Johann Georg Judas

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Johann Georg Judas , also: Master Hansjörg (* around 1655 in ( Switzerland ); † October 9, 1726 in Ehrenbreitstein ) was court architect in the Electorate of Trier .

The Roman Bridge on an engraving by Merian 1646

Life

Johann Georg Judas came from Switzerland, was originally a carpenter and worked with the Trier court builders Johann Christoph Sebastiani and Philipp Honorius von Ravensteyn . His exact date of birth is not known, he can be traced for the first time in January 1688 in Ehrenbreitstein. The sometimes mentioned date of birth December 9, 1638 in Benken ( Switzerland ) is certainly not applicable, it is only based on the fact that the name is identical to a person born there on that day; there is no evidence that this was the later court architect. Since Johann Georg Judas worked until shortly before his death, a birth around 1655 is more likely. The sources indicate that he came from Switzerland, but an exact location has not yet been proven. As a carpenter, he carried out construction contracts for private individuals as well as for the electoral court, and for a time he also ran a ship mill on the Rhine near Ehrenbreitstein. Technical systems such as water pipes and cranes also played a special role in his work .

In Trier he renewed the Moselle bridge from 1717 , from 1719 he rebuilt the burned down Trier cathedral , began the construction of the Prüm Abbey in 1721 and in 1724 the reconstruction of the old department store in Koblenz. In 1725 he officially took the place of Ravensteyn as court architect, whose function he had in fact performed earlier. Judas died on October 9, 1726 in Ehrenbreitstein. His activity fell in a phase of recovery from the various wars of the late 17th century that had devastated the Electorate of Trier .

Characteristic of some of his buildings is the deliberate preservation of historical details, which were seen as evidence of the “old age” and which were mentioned by contemporary historians. Presumably, in economically and politically troubled times, people wanted to orientate themselves towards the past that created identity.

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Entry on Johann Georg Judas in the Rhineland-Palatinate personal database
  2. Fachbach, Judas, pp. 21-27.

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