Historical Dictionary of Baroque Art and Architecture by Lilian H. Zirpolo

Author:Lilian H. Zirpolo
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: undefined
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Published: 2012-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

LES INVALIDES, PARIS (1677–1691)

In 1676, Louis XIV of France commissioned Jules Hardouin-Mansart to build a double church at the Hospital of Les Invalides (Veteran’s hospital) to function as the Église Royal (Royal Church), used by the king, and the Église des Soldats (Church of the Soldiers), for the patients in the hospital and their families, the two connected by an opening at the altar. It is believed that Louis wanted to use the Église Royal as his final resting place. However, in the end, he was buried at Saint-Denis. Instead, the church now functions as the mausoleum of Napoleon I and other national heroes. The church features a Greek cross plan with circular chapels added at the corners. It is capped by a massive dome that rests on a tall drum. On the façade, Mansart utilized the architectural orders correctly, with the Doric below and the Corinthian above. The rhythm increases as the articulations reach the main doorway, with the central bay capped by an imposing pediment. In the interior, Corinthian columns support a continuous entablature; between them are the entrances to the chapels. The dome is cut to reveal an overshell lit by windows concealed in the upper part of the drum. The high altar is marked by a baldachin based on Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Baldacchino in St. Peter’s Basilica. In 1691–1706, Charles de la Fosse decorated the overshell of the dome and pendentives with St. Louis Presenting to Christ the Sword He Used to Vanquish the Enemies of the Church and the four Evangelists, respectively. Jean Jouvenet painted the 12 Apostles along the lower portion of the dome. The work represents the greatest expression of Baroque religious architecture and decoration in France.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.