Christophe Gamard

Christophe Gamard, Gamar or Gamart, was a 17th-century French architect who died in Paris probably in 1649. His works are apparently all located in Paris.

We don't know much about his life. He was a master mason in 1613, a city juror in 1626 and topographer of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in 1627 and architect of the King in 1639.

He succeeded Claude Vellefaux as architect of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. He had been his clerk and had married his daughter, Étiennette Vellefaux. He had two sons, Christophe and Hubert. Widowed, he remarried Marie Gillier in 1648.

Family

His brother, Philippot Gamard, worked on the Hotel de Nemours, rue Séguier [fr], in 1620, and at houses, current rues de Sévigné and Rue des Trois-Portes [fr] between 1616 and 1619.

• Houses in rue de la Cerisaie [fr] in 1613, rue de Seine in 1614, rue de Buci [fr] where he had his own house at number 27 in 1631
• The enlargement of the nave of the former Saint-Sulpice church by adding side chapels, between 1614 and 1631
• The pont au Double, between 1626 and 1631, on the small arm of the Seine to connect the buildings of the Hôtel-Dieu located on the île de la Cité with those on the left bank. He succeeded his father-in-law as architect of the Hôtel-Dieu de Paris and created the Rosary Room and the great portal of the rue de la Bûcherie, between 1626 and 1635
• The prison de l'Abbaye, dependence of justice of the abbot of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, built between 1631 and 1635.
• The hospice des Incurables, between 1633 and 1640, at the request of cardinal de La Rochefoucauld and Marguerite de Rouillé. He was the architect of the hospice until his death.
• The fountain on the parvis, located approximately 20 m from the north portal of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris, between 1636 and 1639
• The quai Malaquais [fr] after 1632
• Houses on the north side of rue Sainte-Marguerite (currently rue Gozlin [fr]), in 1635
• The vault of the sewer of the rue Saint-Benoît [fr], in 1640
• The facace of the église Saint-André-des-Arts [fr] in 1640
• The south side portal, Sainte-Marguerite portal, the rib vaults, the high capitals of the central vessel of the abbey church of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, between 1646 and 1649
• The new church of Saint-Sulpice for which he provided the plans in 1636, then, after their approval in 1645, he began construction by the Chapel of the Virgin in 1646 and continued it until his death.