Carlos Mardel

Carlos Mardel (born Martell Károly; Pozsony; c. 1695 – Lisbon; 8 September 1763) was a Hungarian-Portuguese military officer, engineer, and architect. Mardel is primarily remembered for his role in the reconstruction effort after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Career Carlos Mardel was born Martell Károly, in Pozsony (now Bratislava), then in the Kingdom of Hungary, around 1695. He served in the militaries of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Kingdom of Great Britain.

Mardel first came to Portugal in 1733, as a sergeant-major of engineering for a Portuguese infantry. By 1735, Mardel had become the managing architect of the Águas Livres Aqueduct. In this project, he personally designed and oversaw the construction of the Amoreiras Monumental Arch and the Mãe d'Água Water Reserve.

It is known that Mardel was a part of the Portuguese Freemason lodge Casa Real dos Pedreiros Livres da Lusitânia, which operated between 1733 and 1738. The palace, known as the Palace of the Marquis of Pombal, is considered one of his magna opera. His major addition was adding a court theatre. By 1762, Mardel had reached the rank of colonel in the Portuguese army.

Works Note: Italicized works were incomplete when Mardel ceased management of them. Águas Livre Water System; 1735–1745 Águas Livres Aqueduct; 1735–1744 Amoreiras Monumental Arch; 1740–1744 Arco do Carvalhão; 1742–1745 Mãe d'Água Water Reserve; 1745–1763 Chafariz da Esperança; 1752–1763 Chafariz do Rato; 1753–1754 Estaus Palace; 1755–? Palace of the Marquis of Pombal; 1759–1763 Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova (gate and cloister); 1761