WGoA
FRANCART, Jacques, the Younger - b. ~1583 Antwerpen, d. 1651 Brussel - WGA

FRANCART, Jacques, the Younger

(b. ~1583 Antwerpen, d. 1651 Brussel)

Flemish architect, painter, and writer. Along with Wenceslas Cobergher and Pieter Huyssens, Francart was one of the most important church architects in the southern Netherlands in the early 17th century and he was a pioneering force in the introduction and dissemination of the Roman early Baroque style in this region. He was the son of the painter Jacques (Jacob) Francart the Elder (before 1550-1601) and the brother-in-law of Cobergher.

His notable projects include the completion of the Jesuit church in Brussels, the Augustinian church in Brussels, the Beguinage Church in Mechelen, and the design of the funeral procession of the Archduke Albert in 1621.

He wrote a grandly conceived treatise on architecture, of which only one volume actually appeared, the ‘Premier Livre d’Architecture’, published in 1617.

Exterior view
Exterior view by

Exterior view

The seventeenth-century Beguinage Church has a magnificent Baroque fa�ade, after the Italian example. At the time Mechelen’s beguines had capital and so were able to commission well-known architects. The plans were drawn up by the Jesuit Pieter Huyssens, but the actual work was overseen by Jacques Francart.

On the fa�ade of the Beguinage church the verticality is strongly emphasized. The crowning element has expanded into a full-blown third story. (The relief God the Father (1646-47) is ascribed to Lucas Faydherbe.) In the interior Francart has also applied new ideas, the traditional row of arches in the nave has been replaced by massive square piers, strengthened with round half-columns, supporting the entablature.

Send Postcard Learn More
Exterior view
Exterior view by

Exterior view

The seventeenth-century Beguinage Church has a magnificent Baroque fa�ade, after the Italian example. At the time Mechelen’s beguines had capital and so were able to commission well-known architects. The plans were drawn up by the Jesuit Pieter Huyssens, but the actual work was overseen by Jacques Francart.

On the fa�ade of the Beguinage church the verticality is strongly emphasized. The crowning element has expanded into a full-blown third story. (The relief God the Father (1646-47) is ascribed to Lucas Faydherbe.) In the interior Francart has also applied new ideas, the traditional row of arches in the nave has been replaced by massive square piers, strengthened with round half-columns, supporting the entablature.

Send Postcard Learn More
Interior view
Interior view by

Interior view

The seventeenth-century Beguinage Church has a magnificent Baroque fa�ade, after the Italian example. At the time Mechelen’s beguines had capital and so were able to commission well-known architects. The plans were drawn up by the Jesuit Pieter Huyssens, but the actual work was overseen by Jacques Francart.

On the fa�ade of the Beguinage church the verticality is strongly emphasized. The crowning element has expanded into a full-blown third story. (The relief God the Father (1646-47) is ascribed to Lucas Faydherbe.) In the interior Francart has also applied new ideas, the traditional row of arches in the nave has been replaced by massive square piers, strengthened with round half-columns, supporting the entablature.

Send Postcard Learn More
Feedback