Chrystian Piotr Aigner
Encyclopedia
Chrystian Piotr Aigner (Puławy, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, 1756 – 9 February 1841, Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
)
was a Polish architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and theoretician of architecture.
Life
Chrystian Piotr Aigner acquired extensive knowledge of architecture in the course of several journeys to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
that he made in the company of his patron and subsequent collaborator and friend Stanisław Kostka Potocki. He studied in Italy. Later, during a long association with the city of Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, he created many Classicist building
Classical architecture
Classical architecture is a mode of architecture employing vocabulary derived in part from the Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, enriched by classicizing architectural practice in Europe since the Renaissance...
s in the Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
capital. A member of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
's Academy of St. Luke, and of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning, and from 1817 a professor of architecture at Warsaw University, he was active in Warsaw until 1825 and in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
before leaving for Italy for good in 1827.
Aigner at first applied the decorative forms of early Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism
Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...
(Marynka's Palace in Puławy) or made reference to the works of Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio
Andrea Palladio was an architect active in the Republic of Venice. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered the most influential individual in the history of Western architecture...
(the façade of St. Anne's Church
St. Anne's Church, Warsaw
St. Anne's Church is a church in the historic center of Warsaw, Poland, adjacent to the Castle Square, at Krakowskie Przedmieście 68. It is one of Poland's most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The church ranks among Warsaw's oldest buildings. Over time, it has seen many...
in Warsaw). In a later period, he reworked patterns drawn directly from the architecture of Antiquity
Classical antiquity
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, collectively known as the Greco-Roman world...
(the Puławy parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
; St. Alexander's Church in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
), and even erected Neogothic structures (the Gothic House in Puławy). He also published a pattern book, Budowy kościołów... (Church Building...), which exerted a great influence on Polish sacral architecture in the first half of the 19th century.
Aigner's work represents a mature classicism, inspired directly by Italian influences, and later enriched by Empire and Romantic
Romanticism
Romanticism was an artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution...
influences. The Romantic influences, reflecting a growing interest in Poland's past, were expressed chiefly through the use of Neogothic forms and enriched spatial arrangements (palaces with rotunda
Rotunda (architecture)
A rotunda is any building with a circular ground plan, sometimes covered by a dome. It can also refer to a round room within a building . The Pantheon in Rome is a famous rotunda. A Band Rotunda is a circular bandstand, usually with a dome...
in a corner). His theoretical writings include "Rozprawa o świątyniach u starożytnych i o słowiańskich," Roczniki Towarzystwa Warszawskiego Przyjaciół Nauk ("A Treatise on Ancient and Slavic Temples," Annals of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning), 1808.
During the Kościuszko Uprising
Kosciuszko Uprising
The Kościuszko Uprising was an uprising against Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Prussia led by Tadeusz Kościuszko in Poland, Belarus and Lithuania in 1794...
, Aigner wrote "Krótka nauka o kosach i pikach" ("A Brief Treatise on Scythes and Pikes"), which provided a theory for operating on the field of battle with formations of scythemen
War scythe
A war scythe is a kind of improvised pole weapon, similar to a fauchard, usually created from standard scythes. The blade of the scythe is transformed so as to extend upright from the pole, thus forming an infantry weapon practical both in offensive actions against infantry and as a defensive...
and pikemen.
Works
- Classicist palace in Olesin, Puławy County (1782–1830), with Stanisław Kostka Potocki
- Palace in Igołomia
- Palace in Zarzecze, Przeworsk CountyZarzecze, Przeworsk CountyZarzecze is a village in Przeworsk County, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, in south-eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Zarzecze. It lies approximately south of Przeworsk and east of the regional capital Rzeszów....
- Remodeling of Łańcut Castle
- Church in Międzyrzec PodlaskiMiedzyrzec PodlaskiMiędzyrzec Podlaski is a city in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, with the population of 17,162 inhabitants as of 2006. The total area of the city is 20.03 km2...
- Czartoryski residence in Puławy (Church of the AssumptionAssumption of MaryAccording to the belief of Christians of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, and parts of the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglicanism, the Assumption of Mary was the bodily taking up of the Virgin Mary into Heaven at the end of her life...
, Gothic House, Temple of the SibylTemple of the SibylThe Temple of the Sibyl is a colonnaded round monopteral temple-like structure at Puławy, Poland, built in the late 18th century as a museum by Izabela Czartoryska.-History:...
