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Place de la Madeleine and Rue Royale
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Since several years when visiting Paris for work or tourism I stay in the area of the Madeleine church. I like this area; there are a lot of shops, small or large (like Le Printemps at the nearby Bvd. Haussmann), restaurants, brasseries, several metro stations, some monuments (Opéra Garnier) and at night the place is rather quiet and safe. It is not a cheap area but it is certainly less expensive than the nearby Place Vendôme. In a side street I found a hotel which is much less chick than the Ritz but also much, much less expensive.
This being said, each time I see La Madeleine I think this is the most unusual church I know in France, a pastiche of antiquity.
Under the "Ancien Régime" a project of a church existed based on the usual Latin cross plan. This was halted at the Revolution and modified by Napoleon into a Greek temple to the glory of his victorious army. The architect was Pierre-Alexandre Vignon. After the disastrous campaign of Russia the Emperor changed mind and came back to a church.
Then came king Louis XVIII but it was only after a number of twist and turns that the present church was ended by King Louis Philippe in 1842.
The church of La Madeleine is a perfect illustration of neo-classical architecture. On a monumental base with 28 stairs there are 52 columns, of 20 m height, in Corinthian style. In the wall between the columns are 52 statues of saints by various sculptors.
The carved pediment of Henri Lemaire shows the Last Judgment, Christ appears surrounded by two angels. Marie-Madeleine is on the right kneeling to intercede for the damned, she thus expresses the repentance.
The bronze doors made by Triqueti are exceptional by their dimensions which make them larger than the bronze door of St. Peters in Rome.
The church is especially nice to look at when the stairs of the southern entrance at rue Royale are decorated with flowers. From the stairs there is a nice view on the obelisk of the Place de la Concorde only 500 m distant with in the back another Neo-Classical façade of the Assemblée Nationale -Palais Bourbon. Directions: Metro #12 stop Madeleine.
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 La Madeleine - The Nave. by breughel
The interior design of the Madeleine is of a remarkable homogeneity. This rare aesthetic unit for a church is due to the fact that the interior achievement was done in a short time. With its single nave the church has similarities with ancient basilicas. The cupolas with the weak lighting remember the Pantheon in Rome.
The columns of the nave are in Corinthian style like those outside.
Marble from various origins is the essential material for the decoration. The white marble from Carrare contrasts with the red marbles from Belgium. Gildings underline the ornaments.
The sculptures are due to famous artists of the first half of the 19th c.
They were directly carved in white stone or Carrara marble. No stuccos here.
If your nocturnal vision is superior to normal you will certainly appreciate the most remarkable decoration of this church.
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When he died in December 1791 at age 35, the composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was still working on his last composition, his Requiem Mass in D Minor (K. 626).
The Requiem had been commissioned by a mysterious messenger with wads of money who wouldn't say who he was working for. This has led to countless speculative stories over the years, including highly fictionalized accounts in Milos Forman's 1982 film Amadeus and in the opera Mozart and Salieri by Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908), which was staged at the Frankfurt Opera in 2007.
Because of all the mystery surrounding Mozart's Requiem, I took the opportunity to hear it performed in a mysterious venue, La Madeleine, which is a large Catholic church disguised as a Greek temple.
Second photo: Waiting for the concert. As the white house lights are dimmed, the place starts to look more and more mysterious. It's easy to imagine a black-cloaked messenger lurking in the shadows somewhere.
Third photo: The Amadeus Choir and the Jean-Louis Petit Orchestra performing Mozart's Requiem under the direction of Luc Baghdassarian, who has won first prizes in several "Young Conductors" and "International Conductors" competitions in Switzerland, Rumania and Austria.
Fourth photo: Looking up at the artwork on the domes during the concert. Leave a Comment
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Beauty and originality were combined by Charles Marochetti who carved in white marble over a period of twelve years the altar piece called "Ravissement de Sainte Marie-Madeleine" (the ecstasy of holy Marie-Madeleine). According to tradition angels were supporting her body when she would leave the ground in ecstasy. According to the same tradition she ended her life in the Provence.
