg "View of the Lac d’Espingo and the Cirque d’Espingo in the Pyrenees by Eugene Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc")
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.jpg "Motifs for bathroom tiles, Chateau d")
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