Val-de-Grâce

The Val-de-Grâce is recognizable by a massive stone dome that rises above the skyline of the fifth arrondissement. This church and former abbey were commissioned by Queen Anne of Austria in sixteen forty-five as a votive offering after the birth of her son, the future King Louis XIV. For over two decades, the Queen had remained childless, and she pledged to construct the building to express her gratitude if she finally produced an heir. The young Louis XIV laid the cornerstone for the project when he was seven years old.