ÉMILE-ANDRÉ LECOMTE DU NOÜY

Emile-Andre Lecomte du NouyIn 1875, un tanar arhitect francez sosea in Romania pentru omisiune care, initial, urma sa dureze doi ani. Avea sa ramanaaproape patru decenii. Emile-Andre Lecomte du Nouy (1844–1914),discipol al celebrului Viollet-le-Duc, fusese trimis la Curteade Arges sa restaureze cel mai pretios monument al unei taritinere care isi cauta locul in Europa. Aici avea sa devinaapropiat al Casei Regale, sfetnic al lui Carol I in chestiuniartistice si arhitect al unor santiere care, pana astazi, starnescadmiratie si controverse in egala masura. Cartea lui Horia Moldovan este prima reconstituire ampla aacestei povesti — si, deopotriva, a unei epoci. Pentru ca dincolode biografia arhitectului francez, volumul deschide o fereastraasupra Vechiului Regat in plina modernizare: o tara care invatasa-si pretuiasca monumentele, sa scrie legi pentru protejarealor, sa formeze primii restauratori, sa-si caute o identitatearhitecturala proprie. Lecomte du Nouy se afla in centrul acesteipovesti, iar urmele lui se gasesc peste tot: la Curtea de Arges,la Manastirea Trei Ierarhi din Iasi, la Sf. Nicolae Domnesc, laMitropolia Veche din Targoviste, la Sf. Dumitru din Craiova, inamenajarile de la Castelul Peles.\r\n\r\nÉmile-André Lecomte du Noüy (1844–1914) is still frequently mentioned in studies on the history of Romanian architecture, both for his involvement in restoration and reconstruction sites of some of the most representative medieval monuments, and for his new architectural projects, which brought him considerable notoriety. His legacy is significant. Although relatively limited in scope, his body of work—admired by some and contested by others—played an important role in shaping attitudes and practices in heritage protection and restoration, as well as in the early search for a nationally specific architectural language.\r\n\r\nEmployed in state service yet enjoying considerable freedom of decision, Lecomte du Noüy responded to commissions from King Carol I, whom he advised on artistic matters and who, on numerous occasions, financially supported his projects, appreciating his achievements and granting him access to the close circle of the Royal House. Lecomte du Noüy remains one of those personalities of the Old Kingdom period who, through his architectural work, his social connections, and the extensive documentation preserved from his office, allows us to reconstruct a comprehensive image of what architectural culture meant in the early stages of Romanian modernity.\r\n\r\nHoria Moldovan\r\n\r\nThe highly meticulous study proposed by Horia Moldovan is not merely a repositioning of Lecomte du Noüy within the panorama of Romanian architecture, but a complex reconstruction of the world of historic monuments in Romania, articulated around his figure. The competent and richly documented reading that Moldovan offers is essential for understanding how history and architecture mutually influenced one another at the end of the 19th century and in the early decades of the following century. It thus restores an essential fragment in the formation of modern Romanian culture.\r\n\r\nCarmen Popescu\r\n\r\n