MENU: Majesty on a human scale
FRANCE'S 17TH-CENTURY KINGS USED URBAN DESIGN AND MONUMENTS TO EMPHASIZE THEIR GROWING POWER
France's first straight street leads to the 12th century Basilica of Saint-Denis and royal mausoleum:
Paris's first straight street (toward 1600) looks back to it. It leads to a statue of a king on horseback:
Rue de Birague (former rue Royale)
The Grand Axis (toward 1675) symbolizes the infinite power of monarchy.
Claude Abron
The design appears throughout Paris. As well, many foreign capitals have adopted it to highlight their most important buildings or monuments
Those innovations stem from a uniquely powerful monarchy and could not have been born elsewhere.
Yet they go unnoticed.
Main topics
* * *
No comments:
Post a Comment