Church of Saint Philippe du Roule: Raking view of facade with recessed Doric portico

In 1764, through his association with the Comte de Saint-Florentin, Chalgrin procured the commission for his most significant work, the church of St Philippe-du-Roule in Paris. Construction began in 1772 and continued until 1784, although the design underwent considerable alteration during the building process and twice again during the 19th century [by Godde, 1845 and Baltard, 1860]. The importance of Chalgrin's scheme, lay in its use of a basilican plan, which established a new way of adapting the Classical architectural vocabulary to the requirements of the Christian church. The fa\u00E7ade has a plain, recessed Doric portico with pediment, while the nave is articulated by free-standing Ionic columns carrying a straight entablature. The design of St Philippe-du-Roule helped make the basilican plan a pervasive model for church architecture well into the 19th century.