Claude Martin’s Takeover
The landscape of the city of Oudh was one filled with culture, splendour, and artistry. It was all domes, arches, and jaali work until a stranger to the land and an amateur architect decided to upheaval the architectural scenery of the city. La Martiniere College or the Constantia building was the palatial residence of French Major General Claude Martin and has now been turned into one of the biggest educational institutions of Lucknow.
Understanding The Dual Legacy
The building was erected in the late 18th century, the reigning era of Nawabs in this city. For years, the Nawabs of Awadh had done everything in their power to build up the cultural heritage it is now so famous for. Amid this political standing when Constantia showed up, it was seen as a whimsical silhouette of curiosity and a mockery of the long-standing Mughal architecture that gave the city its panache. Lucknow might be known for its Mughal and Indo-Islamic architectural rise but it has also been celebrated for years owing to its unquestionable Awadhi architecture. The Mughal Colonisation of the city had a distinct impact on it architecturally but it truly found its identity during the rule of Nawab-Asaf-Ud-Daula.In a period like this, Claude Martin brought to the city a direct contradiction of everything the Nawabs created. Spread over 200 acres, Constantia may have been alien to the setting it was built in, but over the years the influence of the European( mostly French and Italian) and Persian architecture it brought with it has been seen influencing multiple buildings after it.
Lyon and Lucknow were not two places people used to put in the same sentence until Major Claude Martin introduced them. The gothic arches, spires, and turrets were made to work with neoclassical elements of pediments, and pilasters, with an unexpected blend of Indo-Islamic and Mughal chattris, arches, and minarets. This can be taken as a correlation of the cultural syncretism that was overtaking Lucknow (then Awadh) at the period. This building along with the ones that came with it instigated an English reinvention of the Mughal architecture. The artisans tried their best to create what they saw and hence this emerged as one of the myriad cases that later led to the decline of the Indo-Islamic and Mughal Architecture in the city.
2024’s Lucknow
If the building is seen in the city’s current skyline, it strikes as nothing but a masterpiece. The Gomti riverfront looks embellished by the contours of Constantia reflected in its flowing waters. With a row of stairs leading to the highly placed edifice of the building decorated with an array of statues and enormous lions lining the facade, it stands true to the eclectic vision of its creator, Claude Martin.
Famous for its grandeur, the building is listed as one of the city’s many monuments by locals and tourists alike. The structure in conversation comprises a plethora of rooms and spaces that dictate its story as a residence of a major general and an educational institution. Currently, the building houses a chapel covered in remarkable yellow and blue walls and a ceiling embossed with frescoes and paintings that sign toward Renaissance influence. It also features multiple stained glass windows straight from the European neoclassical era. From the crypt of Claude Martin to the tehkhana each room of this building is a remembrance of the historical significance of La Martniere College in Lucknow.
An Amalgamation of All
As estranged as the building might have seemed, Claude Martin tried to incorporate as much of Indo-Islamic Architecture and Mughal influence into the building as he could, even if it left the structure to look ostentatious. From the numerous motifs included all over the building to the central courtyard there is a direct signal to where the roots of the building truly belong. La Martniere’s plan follows strict symmetry which is a predominant feature of all Indo-Islamic buildings. The structure is keenly constructed with the Mughlai ideas of chhatris, arches for doorways, floral ornamentation, and domes. It cannot be denied that the City of Nawabs did have a major impact on Major General Claude Martin.
The True Essence of Constantia
Major General Claude Martin was an adventurer, a soldier, and an architecture enthusiast who created a building out of his love for the city that gave him everything and a remembrance of the town where he came from. It is a definition of how one’s naivety and passion can fabricate pieces that are talked about years later to its creation. The city of Lucknow with its bustling markets, its people, its old city charm in Chowk, and its urbanisation has a perfect balance of everything and Constantia truly made its place in it over the years. Giving the Gomti riverfront an entirely new perspective of what architecture could be, it led to a new era of architectural style for Lucknow. Constantia is a reminder to the people of their rich history, the intrusion of the English, the adeptness of their novelty, and over the years learning to be their own version which incorporates a little of all of it. Constantia is an ode to creativity, imagination, and innovation.
REFERENCES:
- Editor, T. (2019) Lucknow style of architecture a meeting place of East and West, Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/39122242/LUCKNOW_STYLE_OF_ARCHITECTURE_A_MEETING_PLACE_OF_EAST_AND_WEST (Accessed: 22 June 2024).
- Sinha, A. (2017) The gomti riverfront in Lucknow, India: Revitalization of a cultural heritage landscape, Journal of Urban Design. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/33773755/The_Gomti_Riverfront_in_Lucknow_India_Revitalization_of_a_Cultural_Heritage_Landscape (Accessed: 22 June 2024).
