Franciscus Pahr

Franciscus Pahr (died 1580) was an Italian architect^[1] who worked in Silesia and Sweden from the 1550s. He is remembered above all for his work in Uppsala where he contributed to the cathedral and castle.^[2] He refurbished the Upsala castle completely after the fire of 1572. Pahr was from a family of architects who worked in Germany and Sweden during the later part of 16th century and were instrumental in introducing Renaissance architecture to northern Europe. One of the first projects in this genre in Germany was Pahr's work at Uppsala.^[3]

Güstrow Castle designed by Franciscus Pahr

Biography

Pahr was almost certainly the son of master builder Jacob Pahr from Milan and the brother of Johan Baptista Pahr, Christoffer Pahr and Dominicus Pahr. Pahr was described to have "come from Milan via Brieg, Güstrow and Rostock".^[4] The Pahr family brought Italian and German Renaissance architecture to Sweden. In the 1550s, together with his father and Dominicus, Pahr contributed to building the Silesian Brzeg Castle of Brzeg and supervised the construction of fortifications at Rostock and Schwerin. He probably also built the Castle of Löwenberg (now Lwówek Śląski).^[5]

In 1558, he entered into an agreement with Duke Ulrich of Mecklenburg-Güstrow to build a castle in Güstrow,^[6] which he supervised until 1565. He used brick as the main building material.^[5]

In 1572, King Johan III of Sweden invited Pahr and his older brother Domenicus Pahr (de Pari), to build the Upsala castle. After the castle's fire, Pahr was retained to rebuild it as Domenicus had become sick; he oversaw the rebuilding process in 1572.^[7][8] The garden plan for this castle was also designed by Pahr.^[9] In 1573, he took over the building of the new Stockholm Palace after Anders Larsson Målare became ill. In 1578, he supervised work on the restoration of Uppsala Cathedral which had also been damaged by the 1572 fire, reconstructing the towers in the Renaissance style. In August 1580, Pahr died before completing this assignment.^[2][5]

His son, Dominicus Pahr, was a German architect.^[10]

References

1. Campbell 2009, p. 37.
2. "Franciscus Pahr", Historiesajten. (in Swedish) Retrieved 3 October 2013.
3. "Pahr" (in Swedish). National Encyclopedia. Retrieved 5 October 2013.
4. Ehrensvärd 2006, p. 187.
5. "Franciscus Pahr", Riksarkivet. (in Swedish) Retrieved 3 October 2013.
6. Hahr 1938, p. 30.
7. August Hahr (1938). Architecture in Sweden: a survey of Swedish architecture throughout the ages and up to the present day. Printed by A. Bonniers Boktryckeri. p. 30.
8. Ulla Ehrensvärd (2006). The history of the Nordic map: from myths to reality. John Nurminen Foundation. p. 187. ISBN 978-952-9745-20-3.
9. Gordon Campbell (19 October 2009). The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art. Oxford University Press. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-19-533466-1.
10. Wikland 1962, p. 192.

Bibliography

• Campbell, Gordon (19 October 2009). The Grove Encyclopedia of Northern Renaissance Art. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-533466-1.
• Ehrensvärd, Ulla (2006). The history of the Nordic map: from myths to reality. John Nurminen Foundation. ISBN 978-952-9745-20-3.
• Hahr, August (1938). Architecture in Sweden: a survey of Swedish architecture throughout the ages and up to the present day. Printed by A. Bonniers Boktryckeri.
• Sundquist, Nils (1966). Franciscus Pahr i Uppsala. Tryckman.
• Wikland, Erik (1962). Elizabethan players in Sweden, 1591–92: facts and problems. Almqvist & Wiksell.