François Derand
François Derand (Vic-sur-Seille, c. 1590 – Agde, 1644) was a French Jesuit architect.
Life
After studying for the noviciate in Rouen then at the Jesuit college in La Flèche (where he taught maths for two years), he was ordained a priest in 1621 and entered the Society of Jesus. Initially he lived in Rouen then Rennes, where he was consulted on the work to rebuild the Cathédrale Sainte-Croix d'Orléans. In 1629, he moved to complete the Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, begun by Étienne Martellange. He also took part in several other works - the altarpiece of Laval and the high altar of the Jesuit church at La Flèche. In 1643 he published 'L’architecture des voûtes', a treatise on stereotomy that is considered his masterwork. He was summoned to Agde the same year and died there in 1644. He was buried in the Jesuit college at Béziers.
Sources
- (French) Biography on Architectura
- (French) Coupole de Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis on insecula