School of Surgery (Ecole de Chirurgie), (Paris, France); 1769-1774; NeoCalssicism and the Enlightenment




School of Surgery (Ecole de Chirurgie), (Paris, France); 1769-1774; NeoCalssicism and the Enlightenment


School of Surgery

School of Surgery was built in the 1770s in Paris, France by Jacques Gondoin. Gondoin was a French architect who was the son of the gardener of French King, Louis XV. Gondion studied architecture at the school of Blondel. He had an opportunity to study there as Louis XV and his father had a good relationship. In 1759 Gondion won third place in Prix de Rome competition drawing a ground plan and front elevation of famous Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After Gondoin was sent to Rome for four years studying at one of the Academy there and he met many architects and designers while studying in Rome. After he came back from Rome, the king asked him to design the School of Surgery in order to improve the surgery schools in Paris. School of surgery is the only famous building that Gondoin built. Giovanni Battista Piranesi influenced Gondoin a lot for his further projects. He was also a furniture designer and designed many pieces of furniture for the palace. One of the famous furniture pieces he designed was Four Side Charis (Chaises a la reine) for the French queen Marie-Antoinette with neoclassical style. Gondoin also endured French Revolution by presenting himself as a gardener. Gondoin built nothing much except Ecole de Chirurgie.



Façade of the School of Surgery

The material of School of Surgery (Ecole de Chirurgie) is Stone. The façade of this building has repetitive ionic columns. The façade is not typical French architecture with pavilions. Gondion got complimented by fellow architects for the façade of this building. The upper part of the facade has a cornice which is designed by the other architect, Pierre Francois Berruer. These ionic repetitive columns are continued around the courtyard and until the entrance of the theatre.

At the back of the building, there is a theatre with hemispherical structure, which is an anatomy theatre for the school of surgery. The amphitheater fits 1200 people. The amphitheater-like classrooms allow students to see clearly what the instructor is teaching. This theatre has a dome-like structure with an oculus ( just like in half of the pantheon) on the top of it. This allows the theatre to receive a huge amount of natural sunlight to go through the theatre. The ceiling of the dome has neoclassical coffered ceilings. In front of the theatre, there is a portico with Corinthian columns. The first floor of the building is verified by the height of these Corinthian columns. This theatre was the free-second standing theatre among those were built in France. Other than this theatre the school has one rectangular theatre, chemistry laboratory and a small hospital ward, a public hall and some rooms for the experiment on the ground floor. Moreover, the school also has a library, a room which has medical instruments, more lecture rooms, and offices on the first floor. Moreover, there are many famous paintings of surgeons are hanged in the building in order to influence the students.
Plan of School of Surgery


"Jacques Gondoin (French, 1737 - 1818) (Getty Museum)." The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Accessed February 20, 2018. http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/artists/3490/jacques-gondoin-french-1737-1818/.

"Four Side Chairs (chaises à la reine) (Getty Museum)." The J. Paul Getty in Los Angeles. Accessed February 20, 2018. http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/5420/jacques-gondoin-francois-toussaint-foliot-probably-carved-by-toussaint-foliot-four-side-chairs-chaises-a-la-reine-french-1780-1781/.


Braham, Allan. The architecture of the French Enlightment. London, 1980.



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