THE STYLE OF LOUIS XIV. 



341 



326. CHURCH OF THE 

 SORFONNE : PLAN. 

 FROM LEGRAND. 



At the former (Fig. 326), built by Le Mercier 

 (1635-53), the problem was complicated by the 

 fact that the church formed part of a group of 

 college buildings, and the dome had to be in the 

 axis of the side as well as of the front elevation ; 

 this explains the equal length of the eastern and 

 western arms, which each consists of one narrow 

 and t\vo wide bays. The design with all its 

 merits fails to overcome completely two of the 

 chief difficulties involved. First, the wide dome 

 is very imperfectly combined with the conventual 

 plan. The dome being only slightly wider than 

 the nave, it was not possible to pierce the aisle 

 through into the dome-space, so that the church 

 appears to contract rather than widen out at this 

 point, and there is no variety of vista ; the nave 

 is too short and the choir too long to admit of 



the advantages of the Latin cross plan where the dome space virtually 

 terminates the long vista ; nor are the advantages of the radiate plan 

 present, where all the arms are equal and subsidiary to the dome space. 

 Secondly, the problem of relating the internal and external treatment is 

 very unsatisfactorily grappled with (Fig. 327). The timber dome springs 

 almost at the level of the crown 

 of the stone dome, and the inner 

 openings of the windows in the drum 

 correspond so little with the outer ones 

 as to constitute an absolute deception, 

 while the internal and external orders 

 both in the drum and in the body 

 of the church have rxo connection 

 with each other. It may further be 

 objected that the adoption of the 

 Mansard roof is not very happy for a 

 church. In spite of all this, how- 

 ever, the church possesses an austere 

 dignity and much beauty. The west 

 front (Fig. 324) with its vigorously 

 drawn volutes is one of the best of 

 the Vignolan type. The north tran- 

 sept front, which terminates in a 

 horizontal balustrade, and has a large 

 semicircular light in the upper storey ' ~- t ' rtW 



and a hexastyle pedimented portico ^ CHU RCH OF THE SORBONNE : 

 in the lower, is both appropriate and CROSS SECTION. FROM BLONDEL, 



