Viollet-le-Duc, Eugène Emmanuel (1814-1879)

French architect. A leader of the Gothic Revival in France, he is known mostly for his writings, notably Entretiens (in two volumes 1863 and 1872). He argued for a rationalist interpretation of the Gothic style and the structural use of new materials such as iron. His most famous restorations were carried out on the Sainte-Chapelle and Notre Dame in Paris; he also restored the old city of Carcassone from 1844.

Viollet-le-Duc was born in Paris. After training in France and studying abroad, he began the restorations which made him famous. In 1840 he restored the church at Vezelay, and then worked on the Sainte Chapelle with Duban, and Notre Dame with Lassus. Most of his later restorations, which have been criticized as being too drastic, were carried out by him alone. They include Carcassonne; the châteaux of Pierrefonds and Coucy; the abbey of St Denis; St Ouen at Rouen and St Sernin at Toulouse. His prodigious output of books included dictionaries of architecture (10 volumes) and furniture (6 volumes).