Akademik

(c. 1585-1654)

   French architect who worked for King Louis XIII. Little is known of Lemercier's training. He was the son of a mason and may have learned the principles of building from his father. In c. 1607, he went to Rome, where he remained until 1612. Upon his return to Paris, he entered in the service of Cardinal Armand Richelieu, first minister to the king, a move that launched his career. For the cardinal he built the Church of the Sorbonne (beg. 1635) on the grounds of the university of the same appellation—a structure of the Il Gesù sort, though Lemercier's design includes a large dome and two façades. In c. 1639, Lemercier was commissioned by Louis XIII to extend the west wing of the Louvre Palace, his most important commission. He also erected three country houses: the hôtels de Rueil, Liancourt, and Richelieu. Unfortunately, little survives of these buildings, though their designs are recorded in engravings. Lemercier is credited as one of the architects to introduce the Italian vocabulary to France.