Wallot (family)

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Family coat of arms of the Wallot / Vallot family

The Wallot family is of Huguenot origin and goes back to the French house Vallot - presumably from Languedoc , France. The Vallot family became famous through Antoine Vallot , who was personal physician ( premier médecin du roi ) to King Louis XIV from 1652 until his death in 1671 and was raised to the nobility in 1668 . The French and German branches of the family produced a number of well-known personalities, such as the architect of the German Reichstag building Paul Wallot , the physicist Julius Wallot and Joseph Vallot , who built the Refuge Vallot observatory on Mont Blanc , which still exists today . Direct descendants exist to this day.

Family history

Antoine Vallot

Antoine Vallot, engraved by J. Grignon

Antoine Vallot was appointed personal physician (premier médecin du roi) to Louis XIV on July 8, 1652.

Born in 1596/6, Vallot received his medical training at the University of Reims . Documents also indicate studying at the University of Montpellier ; it is believed that Vallot began his studies in Reims, but graduated in Montpellier. Although the date of his arrival in Paris is unclear, as early as 1647 Vallot was one of a select group of doctors who served the royal family. Vallot's patients soon included influential people at the French court, such as Cardinal Jules Mazarin . Vallot was also said to have had a close friendship with the previous royal personal physician Francois Vautier . It is believed that the latter connection in particular contributed significantly to Vallot's appointment as royal personal physician in 1652.

In addition to his work as royal personal physician, Vallot held the offices of director of the royal baths, fountains and mineral waters as well as director of the Paris botanical garden ( Jardin des Plantes ). Vallot married Catherine Gayant, daughter of a wealthy Parisian family, in February 1634. The marriage resulted in two daughters and four sons.

In 1668, Vallot was raised to the nobility by Louis XIV. The family's possessions included a. the Château de la Magnanne and the Chateau de Neuville (Gambais) , which was administered by Antoine Vallot's brother Jean-Baptiste.

  • Château de La Magnanne

  • Aerial view of Château de Neuville (Gambais)

Escape to Germany

The Protestant part of the family was increasingly cornered in the context of the suppression of the Huguenots by the Catholic clergy and, from 1685, the king as well. After the death of Antoine Vallot and with the decree of the Edict of Fontainebleau in 1685 and the associated climax of the repression of Protestants in France, the Protestant part of the family left France in the 1680s to settle in Oppenheim .

Since Huguenots were among the most productive strata of society, they were readily accepted by the rulers of neighboring countries. In many places they were granted privileges and credits, and in the countries to which they immigrated, they often ensured a boom in the economy and especially in agriculture.

With the conversion of the original name Vallot into the German spelling Wallot, national assimilation was accomplished.

Wallot in Oppenheim

Like Huguenot families in other German cities, the Wallot family influenced the city of Oppenheim. The influence of the family - not least due to the prominence of Paul Wallot, who built the Reichstag building between 1884 and 1894 - can still be seen in Oppenheim today.

There is a Paul-Wallot-Platz in Oppenheim. The baptismal font in St. Catherine's Church in Oppenheim was designed by Paul Wallot and donated by his father in 1888. The family coat of arms of the Wallot family (Vallot) is also incorporated into the window of the Katharinenkirche. The family also ran a winery in Oppenheim, which still exists today under different management.

The family grave of the Wallot family is located in the Oppenheimer Friedhof. In the center of the family grave is a Doric aedicula in honor of Paul Wallot and his wife, which was designed by the Swiss architect Alfred Friedrich Bluntschli . On the aedicule there is a profile picture of Paul Wallot made of bronze.

Paul Wallot's birthplace at 7 Krämerstrasse still exists today and currently houses a restaurant with a Paul Wallot room. There is also a bronze plaque in honor of Wallot on the house. A special feature of the house are two house entrances, which are located directly next to each other and bear initials.

  • Baptismal font Katharinenkirche in Oppenheim

  • Coat of arms of the Wallot family in the window of the Katharinenkirche in Oppenheim

  • Former winery of the Wallot family in Oppenheim

  • Wallot family grave in Oppenheim

  • Paul Wallot's birthplace at 7 Krämerstrasse

coat of arms

Detail of an engraving by J. Grignon showing the family coat of arms ( full copper engraving )

The exact origin of the family coat of arms is not known. However, the coat of arms was already worn by Antoine Vallot and can therefore be traced back to the 17th century at the latest.
The shield is divided into the form “Tiercé en chevron”, which was a symbol of protection and preservation, martial bravery, durability and strength. The tincture of the coat of arms is blue and gold. The golden rafter is accompanied by two golden stars at the top. In addition, a bunch of three golden acorns, which are tied together with a golden ribbon. The helmet is made of silver and has seven bars. The crest consists of a golden between two blue ostrich feathers. In addition, the helmet is surrounded by blue and gold covers.

Name bearer of the family

literature

  • Natalie Hawkes: Beyond the Sun King's bedside. Antoine Vallot and the broader identity of the premier médecin du roi in Louis XIV's reign. PhD thesis, Newcastle University, 2014 ( PDF; 2.1 MB ).
  • Léon Moulé: Lettre d'Anoblissement pour Antoine Vallot, premier médecin du Roi. In: Bulletin de la Société française d'histoire de la médecine , 1912, number 11, pp. 193–197 ( online ; status survey by Louis XIV. In the original text)
  • Maximilian Rapsilber: The Reichstag building. Its building history and artistic design as well as an outline of the life of its builder Paul Wallot. Cosmos, Berlin 1895 ( online ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ s. French Wikipedia article Premier medecin du roi .
  2. ^ Natalie Hawkes: Beyond the Sun King's bedside: Antoine Vallot and the broader identity of the premier médecin du roi in Louis XIV's reign . Newcastle University, Newcastle 2014 (PDF file; 2.1 MB) .
  3. ^ Henri Gourdon de Genouillac: Dictionnaire des anoblissements . Paris 1869, p. 378 (Google Books link) .
  4. ^ Pol Poitier de Courcy: Nobiliaire et armorial de Bretagne. Nantes 1862, p. 468; (Google Books link) .
  5. ^ François-Alexandre Aubert de La Chenaye-Desbois : Dictionnaire généalogique, héraldique, chronologique et historique . Paris 1757, p. 614 (Google Books link) .
  6. ^ Maximilian Rapsilber: The Reichstag building . Berlin 1895, p. 7 (online) .
  7. ↑ Photo on the website of the Katharinenkirche (Oppenheim)
  8. ↑ Christian Thiel: The history of the house Louis Guntrum . In: Nierstein History Association. History Association Nierstein, April 2010, accessed October 30, 2015.
  9. ^ Restaurant Völker: THE PAUL WALLOT SALON . In: Website Restaurant Völker . Retrieved October 30, 2015.
  10. ↑ Since it is a French coat of arms, s. French Wikipedia article List de pièces héraldiques .