Draft:Henri Deneux

The content of this article is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at fr:Henri Deneux; see its history for attribution.

Henri-Louis Deneux was a French architect born on October 16, 1874, in Reims and died on April 15, 1969, in Paris.

Biography

He was born above the grocery store run by his parents on Saint-Guillaume Street, in the Hôtel de Ville district. His great-grandfather, who had emigrated from Aisne, settled in Reims at the beginning of the century. The family soon moved, along with their business, to the southern part of the city to live and work on Jard Street. He attended the school run by nuns near his home, where he fondly remembered a kind priest who drew a house on the blackboard—a simple, ordinary act that fascinated him and, as he said, sparked his vocation. He then attended the Professional School and the School of Industrial Arts in Reims. From an early age, he was passionate about drawing and watercolor. The worst punishment for him was the confiscation of his colored pencils. His parents intended for him to become a draftsman in the Engineering offices.

Early Career

At the age of seventeen, he joined the workshop of architects Thierot and Margotin, responsible for religious buildings. Édouard Thierot, the diocesan architect in charge of the cathedral and a professor at the newly opened Regional School of Industrial Arts in 1889, took him under his wing. In 1894, after a year at this school, he was appointed assistant professor on Thierot's recommendation, a position he held while working at Thierot and Margotin until 1898.

During this time, he met Denis Darcy, the chief architect overseeing the cathedral. Under Darcy's guidance, he began to create magnificent surveys of the cathedral and study the work of architects like Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Millet, who had worked on the cathedral in the 19th century. His watercolors of the cathedral from this period, now housed in the Musée Le Vergeur in Reims, are exquisite and reflect his deep attachment to the monument..

In 1898, encouraged by Darcy, he moved to Paris, where he worked for Sainte-Anne Auguste Louzier, the chief architect of Toulouse Cathedral, until 1907. He split his time between Louzier's agency, the École des Beaux-Arts, and the monuments he studied. In 1905, he placed first in the chief architect of historic monuments competition, overseeing the Nord, Somme, Saint-Quentin, and Saint-Martin-des-Champs Abbey in Paris.

File:Immeuble Deneux - 185 rue Belliard (Paris).JPG

Immeuble Deneux du 185 rue Belliard, dans le 18e arrondissement de Paris.

In 1912, he built his own [building](Immeuble Deneux au 185 rue Belliard (Paris)) which he would occupy the top floors of, located in the 18th arrondissement (see External Links). The construction is made of reinforced concrete, and the façade is decorated with blue and green faience. This building was immediately considered a model of future architecture and is cited as an example by Anatole de Baudot, the founder of the Union of French Architects and advocate of reinforced concrete. As such, it appears in all histories of modern architecture. Indeed, its flat terraces, to name just one innovation, precede the recommendations of the Modern Movement by several years. It is important to keep in mind, when looking at this building, that it was constructed before the First World War. Above the entrance door, one can note a portrait of Deneux as an architect.

Chief Architect of Reims Cathedral

At the beginning of the war, he was temporarily responsible for the departments of Aube, Haute-Marne, Côte-d'Or, Yonne, and the cathedral of Toulouse. Succeeding the architect Paul Gout, Henri Deneux, the true savior of the cathedral, was appointed in 1915 as the chief architect of Reims Cathedral, and he then resigned from his other positions. He directed the reconstruction work, as the extent of the damage to the building, bombarded for nearly four years, required more than mere restoration. He gave up his other assignments to focus on this significant task. The idea of preserving the cathedral in ruins, as a testament to the massacre and barbarism, gained traction in some minds... but not in Deneux's. If given the means, he would restore the cathedral to its former glory.

Restoration of Reims Cathedral, Saint-Remi Basilica, and Saint-Jacques Church^[1]

Clearing and Protection

In 1918, he secured the exclusive responsibility for the monuments in Reims. Starting on March 4, 1919, with the help of his friend Albert Nigron, the monument's designated contractor, and with the assistance of German prisoners, he began the clearing work.

With his wife Yvonne (née Héuze), whom he married on December 27, 1921, in Vincennes, he occupied two small rooms, one of which served as his workshop, under some rusty sheets of metal, within the ruins of the Palais du Tau just a few meters from his work site. "I live across from my home," he used to say.

Between 1919 and 1921, they cataloged and restored statues and capitals; the walls and vaults are repaired, the buttresses and flying buttresses consolidated.

Reconstruction of the Roof

Thanks to donations from the American billionaire John Davison Rockefeller, between 1924 and 1926, the architect reconstructed the framework using prefabricated and demountable reinforced concrete elements (based on the "Philibert Delorme truss" principle) that had burned down in September 1914. He had patented this innovative system, which he first applied to the framework of the Saint-Jacques Church in Reims in 1920-1921. These years of studying the frameworks of over five hundred old buildings had given him a perfect understanding of ancient frameworks, which he dated according to styles in a 1927 article that long served as a reference.

