Chrystian Piotr Aigner (1756 in

Puławy Puławy (, also written Pulawy) is a city in eastern Poland, in Lesser Poland's Lublin Voivodeship, at the confluence of the Vistula and Kurówka River, Kurówka Rivers. Puławy is the capital of Puławy County. The city's 2019 population was Cen ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

– 9 February 1841 in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

) was a Polish

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and theoretician of architecture.

Life

Chrystian Piotr Aigner acquired extensive knowledge of architecture in the course of several journeys to

that he made in the company of his patron and subsequent collaborator and friend Stanisław Kostka Potocki. He studied in Italy. Later, during a long association with the city of

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, he created many Classicist buildings in the Polish capital. A member of

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

's Academy of St. Luke, and of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning, and from 1817 a professor of architecture at

Warsaw University The University of Warsaw (, ) is a public research university in Warsaw, Poland. Established on November 19, 1816, it is the largest institution of higher learning in the country, offering 37 different fields of study as well as 100 specializat ...

, he was active in Warsaw until 1825 and in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

before leaving for Italy for good in 1827. Aigner at first applied the decorative forms of early

Neoclassicism Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative arts, decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiq ...

(Marynka's Palace in

) or made reference to the works of

Andrea Palladio Andrea Palladio ( , ; ; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius, is widely considered to be on ...

(the façade of St. Anne's Church in Warsaw). In a later period, he reworked patterns drawn directly from the architecture of Antiquity (the Puławy

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

; St. Alexander's Church in

), and even erected

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

structures (the Gothic House in Puławy). He also published a pattern book, ''Budowy kościołów...'' (Church Building...), which exerted a great influence on Polish sacral architecture in the first half of the 19th century. Aigner's work represents a mature classicism, inspired directly by Italian influences, and later enriched by

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

and Romantic influences. The Romantic influences, reflecting a growing interest in Poland's past, were expressed chiefly through the use of

forms and enriched spatial arrangements (palaces with rotunda in a corner). His theoretical writings include "''Rozprawa o świątyniach u starożytnych i o słowiańskich''," ''Roczniki Towarzystwa Warszawskiego Przyjaciół Nauk'' ("A Treatise on Ancient and Slavic Temples," Annals of the Warsaw Society of Friends of Learning), 1808. During the

Kościuszko Uprising The Kościuszko Uprising, also known as the Polish Uprising of 1794, Second Polish War, Polish Campaign of 1794, and the Polish Revolution of 1794, was an uprising against the Russian and Prussian influence on the Polish–Lithuanian Common ...

, Aigner wrote ''"Krótka nauka o kosach i pikach"'' ("A Brief Treatise on Scythes and Pikes"), which provided a theory for operating on the field of battle with formations of

scythemen Scythemen, also known as scythe-bearers is the term for soldiers (often peasants and townspeople) armed with war scythes. First appearing in the Kościuszko Uprising of 1794, scythemen quickly became one of the symbols of the struggle for Poli ...

and pikemen.

Works

*Classicist palace in Olesin, Puławy County (1782–1830), with Stanisław Kostka Potocki *Palace in Igołomia *Palace in Zarzecze, Przeworsk County *Remodeling of

Łańcut Castle Łańcut Castle (Polish language, Polish: ''Zamek w Łańcucie''; pronounced: ) is a complex of historical buildings located in Łańcut, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland. Historically the residence of the Pilecki, House of Lubomirski, Lubomirsk ...

*Church in

Międzyrzec Podlaski Międzyrzec Podlaski () is a town in Biała Podlaska County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland, with a population of 17,102 inhabitants . The total area of the town is . Międzyrzec is located in the historic region of Podlachia, near the Krzna river, n ...

Czartoryski The House of Czartoryski (feminine form: Czartoryska, plural: Czartoryscy; ) is a Princely Houses of Poland, Polish princely family of Lithuanian-Ruthenians, Ruthenian origin, also known as the Familia (political party), Familia. The family, whic ...

residence in

(Church of the Assumption, Gothic House, Temple of the Sibyl, Marynka's Palace), 1785–1810 *Church of St. Alexander in

Suwałki Suwałki (; ; or סוּוואַלק) is a city in northeastern Poland with a population of 69,206 (2021). It is the capital of Suwałki County and one of the most important centers of commerce in the Podlaskie Voivodeship. A relatively young ci ...

*Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Żyrzyn *Epitaph of Kraków Bishop Kajetan Sołtyk in

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Saint Stanislaus and St. Wenceslas, Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it ...

