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Moreover not all foundation stones for churches receiving royal support followed this
format. Two such examples from the 1620s are the church of the French Oratory and Notre-
Dame-du-Calvaire. The Oratorian foundation stone consisted of two silver plaques, each of
which was engraved with an inscription, while the one for the Filles du Calvaire simply had one
medal with an inscription. 20 When viewed in connection with the architectural similarities
between Notre-Dame-des-Victoires and Saint-Louis-des-Jésuites, I propose that the monks
copied the design and the idea of creating a print with the hope of securing funding for their
church from the king.
Until the partially constructed Notre-Dame-des-Victoires was consecrated in 1666,
services were held in the provisional chapel on the ground floor of one of the monastery’s wings.
A work of art recorded in this chapel and dating from 1632 demonstrates that the monks also
looked to Saint-Louis-des-Jésuites for inspiration concerning the correct manner in which to
create an appropriate setting for a church receiving royal aid. Although the painting no longer
exists, an inventory records that it first hung above the high altar of the provisional chapel before
being moved to the completed church. 21 Featuring the same figures shown on the medals for the
foundation stone, the painting depicted the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child, who carried a
palm in his hand, surrounded by angels holding palms, crowns of laurels, and flowers. The
Virgin offered one of these crowns to Louis XIII, who knelt before the celestial figures, dressed
in his royal vestments and with a laurel wreath on his head. A winged angel, placed next to the
king, offered a bare sword to the Virgin while St. Augustine, located on the opposite side of the
painting and clad in the Discalced Augustinian habit, leaned back to view Mary and Christ.
In addition to recalling details of the medals associated with the foundation stone, the
painting evoked a passage from the letters patent, which established the church as a royal
foundation. Stating the reasons for the monarchical support of the Discalced Augustinians, the
legal document read: “To mark forever the piety and devotion that we have for the glorious
Virgin Mary,” the king desires to found the church and convent, dedicating it “to Our Lady of
Victories in thanks of such glorious success that heaven has favorably left us by the intervention
of the Virgin.” 22 The painting, depicting Louis XIII kneeling before the Virgin Mary and
crowned with a laurel wreath, evoked the reason given in the letters patent for the royal support,
which referred to the belief that the Mother of God had interceded on behalf of the king on 28
October 1628, bringing the military battle at La Rochelle to a close.
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