After the fire, Deneux protected what remained of the roof with 5,000 square meters of corrugated iron to prevent further damage to the cathedral from water infiltration. The choice of reinforced concrete was an obvious one for Deneux after the war, due to the high cost of wood and his desire to reduce the risk of fire in the framework, which had already needed reconstruction after the fire of 1483.

He covered the roof with lead and restored the alternating fleurs-de-lis and clovers gilded with gold leaf along the ridge, which had been removed during the Revolution. The angel-topped spire and the carillon were faithfully reconstructed. The high gallery of the nave was rebuilt in its original form.

Restoration of the Stained Glass Windows

The windows were restored by master glassmaker Jacques Simon and new ones were created. Archaeological excavations revealed earlier structures, and Deneux documented his findings.

Excavations

Between 1919 and 1930, archaeological excavations beneath the 18th-century paving revealed the foundations of earlier buildings amidst Roman constructions, suggesting the former presence of baths.

Henri Deneux was thus able to create a plan of the last cathedral attributed to Saint Nicaise and Ebbon's cathedral. The excavation led to the discovery of the vaults and tombs of the archbishops buried in the choir of the Carolingian cathedral.

The choir flooring had been raised by the debris from the rood screen built in 1417 by Collard de Givry and demolished in 1744; many fragments authenticated by Jacques Cellier's drawings from 1580 were found and are now preserved at the Palais du Tau.

Restoration of the Basilica of Saint-Remi and the Church of Saint-Jacques

ÀHe also oversaw the reconstruction of Saint-Remi Basilica and Saint-Jacques Church. His work earned him the titles of knight and officer of the Legion of Honor. The restored cathedral was inaugurated on July 10, 1938, by Cardinal Suhard and President Albert Lebrun.

Inauguration of the Restored Cathedral

For another 10 years, work continued on the interior and façades, and it was only on July 10, 1938, during grand ceremonies, that Cardinal Suhard and Albert Lebrun, President of the Republic, inaugurated the great resurrected monument.

Later Years

Deneux retired at 65, living modestly in Paris. He passed away on April 15, 1969, and was buried next to his wife in Reims. A garden behind the cathedral bears his name since May 2011.

On the day of his death, April 15, 1969, he was completely forgotten. He was buried next to his wife in the South Cemetery in Reims after a ceremony at the cathedral attended by forty people.

The garden behind the cathedral and the Palais du Tau in Reims has been named after him since May 2011^[2].

Publications

"The Restoration of the Cathedral of Reims," L'Illustration, No. 4312, October 24, 1925, pp. 439-441. "The Cathedral of Reims," La Construction moderne, October 26, 1924, pp. 37-40. "The Cathedral of Reims (continued)," La Construction moderne, November 2, 1924, pp. 56-58. "The Cathedral of Reims," Monthly Bulletin of the Provincial Association of French Architects, June 1924, pp. 220-226 and pp. 261-268. "The Evolution of Roof Structures from the 11th to the 18th Century," L'Architecte, Paris, G. Kadar Printing, 1927, 27 pages. Metrophotography Applied to Architecture, preface by Paul Léon, Savenay, Établissements Hélioluxe, 1930, 82 pages. "The Angel Tower of the Cathedral of Reims," Les Monuments historiques de la France, 1936, Vol. 3, pp. 65-75. "The Restoration of Saint-Remi Church in Reims," Les Monuments historiques de la France, 1939, pp. 8-11.

Notes and références

^ Alain Erlande-Brandenburg, La cathédrale de Reims. Chef-d'œuvre du gothique, p. Missing parameter/s! (Template:P.)115-119, Actes Sud, Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, Arles, 2007 ISBN 978-2-7427-6333-7
^ "Le jardin Henri Deneux". Bonnes Adresses Rémoises.

Appendices

Bibliography

Balsamo, Isabelle (ed.), Rebuilding Reims. The Henri Deneux Photographic Collection, Châlons-sur-Marne, Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs, 1988, 45 p. Fouqueray, Bernard, “Henri Deneux: The Sixth Architect,” V.R.I., May 1988, p. 35-36. Harlaut, Yann, The Reims Cathedral from 1914 to 1938: From the Instrumentalization of Heritage to Ideological Debates and Pragmatism in Monumental Restoration, History thesis chaired by Patrick Demouy and directed by Marie-Claude Genet-Delacroix, defended in Reims on March 2, 2006, University of Reims, 2006, 776 p. Quéreux-Sbaï, Delphine, “Henri Deneux, Restorer and Photographer of the Cathedral,” in Myths and Realities of the Reims Cathedral: From 1825 to 1975, Paris, Somogy Art Editions, 2001, p. 80-85.

External Links

[1] Alain Erlande-Brandenburg, La cathédrale de Reims. Chef-d'œuvre du gothique, p. Missing parameter/s! (Template:P.)115-119, Actes Sud, Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, Arles, 2007 ISBN 978-2-7427-6333-7

[2] "Le jardin Henri Deneux". Bonnes Adresses Rémoises.

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