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Church of Val-de-Grâce

The church of Notre-Dame du Val-de-Grâce, in the 5th arrondissement, is the religious part of the former royal abbey of the same name. Anne of Austria and the young Louis XIV laid the foundation stone on 1 April 1645, as thanksgiving for the birth of the king. The initial plans are by François Mansart, and the works were continued by Jacques Lemercier, Pierre Le Muet and Gabriel Le Duc. It is an example of French classicist Baroque, with a Latin-cross plan, a dome and a two-storey facade with paired columns and a triangular pediment. Inside, the great baldachin of marble columns stands out, inspired by St Peter's in Rome, with a Nativity group by Michel Anguier. The dome was decorated with a fresco by Pierre Mignard. It also keeps a Cavaillé-Coll organ from 1853, moved here in 1891. Today access is through the museum of the Armed Forces Medical Service, housed in the former cloister.

Things to do at Church of Val-de-Grâce: 4 missions

• Examine the baldachin over the altarLook at Gabriel Le Duc's baldachin, with its marble columns and its inspiration from St Peter's in Rome, and find beneath it the Nativity sculpted by Michel Anguier.
• Compare the facade with a palace'sFrom the street, look at the two-storey facade with paired columns and a triangular pediment; sources note that it recalls the entrance of a castle more than a church.
• Gaze at Mignard's fresco in the domeStand beneath the dome and look at Pierre Mignard's fresco, "La Gloire des Bienheureux", which depicts the glory of the blessed.
• Find the Cavaillé-Coll organLook for the organ built by Cavaillé-Coll in 1853 and moved to the church in 1891, one of the few Parisian testimonies to this organ builder.

Near Church of Val-de-Grâce

Source: Sortir à Paris - Iglesia Notre-Dame du Val-de-Grâce