Jules Hardouin-Mansart was a 17th-century French architect whose work represents the pinnacle of the Louis XIV style. His name evokes “Mansards” (roof spaces), though it was not directly Hardouin-Mansart who invented them. He is credited as the “great patron of the architecture of the Sun King,” responsible for completing the Palace of Versailles (Château de Versailles), its Hall of Mirrors, and the Grand Trianon. He also designed administrative buildings like the façade of Lyon’s City Hall, châteaux such as Dampierre, and religious buildings like Saint Roch Church in Paris.
Summary of Key Achievements
Did Someone Say Mansards?
Jules Hardouin-Mansart was born in April 1646 in Paris. His family of painters and sculptors, originally from Beauvais, moved to the capital during the reign of Henri IV. Thanks to his mother, who was the niece of François Mansart (1598–1666), an architect under Louis XIII, Jules—the seventh child—first learned painting before being taken in by this great uncle, who taught him architecture. Under the mentorship of Libéral Bruant, Jules worked on various projects, such as the Hôtel de Condé in Paris and the Hôtel de Vendôme, where he was introduced to Louis XIV. Upon the death of his uncle, he attached his name to his own and became known as Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The inventor of mansards? Not quite.
The term “mansard” dates back to the 16th century. As Paris continually expanded and more people sought housing, Pierre Lescot (1515–1578), an architect of the Louvre, had the idea to convert the attic spaces of houses into living areas. François Mansart, Jules’ uncle, regularly used this method in his designs, and soon workers began referring to such spaces as “mansards.” His name lived on, becoming synonymous with this architectural feature.
Hardouin-Mansart’s Early Works
After his marriage in February 1668 to the daughter of an officer of the Prévôté de l’Hôtel de Paris, Hardouin-Mansart became connected to the Parisian world of engraving. Having retained François Mansart’s former clients, he began to gain recognition among the aristocracy, who entrusted him with building private mansions in the new town of Versailles (for example, the Créqui and Chaulnes mansions).
Drawing inspiration from Le Vau, Hardouin-Mansart designed the Hôtel de Ville of Arles during a trip to Languedoc in 1673, a project completed in 1676. He caught the attention of the minister Colbert, and in 1675, the king assigned him his first major task: renovating the Château du Val in the Saint-Germain forest, where Louis XIV sought a residence near Paris.
Hardouin-Mansart transformed this simple house into a small château with a grand terrace where the king could relax. This was a test of sorts for the architect, who completed the task with brilliance by 1677. Simultaneously, he worked on Château de Clagny for the king’s mistress, Madame de Montespan. In December 1675, he was admitted to the Royal Academy of Architecture.
The Les Invalides (The Dome Church), completed in 1706, is known for its gilded Baroque dome, which remains one of the most recognizable landmarks in Paris. The structure was influenced by the Roman Baroque style, particularly the architecture of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. The dome’s interior is elaborately decorated, and it now houses the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.
His rise was swift: Louvois entrusted him with designing the Royal Chapel of Les Invalides in 1676, including its famous dome, which stands 101 meters high, along with the Soldiers’ Church, also known as Saint Louis des Invalides. The following year, he replaced François d’Orbay at Versailles, overseeing this massive project until his death. In 1679, Louis XIV tasked him with transforming Marly, followed by the Château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1680. Despite these large projects, he remained involved in other Parisian works, such as the Hôtel de Pomponne and the Châteaux of Presles and Montmirail.
In 1681, he was awarded the title of First Architect to the King, a title that had not been held since Le Vau’s death in 1670. He then joined the Order of Knights of Mont-Carmel and Saint Lazarus, a status to which he was not technically entitled, as he was not of noble birth—Louis XIV swiftly remedied that. Ennobled, Hardouin-Mansart adopted a personal emblem: a column topped by a sun, flanked by two eagles.
Under the protection of Louvois, he established himself in the Marais district, transforming a house on Rue des Tournelles into a private mansion, decorated by the artists of the King’s Buildings. Appointed Inspector General of Buildings in 1685, he founded a “bureau of designers” to manage the numerous ongoing projects, training many decorators in the process. This bureau produced a multitude of sketches, plans, and drawings that are now preserved in the National Library of Stockholm—essential documents for understanding how these structures were built.
