Queen Anne of Austria commissioned the church as part of a royal abbey, partly to celebrate the birth of Louis XIV. The first stone was laid in 1645. François Mansart was first architect but left after about a year over scope and cost. Jacques Lemercier and Pierre Le Muet succeeded him, and Gabriel Le Duc completed the church and designed the baldachin. The article gives completion as 1665 in the text and 1667 in the infobox.
The style is Baroque, with a Latin cross plan and a dome that draws on St. Peter's Basilica and the Gesù. The dome is about 131 feet (40 m) high. Pierre Mignard painted the dome fresco, and the baldachin's six twisted columns are black marble with gilded angels.
The abbey became a military hospital in the Revolution. The church is a monument historique and is open to visitors.
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