Michael Audain
| Michael James Audain | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
July 31, 1937 Bournemouth, Dorset, England |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | University of British Columbia |
| Occupation | Home Builder |
| Known for | Chairman of Polygon Homes Ltd. and Arts Philanthropy |
| Spouse(s) | Yoshiko Karasawa |
| Children |
2 Fenya Audain and Kyra Audain |
| Parent(s) | James Guy Payne Audain and Madeline Marie Stulik |
2
Michael James Audain (born July 31, 1937) is a fifth-generation British Columbian, home builder, arts philanthropist and art collector. He is the chairman and major shareholder of the privately held Polygon Homes Ltd., one of the largest multi-family builders in British Columbia. Audain was born to James Guy Payne Audain and Madeline Marie Stulik in Bournemouth, England. The couple were living near Yeovil in Somerset. His father was a retired British Army officer, while his mother had a career as a London dress model.
The Audain family originated in France where their name was originally spelt Audoen. The founder of the family was St. Audoen, King of the Lombards, who in the 6th century A.D. was celebrated for his indomitable energy and fortitude in leading his people against the Roman Emperor Justinian. The descendants of the Audoen settled in Normandy where St. Audoen had a handsome abbey church dedicated to him in Rouen, which was regarded as one of the finest testaments of Gothic architecture, in which was deposited the heart of Richard Coeur de Lion and the remains of most of the early rulers of Normandy.
St. Audoen's Church in Dublin, Ireland was built by Anglo-Norman settlers around the close of the 12th century to honour the patron saint of Rouen. But, the family remained active as land owners of consequence in Normandy until the Edict of Nantes was revoked by King Louis XIV in 1688, which obliged the "Huguenots" as French Protestants were called to flee. They emigrated to the island of St. Kitts, West Indies in the Caribbean Sea, where they established sugar plantations.
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