Hardouin-Mansart: The Master Builder
Always busy, he designed Place Vendôme in 1677 and Place des Victoires in 1686, worked on the Maison de Saint-Cyr for Madame de Maintenon in 1686, and collaborated with Coysevox to create a grand equestrian statue of the king, which was eventually installed in Rennes. He also left his mark on numerous châteaux, such as Dampierre for Colbert’s son-in-law in 1682, the chapel at Château de Chambord in 1684, Chantilly for the Condé family, and the orangery at Sceaux in 1686.
In 1688, Louis XIV urged him to transform Trianon. Highly esteemed by the king, he was knighted in the Order of Saint Michael in 1693, and appointed Superintendent of Buildings in 1699—a position no architect had held since Philibert Delorme in the 16th century. That same year, he purchased property in the Bourbonnais, becoming the Count of Sagonne, but continued working on projects like the reconstruction of Lyon’s City Hall in 1701 and the Saint Roch Church in Paris. Facing ever-growing demands, he restructured the Royal Academy of Architecture, creating a second class and supporting the Academy of Painting and Sculpture.
Almost venerated, he had portraits and busts made, including one by his friend Coysevox and another by Jean-Louis Lemoyne in 1703. The two men became rivals over this work, with Lemoyne aiming to highlight Hardouin-Mansart’s success. The architect is depicted wearing the cross of the Order of Saint Michael, with a voluminous wig and a splendid lace jabot beneath a large coat, resembling royal portraits made by Coysevox. A bronze medal was minted in his honor in 1702, and his bust is now displayed at the museum celebrating the glories of France under Louis-Philippe.
Hardouin-Mansart died suddenly in 1708 (age 62) at Marly and was buried at Saint Paul. He left behind a vast fortune of 1.5 million livres, a significant collection of paintings and sculptures, but few books. Coysevox created a funerary monument for him in 1712.
The Greatest Construction Projects
Jules Hardouin-Mansart spent the majority of his life as an architect at Meudon and Versailles. Under Louvois and the Grand Dauphin, he played a pivotal role in the new Château of Meudon between 1698 and 1704, and his work on its transformations spanned twenty-eight years!
At Versailles, he dedicated thirty-two years of his career to listening, transforming, and modifying the buildings, gardens, and groves without ever tiring, always with the same energy and with the King’s support. He made his entrance through the gardens and the Renommée Grove in 1676. In 1678, he was entrusted with the Hall of Mirrors (designed to showcase the royal collection’s masterpieces, particularly ancient or similar sculptures), where his artistic talent, combined with that of the painter Le Brun, created an incomparable masterpiece.
It was at this time that he overtook François d’Orbay, Le Vau’s successor, by working on the Ambassadors’ Staircase, the Venus Salon, and the King and Queen’s Offices on either side of the royal court. He redesigned the castle’s access routes, the Ministers’ Wings in 1679-1680, as well as the Place d’Armes and Royal Gates. Between 1679 and 1683, he designed the Grande and Petite Stables in a horseshoe shape, with some of the façades entirely built of stone. He also designed the South Wing in 1678, while the North Wing followed in 1685.
The Queen’s Staircase was recreated, along with the Abundance Salon and the Cabinet of Medals, not forgetting the Billiard Room and the Cabinet of Shells. Charged with overseeing the Buildings, he began work on the Grand Commun between 1682 and 1686, followed by the Hôtel de la Surintendance des Bâtiments du Roi from 1688 to 1692.
Outside, he focused on the Orangery between 1681 and 1687, along with its grand staircases, the building of the King’s Kitchen Garden, the new Water Parterre, the Colonnade Grove between 1684 and 1686, as well as modifying the Latona Fountain. The transformation of the Bull’s Eye Antechamber was completed in 1701, along with the King’s final bedroom, located in the center of the château. During his later years, he worked on the Royal Chapel from 1698 and the Notre-Dame Church of Versailles.
A Great Man
Considered one of the greatest architects in France, and even Europe (he was sought after by the canton of Vaud in Switzerland and by Victor Amadeus II of Savoy in Turin), Hardouin-Mansart was labeled by Saint-Simon as an “artist-courtier, a wig-wearing, incompetent, and worldly architect.” Although he may have been a courtier, Hardouin-Mansart fulfilled every role, eventually achieving the title of Director of Buildings (later Superintendent).
He embodied French classicism and was responsible for over a hundred monuments commissioned by the Church, Nobles, Princes, and the King. Supported by his “family,” which continued to contribute to building designs until the end of Louis XV‘s reign, he was King Louis XIV’s favorite. A man of great talent and tireless energy, Hardouin-Mansart was the person upon whom the art- and architecture-loving Sun King could always rely.
