THE STYLE OF LOUIS XIV. 



345 



are timber, close to one another, and spring from the same level. The 



dome suffers both internally and externally from the lack of something 



to lead up to it. The church is, however, detailed with good taste, and 



the orders, the carving, and the coffering of the dome are all excellent. 

 CHURCH OF COLLEGE MAZARIN. In the church of the College 



des Quatre Nations (Fig. 331), built by Le Vau for Mazarin (i 660-8), 



which, likewise, is rectangular with a dome, the relation between the 



whole church and the dome-space is again a different one. The latter, 



which is elliptical, forms the nave, and 



is preceded only by a projecting narthex. 



It opens on either side into an aisle, 



and behind into a square choir which 



contains the cardinal's tomb under a 



circular stone dome and is flanked by 



chapels. It is, therefore, a very imper- 

 fect example of the radiating, or Greek 



cross, plan having no diagonal vistas 



and lacking one arm. The main dome 



stands on a drum ingeniously planned 



so as to be elliptical internally and 



almost circular externally. As at the 



Assomption, both domes are timber and 



spring from the same level. 



THEATINE CHURCH. The Theatine 

 church, St Anne-la-Royale (begun 1662, 

 and now destroyed), by Camillo Guarini 

 (1624-83), an Italian father of the order, 

 had a true Greek cross plan, but was in 

 no sense an example of French archi- 

 tecture, containing as it did every vagary 

 of the most debased type of Italian 

 barocco, and being designed on a very 

 ambitious scale was left unfinished. The 

 arms consisted of irregular octagons with 



the longer sides convex, the four piers carrying the dome being set 

 anglewise. The dome, which was never executed, was to have exhibited 

 a pleasing feature in an internal arcaded gallery round the drum. 



SECOND INVALIDES CHURCH : Plan and Section. It was reserved 

 for J. H. Mansart to give complete expression to the radiate type, and 

 it is his crowning achievement to have done so on a really monumental 

 scale, and in such a manner that, while the dome is the determining 

 and dominating factor, it does not overwhelm the rest of the edifice. 

 It being felt that the Invalides lacked a feature of conspicuous interest 

 such as that supplied to the convent of the Val-de-Grace or to the college 



331. CHURCH OF THE COL- 

 LEGE DES QUATRE NATIONS 

 ("INSTITUT"), BY LE VAU 

 (1660-8). PLAN. FROM 

 BLONDEL. 



