«C’est là où il faut étudier Palladio»: la basilica.Note dall’inedito diario dell’architetto pensionnaire Hubert Rohault de Fleury nel 1804

In the past four decades the phenomenon of the «Palladianism in France» has attracted more and more scholarly attention. The expression is usually invoked in reference to the increasing interest in Palladio, showed by French architects after the 1750s. But although such an interest is largely recognized by historians, an understanding of the Palladianism between Revolution and Restoration remains elusive. Rarely do historical sources offer a clear and precise explanation of reasons that pushed French architects to study Palladio at the beginning of the XIX century. For this aim, influential studies use to derive architects’ approach to Palladio from biographies, which the erudite Quatremère de Quincy devoted to this architect of the XVI century, even though he published them not before 1825. The dense and unpublished journal, written by the young architect pensionnaire Hubert Rohault de Fleury during his stay at Vicence in 1804, – more than any other document (known till nowadays) – appears as an useful prism through which to re-examine important aspects of French Palladianism. Following these pages, we wonder whether there were different expectations and modalities of looking at Palladio’s architectures in the 1750s, in the 1800s and at the time of Quatremère’s publications. Besides and more specifically, by noting the Rohault’s great (atypical) enthusiasm for the Basilica built by Palladio in Vicence, we question which factors helped Hubert shape the direction of his interest. This puzzle is at the center of our investigation. But though Vicence is a geographical location which conditions the present inquiry, this town did not mark the outer limit of Rohault’s interest in Renaissance. In his journal, Hubert offered graphical evidence of it. That is why our account is closed by three drawings related to his stay in Tuscany.