Jean de Chelles

The architect

Jean de Chelles, or Jehan de Chelles, was one of the architects of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, it began its control of work in 1258 until 1265 goes back supposed to its death. On this date it was replaced by Maître Pierre de Montreuil
Outside the southern transept, one can see a plate gone back to 1258 and " signant" its control of work.

One owes him inter alia the northern frontage of the transept, the gate of the Cloister and his rosette, the gate Saint Etienne.
It began the southern part, which was taken again and completed by Pierre de Montreuil, one of the supposed architects of the Holy Vault, the other being… Jean de Chelles itself.

It would have contributed to the construction of the cathedral Saint Julien to the Mans.

One allots also a work to him of sculptor.

Current traces

The commune of Chelles, the Seine and Marne, honors it with a street, a college and a statue in the Park of the Memory. Because it was born with Chelles about the year 1200. His/her son (?) or nephew (?) Pierre de Chelles also worked with the building site of Notre Dame de Paris, towards 1300 -1318, building jubé and certain vaults… The question which remains to be solved is “in which Chelles it was born?”. Indeed, a commune of Oise bears the same name…

According to Villard de Honnecourt: the large project superintendents of the Gothic are Jean de Chelles , Pierre de Montreuil, one of the builders of Notre-Dame de Paris, Robert de Coucy, Peter Palet, Hugues Libergié, Alexandre and Hake of Berneval. They are artists, scientists and specialists in the technology matters.

Emile Zola, in the preliminary works of the Dream, folio 124, written: With died of Philippe-Auguste (1223), this frontage was finished. The southernmost gate of the transept was started in 1257 with Jean de Chelles , mason.

Biography

Andre Clément, Two Architects of Notre-Dame de Paris: Jean and Pierre de Chelles in Chelles, Some evocation of its past , 1959, pages 29-31.

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