Severin Jensen (1723 – after 1809) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

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 ...

who worked mainly in the

Duchy of Courland and Semigallia The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...

. In 1772 he became a chief architect of Duke

Peter von Biron Peter von Biron (15 February 1724 – 13 January 1800) was the last Duke of Courland and Semigallia, from 1769 to 1795. Life and reign Peter was born in Jelgava (german: Mitau) as the oldest son of Ernst Johann von Biron, future Duke of Courl ...

, and in 1795 the chief architect of the

Courland Governorate The Courland Governorate, also known as the Province of Courland, Governorate of Kurland (german: Kurländisches Gouvernement; russian: Курля́ндская губерния, translit=Kurljándskaja gubernija; lv, Kurzemes guberņa; lt, K ...

Biography

Severin Sören Jensen was born in 1723 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Kingdom of Denmark The Danish Realm ( da, Danmarks Rige; fo, Danmarkar Ríki; kl, Danmarkip Naalagaaffik), officially the Kingdom of Denmark (; ; ), is a sovereign state located in Northern Europe and Northern North America. It consists of Denmark, metropolitan ...

. There are no reliable sources about his early life or education. In 1766 Jensen arrived in the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia and was hired as an assistant to architect

Bartolomeo Rastrelli Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli (russian: Франче́ско Бартоломе́о (Варфоломе́й Варфоломе́евич) Растре́лли; 1700 in Paris, Kingdom of France – 29 April 1771 in Saint Petersburg, Russian Emp ...

. He was a foreman (Kondukteur) and supervised construction of the Rundāle and

Jelgava Palace Jelgava Palace ( lv, Jelgavas pils) or historically Mitau Palace ( lv, Mītavas pils, german: Schloss Mitau) is the largest Baroque-style palace in the Baltic states. It was built in the 18th century based on the design of Bartolomeo Rastrelli as ...

s. The gates and stable complex of Rundāle palace, however, were built after Jensen's own project in 1766-67. He also supervised construction of

Zaļenieki Manor Zaļenieki Manor, also called Zaļā Manor because of the German word ''Grünhof,'' is a manor house in the historical region of Zemgale, in Latvia. Surrounded by a 27-hectare landscape park with ponds and lakes, it was one of the oldest proper ...

(1769–1774). In 1772 the last

Duke of Courland The Duchy of Courland and Semigallia ( la, Ducatus Curlandiæ et Semigalliæ; german: Herzogtum Kurland und Semgallen; lv, Kurzemes un Zemgales hercogiste; lt, Kuršo ir Žiemgalos kunigaikštystė; pl, Księstwo Kurlandii i Semigalii) was ...

promoted Jensen to chief architect of the duchy (Hofarchitekt). In 1770 the Duke's hunting lodge in Pienava (german: Pönau) was built after Jensen's design. In 1780 it was named ''Friedrichlust'' in honour of

Frederick William II of Prussia Frederick William II (german: Friedrich Wilhelm II.; 25 September 1744 – 16 November 1797) was King of Prussia from 1786 until his death in 1797. He was in personal union the Prince-elector of Brandenburg and (via the Orange-Nassau inherita ...

. From 1775 until 1785 the Duke's favourite Vircava Manor was built after Jensen's design. In 1773–75 Jensen reconstructed and expanded the Svēte Manor near Jelgava. In 1774–75 the ''

Academia Petrina Jelgava Gymnasium or Academia Petrina is the oldest higher educational establishment in Latvia. Based on an idea by , it was established in Mitau, capital of the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia, by Duke Peter von Biron in 1775. The duke wanted ...

'' in

Jelgava Jelgava (; german: Mitau, ; see also other names) is a state city in central Latvia about southwest of Riga with 55,972 inhabitants (2019). It is the largest town in the region of Zemgale (Semigalia). Jelgava was the capital of the united Duch ...

was built after Jensen's design. After the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was incorporated into the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

in 1795, Severin Jensen became chief architect of the newly established Courland Governorate. In 1803 Jensen left Courland and traveled to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

where he participated in the building of

Royal Palace of Caserta The Royal Palace of Caserta ( it, Reggia di Caserta ) is a former royal residence in Caserta, southern Italy, constructed by the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies as their main residence as Kingdom of Naples, kings of Naples. It is the largest palace ...

. The last years of his life are poorly documented. Most sources claims that Severin Jensen died after 1809 in Jelgava.
Jensen, Severin (Søren), 1766-1809, Arkitekt af dansk Afstamning.
/ref> He worked in the style of

Classicism Classicism, in the arts, refers generally to a high regard for a classical period, classical antiquity in the Western tradition, as setting standards for taste which the classicists seek to emulate. In its purest form, classicism is an aestheti ...

which was very popular in Peter von Biron's court. In his early works (stables of Rundāle palace, Zaļenieki manor) interesting symbiosis of

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

and classicism can be seen. His later works are bright examples of classicism however with their distinct character.

Gallery

Academia Petrina.Jelgava.jpg, Building of ''

'' in Jelgava (1775) Zalenieki manor by igors jefimovs.jpg, Building of Zaļenieki Manor (together with B.Rastrelli) Another foggy day in the spring. - panoramio (9).jpg, Stables of Rundāle palace

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jensen, Severin 1723 births Danish architects People from the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia People from Courland Governorate Latvian architects Year of death unknown