Mansion

A mansion is a large and stately dwelling house. The word itself derives (through Old French) from the Latin word mansus the past participle of manere "to dwell". The English word "manse" originally defined a property large enough for the parish priest to maintain himself, but a mansion is no longer self-sustaining in this way (compare a Roman or medieval villa). 'Manor' comes from the same root— territorial holdings granted to a lord who would remain there— hence it is easy to see how the word 'Mansion' came to have its meaning.

History

The very first 'mansions', as we understand the term, were probably the villas built for the ruling class of the Roman Empire. Within a Roman city, patrician dwellings might be very extensive, but they rarely identified their grandeur to the street, beyond the public amenity of a sheltered portico. Nero's Domus Aurea on the Palatine Hill, Rome was organized as a series of glittering pavilions in gardens rather than a mansion.

Related Topics:
Villa - Roman Empire - Portico - Domus Aurea - Palatine - Rome

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Following the fall of Rome the practice of building unfortified villas ceased. Today, the oldest inhabited mansions around the world usually began their existence as fortified castles in the middle ages. As social conditions slowly changed and stabilised fortifications were able to be reduced, and over the centuries gave way to comfort. It became fashionable for one's castle to be beautiful rather than grim and forbidding. Hence the modern mansion began to evolve.

Related Topics:
Castle - Middle ages - Fortification

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It was not to be until the 16th century that mansions really began to be often built in a completely new style. This was the era of Renaissance architecture, when large houses began to be erected without even a hint of fortification. Hatfield House is a superb example of a house built during the transition period in England. In Italy classic villas such as Villa Farnese and Villa Giulia were typical, but individually diverse forms, of the new style of mansion.

Related Topics:
16th century - Renaissance architecture - Hatfield House - Italy - Villa - Villa Farnese - Villa Giulia

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The reason for building and owning these often vast edifices, long after their original fortified use was negated, was often to provide the owner with an obvious status symbol. Until World War II it was not unusual for a moderately sized mansion in England such as Cliveden to have an indoor staff of 20 and an outside staff of the same size, while, in a ducal mansion such as Chatsworth House the numbers were far higher. In the great houses of Italy, the number of retainers employed to staff them was often even greater than in England, whole families plus extended relations would often inhabit warrens of rooms in basements and attics. It is doubtful that a 19th century Marchesa would even know the exact numbers who served her. Most European mansions also were the hub of vast estates. A true estate always contains at least one complete village and its church. Large estates such as that of Woburn Abbey have several villages attached.

Related Topics:
Status symbol - World War II - England - Cliveden - Ducal - Chatsworth House - Marchesa - Estate - Village - Church - Woburn Abbey

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