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figure first occurred in the west on a small ivory plaque from a series known as the Magdeburg
Ivories (fig. 55). 122 Showing Otto I (962-973) presenting a model of his church at Magdeburg to
Christ, this work and subsequent examples following the same format would have been used as
political statements, emphasizing the particular needs of the sovereign. 123 The idea retained a
powerful meaning in seventeenth-century France, stressing the connection between church and
state.
As with the serliana at the church of the French Oratory, the portrait of Louis XIII as
donor functioned as a reminder of the sovereign’s presence. In addition, by placing the current
king and patron of the church in a painting that belonged to a series of images emphasizing the
hallowed status of St. Louis, the Jesuits acknowledged that Louis XIII benefitted from the same
divine right practiced by the holy monarch. The meaning is enhanced by the familial ties
connecting the two kings and their shared name, which also appeared in the dedication of the
church; in the painting it is visually strengthened by the similar royal vestments worn by each
monarch. The inclusion of the Jesuit fathers in the painting and the setting’s similarities with
Saint-Louis-des-Jésuites further affirms the Society’s acceptance of royal authority in France.
Together with the other three paintings in the series, Louis XIII offering the Model of the Church
to St. Louis provided the Jesuit fathers with one further means of using the interior to venerate
French kingship and dispel any suspicions that remained of the order’s motives.
Richelieu’s Façade
While the Jesuits focused on the interior of Saint-Louis-des-Jésuites, Cardinal Richelieu
concentrated on the exterior, donating in 1631 twelve thousand livres to help with construction
of the façade (fig. 56). 124 Two years later he gave an additional thirty-six thousand livres for the
same project, making his contributions surpass those given by Louis XIII. As construction of the
church drew to a close, Richelieu again provided assistance, financing in large part the high altar,
for which he also donated Simon Vouet’s Apotheosis of St. Louis. The cardinal’s support of the
church was highly visible: not only did he incorporate his family arms into the high altar and the
façade but he also included his name above the building’s central entrance. 125 To some
observers, Richelieu’s benevolence towards the church outshone that of the king, adding to the
perception that Louis XIII lacked an interest in the arts. 126 An examination of the façade and the
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