*Classicist manor house in Bachorza In

: *Krasiński Palace in Ursynów (1785–86), with Stanisław Kostka Potocki, rebuilt in 1858 by Zygmunt Rozpędowski *Remodeling of Leszno, Warsaw, palace (1785–88), probably only the interiors * St. Alexander's Church, 1818–25 *Façade of St. Anne's Church (1786–88), with Stanisław Kostka Potocki; rebuilding of

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

, 1816 *Façade of St. Andrew's Church *Remodeling of the Warsaw Arsenal (1792) *Remodeling of main entrance hall at

Wilanów Palace Wilanów Palace (, ) is a former royal palace located in the Wilanów district of Warsaw, Poland. It was built between 1677 and 1696 for the King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania John III Sobieski according to a design by architect Augustyn ...

(1792) *Villa of Izabela Lubomirska at

Krzeszowice Krzeszowice () is a town in southern Poland, situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. As of 2004, its population was 9,993. Krzeszowice belongs to ''Kraków Metropolitan Area'', and lies 25 kilometers west of the center of the city of Krakó ...

(1792) *Library of Ignacy Potocki (1788), no longer extant, at site of Warsaw's

Hotel Bristol The Hotel Bristol is the name of more than 200 hotels around the world. They range from grand European hotels, such as Hôtel Le Bristol Paris and the Hotel Bristol in Warsaw or Vienna to budget hotels, such as the SRO (single room occupanc ...

*Remodeling of Natolin Palace (1808) *Morysin Summer Palace, near

Wilanów Wilanów () is a dzielnica, district of the city of Warsaw, Poland. It is home to historic Wilanów Palace, the "Polish Palace of Versailles, Versailles," and second home to various List of Polish rulers, Polish kings. Wilanów is home to many v ...

, with Stanisław Kostka Potocki *Mint on ''ulica Bielańska'' (demolished in 1905 by Russian Imperial authorities) * Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory *Remodeling of the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

(formerly, "Viceregal Palace"), 1818–19 Information from the Polish Wikipedia article, 14:07, 22 August 2009, edition.

Gallery

File:Pulawy palac czartoryskich.jpg,

palace,

File:Pulawy palac marynki.jpg, Marynka's Palace, Puławy File:Pulawy swiatynia sybilli.jpg, Temple of the Sibyl, Puławy File:Pulawy kosciol wniebowziecia nmp.jpg, Church of the Assumption, Puławy File:Pulawy domek gotycki.jpg, Gothic House, Puławy File:Pałac Prezydencki w Warszawie 2020.jpg,

Presidential Palace, Warsaw The Presidential Palace () is the official residence of the Polish List of heads of state of Poland, head of state and president alongside the Belweder Palace, located in Warsaw, Poland. Originally constructed in 1643 as an aristocratic mansion, i ...

File:Kościół św. Aleksandra w Warszawie 2018.jpg, St. Alexander's Church,

File:Kościół św. Anny w Warszawie 2020.jpg, St. Anne's Church, Warsaw File:Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory 1.jpg, Warsaw University Astronomical Observatory File:Łańcut - Pałac.jpg,

File:Międzyrzec podlaski kościół św mikołaja fasada.jpg, St. Nicholas' Church, in

. Neoclassicist

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

by Aigner.

Notes

References

* T. Jaroszewski, ''Chrystian Piotr Aigner, architekt warszawskiego klasycyzmu'' (Chrystian Piotr Aigner: Architect of Warsaw Classicism), Warsaw, 1970. *"Aigner, Chrystian Piotr," ''

Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN An encyclopedia is a reference work or compendium providing summaries of knowledge, either general or special, in a particular field or discipline. Encyclopedias are divided into article (publishing), articles or entries that are arranged Alp ...

'' (PWN Universal Encyclopedia), volume 1, Warsaw,

Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN (''Polish Scientific Publishers PWN''; until 1991 ''Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe'' - ''National Scientific Publishers PWN'', PWN) is a Polish book publisher, founded in 1951, when it split from the Wydawnictwa Szkolne i ...

, 1973, p. 32. *"Aigner, Chrystian Piotr," ''

Encyklopedia Polski This is a list of encyclopedias by language. Albanian Encyclopedias written in Albanian. * '' Albanian Encyclopedic Dictionary'' (): published by Academy of Sciences of Albania; ** First Edition (1985; ''FESH'') ** New Edition (2008/09; ''Botim ...

'' (Encyclopedia of Poland), Kraków, Wydawnictwo Ryszard Kluszczyński, 1996, , p. 12.

External links

"Chrystian Piotr Aigner," in ''Biographies of Persons Connected with Puławy'' (in Polish)

by Zygmunt Vogel (1764–1826), in Polish {{DEFAULTSORT:Aigner, Chrystian Piotr 1756 births 1841 deaths Architects from Warsaw People from Puławy 19th-century Polish architects