Viollet-le-Duc: The Self-Taught Architect Who Shaped France's Medieval Landmarks

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Annie Sargent sits down with licensed tour guide Elyse Rivin to talk about Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc — the self-taught architect who left his mark on Notre-Dame, Carcassonne, and Saint-Sernin in Toulouse, among many others.

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They dig into how he taught himself everything, refused the Beaux-Arts at 18, and still ended up reshaping France's most iconic medieval landmarks. They talk about what he invented, what got torn down, and what his real legacy turned out to be.

Annie also covers the newly renovated Paris Catacombs in the magazine segment.

This is a fun one. Hit play — you'll never look at a French cathedral the same way again.

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Table of Contents for this Episode

• Today on the podcast
• Podcast supporters
• Magazine segment
• Meet Viollet-le-Duc
• Fame and Big Restorations
• What Restoration Means
• Palace Childhood and Talent
• Rejecting Beaux-Arts
• Rebel Spirit and Revolution
• France Sketching Tour
• Gothic Theory and Nature
• Mérimée Patron and Teaching
• Early Travels and Appointments
• First Major Restorations
• Restoration as Reinvention
• Reinventing Restoration
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