13 Facts About Achille-Antoine Hermitte

Achille-Antoine Hermitte's life is not well-documented and there is uncertainty about the date and place of his death.

Achille-Antoine Hermitte's only surviving building is the small Chapel of the Tomb of St Francis Xavier on St John's Island, southwest of Canton.

Achille Antoine Hermitte was born in Paris on June 24,1840 to Pierre Antoine Hermitte, typographer, and Marie Elise Grimon.

Achille-Antoine Hermitte attended the Ecole Royale d'Architecture de Paris, part of the Academie des Beaux-Arts, a school that was not known for developing original architects.

Achille-Antoine Hermitte graduated in 1860 as a student in the second class.

Achille-Antoine Hermitte was involved in construction of the Roman Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Canton, China, but his role is unclear.

Achille-Antoine Hermitte seems to have been based in Hong Kong while he did work for the bishop and others.

In 1865 Achille-Antoine Hermitte entered the competition for the design of the Hong Kong City Hall.

Around the end of 1865 Achille-Antoine Hermitte won the competition, in which the selection process was far from transparent.

Achille-Antoine Hermitte's priority was to design a new Governor's Mansion since the existing wooden building was in disrepair.

Work on the huge Saigon Governor's Palace began in earnest when Achille-Antoine Hermitte brought in skilled workmen from Canton and Hong Kong.

In 1869 Achille-Antoine Hermitte was listed as the architect of the colony, head of the civil buildings service, on leave.

An 1872 account of the Hotel du Gouvernment in Saigon states that Hermitte died in Saigon in 1870 and was succeeded by M Codry.