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1621 the growing Habsburg territories made Louis realize that Spanish <strong>and</strong> Austrian expansion<br />

were more threatening to France than the disloyalty <strong>of</strong> the members <strong>of</strong> the Reformed faith. From<br />

this point on, Louis worked against Habsburg interests during the first phase <strong>of</strong> the Thirty Years’<br />

War (1618-1630). 106 Although more than a decade would pass before France <strong>of</strong>ficially entered<br />

the war, the king demonstrated his disfavor with Austria <strong>and</strong> Spain by strengthening the <strong>state</strong>’s<br />

ties with the Protestant Dutch Republic, the Gray leagues in the Alps, <strong>and</strong> the Rhenish <strong>and</strong> Upper<br />

Palatinates in Germany. He also forged new coalitions with Savoy <strong>and</strong> Venice. At the same time<br />

he distanced France from the papacy by favoring Protestant control <strong>of</strong> the Val Tellina passes in<br />

northern Italy.<br />

As the “most Christian king” <strong>of</strong> the most Christian nation, Louis recognized the potential<br />

value <strong>of</strong> building churches to express his <strong>state</strong> goals. His royal patronage reinforced his<br />

commitment to the Catholic faith. While the French dévots <strong>and</strong> other Catholic <strong>state</strong>s might have<br />

doubted the king’s sincerity given his toleration <strong>of</strong> Protestantism, by helping to build churches in<br />

his capital city Louis XIII publicly <strong>state</strong>d his commitment to his religious beliefs. His support <strong>of</strong><br />

churches also buttressed the traditional role <strong>of</strong> Catholicism in the French kingdom, strengthening<br />

the close associations between the Gallican Church <strong>and</strong> the royal house. This became <strong>of</strong> utmost<br />

importance to Louis as first his mother <strong>and</strong> the dévots <strong>and</strong> later Habsburg Europe challenged his<br />

authority. Building churches in his capital allowed the king to emphasize the storied connection<br />

between Christianity <strong>and</strong> the crown, reminding would-be challengers <strong>of</strong> his sacerdotal status <strong>and</strong><br />

his divine right to complete authority within his realm.<br />

In the following chapters I will further explore the connection between the French<br />

monarchs <strong>and</strong> ecclesiastical architecture. The study <strong>of</strong> each church will investigate the<br />

building’s painting, sculpture, <strong>and</strong> architecture, demonstrating how each place <strong>of</strong> worship can be<br />

understood as a political <strong>state</strong>ment revealing the goals <strong>of</strong> its patron.<br />

39

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