Jean Baptiste Antoine Lassus

Born in Paris in 1807, Jean-Baptiste-Antoine Lassus became one of France’s leading specialists in medieval architecture. He is especially remembered for treating old buildings as subjects for close historical and archaeological study, rather than simply redesigning them to fit modern taste.

Lassus played an important role in the 19th-century revival of Gothic architecture in France. He worked on major restorations including Sainte-Chapelle and, with Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris. He also designed new churches, bringing Gothic ideas into contemporary architecture as well as preservation.

He died in Vichy in 1857, at just 50 years old, but his influence lasted well beyond his lifetime. His approach helped shape modern thinking about restoration and made him an important figure in the rediscovery of medieval French art and architecture.