In the choir are also the reliquaries of Marie-Madeleine and Saint Vincent de Paul due to famous goldsmith Froment-Meurice.
Although this church is located in a commercial area, worship for Marie-Madeleine seems to be vivid from the number of lit candles to be seen left of the nave near the entrance. Directions: Metro #12 stop Madeleine.
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The church "Sainte Marie-Madeleine" was commissioned in 1806 to architect Barthelemy Vignon by Napoleon to celebrate his "Grande Armee"'s (and his own) glory.
The building reemployed the remnant structures of some former unfinished attempts (in 1764 by Contant d'Ivry, later by Couture (those were interrupted between 1790 and 1806)).
The church's style is inspired from classical greek temples and supported by 20 meters high corynthian pillars.
The internal decoration is very rich in terms either of sculptures or of paintings; and, if you have a close look at some frescos, you may notice Napoleon featured among christian saints (the guy wasn't exactly modest).
Open every day from 7:30am to 7pm
The quietest time to visit is around noon when most tourists have lunch.
Right from the church, from tuesday to sunday, is a small flower market.
And on the same side, downstairs, you have the most elegant public toilets of Paris - Art nouveau style (it will cost you 0.40€). Leave a Comment Directions: Metro #12 or #14 - station Madeleine.
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Dedicated to St Mary Magdalene, La Madeleine has an impressive Greek temple-like facade.
The construction of the church passed through different stages, not without problems, until 1806 when Napoleon entrusted Vignon to transform it into a "Temple of Glory" for the Great Army.
In 1842 the church was finally consecrated.
The exterior is dominated by the tall 52 Corinthian columns and the imposing steps.
The interior is on a single nave with a vestibule and an apsed chancel.
From the entrance a beautiful view of rue Royale to Place de la Concorde with its obelisk from Luxor can be admired. Directions: M: Madeleine (lines 8, 12 and 14)
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La Madeleine has an interesting history - its cornerstone was laid out in 1763, not long before the French Revolution. Although its foundations had been completed, the Revolution put a stop to the construction of the church. In 1806, Napoleon came up with the idea to transform it into a temple dedicated to the French armies, which would be called "Le Temple de la Gloire" (Temple of Glory). Construction of this temple began the following year, but the idea was abandoned before its completion. After coming close to becoming a train station, the building was finally completed in 1845 and became the Sainte-Marie-Madeleine church.
I don't know if it's because it is so different from the other churches in Paris, but I immediately fell in love with La Madeleine. Not only is its architecture awe-inspiring, but the many sculptures and paintings inside the church make it one of the most beautiful religious buildings in the city. But most of all I think I especially liked the church's pediment which features Jesus-Christ surrounded by virtue on the left and vice on the right. Marie-Madeleine is on the right, imploring Christ on her knees.
And again, on a completely different note, the underground restrooms that are located near the church are the nicest ones I've come across during my stay in Paris :o) Leave a Comment
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 La Madeleine - Organ by breughel
It is not surprising that French composers Lefébure-Wély, Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré were organists at the Madeleine. The funerals of Frédéric Chopin, Saint-Saëns, and Fauré were held there.
In the seventies both the key and stop action of the organ has been electrified and the number of stops extended from the initial 46 to 58.
This organ was used for several recordings mainly by the present organist François-Henri Houbart with works of Vierne, Franck and Poulenc. Directions: Metro #12 stop Madeleine.
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 The church of La Madelaine by IIGUANA
One unsual tip: outside, to the right of the entrance of the church, on the street, you'll probably find the most luxurious public bathrooms all over the world. They were built in 1905 and they're entirely inspired by Art Noveau, with ceramic walls and wooden doors with stained glass. Leave a Comment Directions: Metro #12 stop Madeleine.
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 Madeleine by Jeca011Leave a Comment Directions: Metro #12 stop Madeleine.
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