could afterwards see for himself with his own eyes. The architect has not taken into account the architectural elements of the interior, that is to say surfaces which are linked together in order to receive light and make manifest the content of the building. He has not thought in terms of space, but has made stars on paper and drawn axes to form these stars. He has dealt with intentions which do not belong to the language of architecture. He has transgressed the rules of proper planning by an error of conception or an inclination towards vanities.
St. Peter's at Rome: Michael Angelo constructed the enormous dome surpassing everything that had been seen till then; immediately on entering you were under the immense cupola. But the Popes have added three bays in front and a great vestibule. The whole idea is destroyed. Nowadays it is necessary to traverse a tunnel more than 300 feet long before arriving at the dome; two equivalent masses are in conflict; the effect of the architecture is lost (and with its decoration, conceitedly coarse, the fundamental fault is enormously increased and St. Peter's remains an enigma for the architect). Santa Sophia at Constantinople is a triumph with its superficial area of about 7,500 square yards, whereas St. Peter's covers an area of more than 16,000.
Versailles: Louis XIV is no longer merely the successor of Louis XIII. He is the Roi-Soleil. Immense vanity! At the foot of the throne, his architects brought to him plans drawn from a bird's-eye view which seem like a chart of stars; immense axes, formed like stars. The Roi-Soleil swells with pride; and gigantic works are carried out. But a man has
