The Paris of Henry IV: Architecture and Urbanism (Architectural History Foundation Books) Book

"King Henri IV of France . . . was not interested in courtly splendor, or books, or the arts; he was notoriously averse to spending money, even on his mistresses. But when it came to embellishing Paris, nothing was too good for him. Henri first entered the city as its sovereign after several sieges and half a century of civil wars, What he found was a decaying and ravaged medieval hodge-podge. By the time he died, in 1610, he had transformed it into one of the great European capitals. Just how he did this is the fascinating (and still relevant) story that Hilary Ballon tells in her admirably documented book." --Olivier Bernier, Wall Street Journal "This delightful book elegantly documents Henri IV's architectural programs of 1605-10 . . . and helps us understand the surprisingly gentle humanity and charm that those urban groupings possess." --The New Yorker The Louvre, the Place Royale (now the Place des Vosges), the Place and rue Dauphine, the Pont Neuf, and the Hôpital Saint Louis were part of a building program initiated by Henri IV that would be unmatched in Paris for more than two centuries. Drawing on previously untapped notarial archives in Paris's Minutier central, Hilary Ballon provides a rich and original account of the crucial period between 1605 and 1610 when Paris was transformed from a medieval city decimated by war and neglect into a modern capital. An Architectural History Foundation BookRead More