Pierre Tarisel (c. 1442 – August 1510) was the Master-mason to the King of France, known for working on

Amiens Cathedral , image = 0 Amiens - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG , imagesize = 200px , img capt = Amiens Cathedral , pushpin map = France , pushpin label position = below , coordinates = , country ...

Career

In 1475 Tarisel was summoned to inspect

Noyon Cathedral Noyon Cathedral (''Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Noyon'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral, located in Noyon, France. It was formerly the seat of the Bishopric of Noyon, abolished by the Concordat of 1801 and merged into the Diocese of ...

, which was deteriorating in many places. Although he was not yet master mason of the city, no work of importance was undertaken without him. In 1477 he was in Arras, at work for the King of France. In 1500 the plan of

Martin Chambiges Martin Chambiges (1460 – 29 August 1532) was a French architect from Paris working in the flamboyant gothic style. His chief works are the transepts of Sens Cathedral (in 1494), of Senlis Cathedral, and of Beauvais Cathedral (1499), in addi ...

for the restoration and decoration of

Beauvais Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Peter of Beauvais (french: Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Beauvais) is a Roman Catholic church in the northern town of Beauvais, Oise, France. It is the seat of the Bishop of Beauvais, Noyon and Senlis. The cathedral is in ...

was submitted to him. On 4 November 1483, on the death of

Guillaume Postel Guillaume Postel (25 March 1510 – 6 September 1581) was a French linguist, astronomer, Christian Kabbalist, diplomat, polyglot, professor, religious universalist, and writer. Born in the village of Barenton in Normandy, Postel made his w ...

, Tarisel was appointed master mason of the city of Amiens. His predecessors had been paid at the rate of 4s. per day; Tarisel received 5s. The rate was again reduced to 4s. for his successor, which may show with what esteem his talent was regarded.

Amiens Cathedral

There is no document that shows what year he became master mason of Amiens Cathedral; but it seems certain beyond doubt that he fulfilled these duties in 1482–1483. On 7 March 1497, Tarisel visited all the cloistered houses subject to the cathedral chapter. Shortly afterwards he undertook the task of restoring the cathedral. The second pillar of the choir, on the left, threatened to fall, but under Tarisel's direction it was restored in 1497. The projecting arch and the arches near it were restored, and the outer wall was propped by an additional

flying buttress The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey lateral forces to the ground that are necessary to pu ...

. In 1503 the same was done for the remaining pillars. Between 1497 and 1503 the pillars of the

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

buckled, owing to the weight of the rear side arches, and cracks formed. The remedy was found in bands of Spanish iron, reaching from the transept to the ends of the choir, the nave, and the cross bars. The great iron chainwork upholding the four large pillars of the transept running the length of the

triforium A triforium is an interior gallery, opening onto the tall central space of a building at an upper level. In a church, it opens onto the nave from above the side aisles; it may occur at the level of the clerestory windows, or it may be locat ...

in four directions still exists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarisel, Pierre 1440s births 1510 deaths 15th-century French architects Gothic architects