, Marynka's Palace), 1785–1810 - Church of St. Alexander in Suwałki
- Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in ŻyrzynZyrzynŻyrzyn is a village in Puławy County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It is the seat of the gmina called Gmina Żyrzyn. It lies approximately north-east of Puławy and north-west of the regional capital Lublin....
- Epitaph of Kraków Bishop Kajetan Sołtyk in Wawel CathedralWawel CathedralThe Wawel Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Stanisław and Vaclav, is a church located on Wawel Hill in Kraków–Poland's national sanctuary. It has a 1,000-year history and was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs. It is the Cathedral of the Archdiocese of Kraków...
- Classicist manor house in BachorzaBachorza manorBachorza is a manor house located in the village of Bachorza in Mazovian Voivodship . It was originally built in the late 17th century, but was subsequently redesigned in the mid-19th century...
In Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
:
- Krasiński Palace in UrsynówUrsynówUrsynów is the southernmost district of Warsaw. With a surface area of 44.6 km², it is the third largest district in Warsaw, comprising 8.6 percent of the city. The district has a population of almost 148,000, and is one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in Warsaw...
(1785–86), with Stanisław Kostka Potocki, rebuilt in 1858 by Zygmunt Rozpędowski - Remodeling of Leszno, Warsaw, palace (1785–88), probably only the interiors
- St. Alexander's ChurchSt. Alexander's ChurchSt. Alexander's Church is a Roman Catholic church on Plac Trzech Krzyży in Warsaw, Poland.-History:...
, 1818–25 - Façade of St. Anne's ChurchSt. Anne's Church, WarsawSt. Anne's Church is a church in the historic center of Warsaw, Poland, adjacent to the Castle Square, at Krakowskie Przedmieście 68. It is one of Poland's most notable churches with a Neoclassical facade. The church ranks among Warsaw's oldest buildings. Over time, it has seen many...
(1786–88), with Stanisław Kostka Potocki; rebuilding of bell towerBell towerA bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
, 1816 - Façade of St. Andrew's Church
- Remodeling of the Warsaw ArsenalWarsaw ArsenalWarsaw Arsenal is a building of a military arsenal in Warsaw, Poland. It is located at Długa street, in the proximity of the Warsaw's Old Town. Throughout the ages the building served a variety of roles. It was the scene of heavy fighting during the Warsaw Insurrection of 1794...
(1792) - Remodeling of main entrance hall at Wilanów PalaceWilanów PalaceWilanów Palace is a royal palace located in the Wilanów district, Warsaw. Wilanów Palace survived the time of Poland's partitions and both World Wars and has preserved its authentic historical qualities, also is one of the most important monuments of Polish culture.The palace and park in Wilanów...
(1792) - Villa of Izabela Lubomirska at KrzeszowiceKrzeszowiceKrzeszowice is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As of 2004, the population of Krzeszowice was 9,993.In 2008, it was selected with 19 villages of Europe -Germany, Poland, Italy and Spain- for the Spanish documentary film "Villages of Europe" Pueblos de Europa,...
(1792) - Library of Ignacy Potocki (1788), no longer extant, at site of Warsaw's Hotel BristolHotel Bristol in WarsawHotel Bristol was built in 1899/1900 and is in Krakowskie Przedmieście Street in Poland's capital, Warsaw.- History :Le Royal Meridien Bristol is, quite possibly, the best example of the splendour of Old Warsaw. Built in 1900 by a company whose partners included Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Polish...
- Remodeling of Natolin PalaceNatolinNatolin is a historic park and nature reserve on the southern edge of Warsaw, Poland. "Natolin" is also the name of a neighborhood located to the west of the park — a part of Warsaw's southernmost Ursynów district....
(1808) - Morysin Summer Palace, near WilanówWilanówWilanów is a district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It is home to historic Wilanów Palace, the "Polish Versailles," and second home to various Polish kings.-History:...
, with Stanisław Kostka Potocki - Mint on ulica Bielańska (demolished in 1905 by Russian ImperialRussian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
authorities) - Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory
- Remodeling of the Presidential PalacePresidential Palace, WarsawThe Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, is the elegant classicist latest version of a building that has stood on the Krakowskie Przedmieście site since 1643. Over the years, it has been rebuilt and remodeled many times...
(formerly, "Viceregal Palace"), 1818–19
External links
- "Chrystian Piotr Aigner," in Biographies of Persons Connected with Puławy (in Polish)
- The architecture of Olesin in paintings by Zygmunt VogelZygmunt VogelZygmunt Vogel was a Polish artist who specialized in watercolor and drawing.-Life:Vogel was born in 1764 in Wołczyn ....
(1764–1826), in Polish