Mansart, Jules Hardouin

Mansart or Mansard, Jules Hardouin (zhül ärdwăN` mäNsär`), 1646–1708, French architect. He studied under his great-uncle François Mansart and under Libéral Bruant. Favored by Louis XIV, he was ennobled and in 1699 made chief architect for the royal buildings. After enlarging the royal château of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, he undertook work at the palace of Versailles, where among his accomplishments are the impressive Galérie des Glaces (decorated by Le Brun), the Grand Trianon, the palace chapel, and the vast orangery. As town planner he designed in Paris the Place des Victoires (1684–86) and the superb Place Vendôme (1699). The impressive Dôme des Invalides (1706) in Paris is considered his most splendid achievement; it was added as a second church to the one constructed by Bruant and brought the scheme of the Hôtel des Invalides to completion. Much of Mansart's work was executed in the massive Roman baroque style, but some of his designs at Versailles point toward the lightness and elegance of the rococo.