florida state university college of visual arts, theatre and dance ...

and in 1614 was given the right to put his arms over the high-altar and the main entrance and to
possess a chapel behind the choir. 15
Although Maria de’ Medici never received the official designation of patron, her support
of the Minims of the Place Royale was so well known that authors of seventeenth- and
eighteenth-century guide books frequently cite her as the founder. 16 The strong association
between the queen and the order suggests that some type of visual sign recognizing the royal
patronage would be expected on the church, yet none of the contemporary images or descriptions
provide evidence for this. Indeed the only reference to Maria de’ Medici’s support of the church
on the site was a Latin inscription on the foundation stone, which read: “Maria de’ Medici, very
pious and serene queen of France, once wife of Henri IV and now widow, and mother of Louis
XIII, also king of France, placed the first stone of this church, which is dedicated in honor of the
Virgin Mother of God, the day of her birth, 8 September of the year 1611, with all the sentiments
of Christian piety and wishes of all bliss.” 17
The first half of the inscription focuses on Maria de’ Medici, accentuating her
distinguished position as the queen of France, widow of Henri IV, and mother of the current
king. The emphasis placed upon her official titles draws attention to one of the primary
obstacles faced by Maria de’ Medici in the years following the death of her husband: her right to
rule as regent for the minor Louis XIII. Although Henri IV officially legitimized her authority
by naming her regent and crowning her at Saint-Denis, the queen had to fight contemporary
perceptions that deemed unacceptable the idea of women dealing in matters of state. 18 The
opinions were heightened in the kingdom of France where Salic law prevented the royal line
from passing through female descendents. The queen’s situation was further complicated by the
fact that she was foreign-born. This foreign status conjured up too many parallels with Catherine
de’ Medici, whose regency following the sudden death of her husband coincided with the
disastrous Wars of Religion. 19 A final threat to Maria de’ Medici’s authority came from the
princes of the blood, who claimed that as the king’s closest male heirs their right to rule as regent
trumped that of the queen. 20 In part to assert her legitimacy in the face of such challenges, Maria
turned to the public ceremony of placing the first stone, using the inscription to stress her
sovereign claims based on her status as queen, widow, and mother.
The validation provided by the inscription contributed to the ongoing history between the
crown and the religious order. By continuing to favor an order first supported by French royalty
127