La Madeleine Church, a monument dedicated to Napoleon’s Great Army
La Madeleine Church is a perfect illustration of neoclassical architecture.
However, this magnificent building, which faces the prestigious Rue Royale, resembles a monument more than a traditional church.
Its construction began in the 1760s and lasted 85 years, delayed by the French Revolution and the ensuing political upheaval.
In 1806, Napoleon re-imagined the building, modifying the original plan to create a majestic temple dedicated to the glory of his Grande Armée. Unfortunately, his “temple” was still unfinished when he abdicated in 1814.
King Louis XVIII completed the construction in 1842, converting the building back into a church while retaining Napoleon’s original design. As a result, the Madeleine Church lacks a bell tower and a cross.
La Madeleine Church, a Greek Temple
La Madeleine Church is thus shaped like a Greek temple and is a replica of the Maison Carrée in Nîmes, though with several distinctive features.
Fifty-two Corinthian columns frame the building, while the main facade’s pediment is adorned with a spectacular depiction of the Last Judgement, by the sculptor Lemaire.
An impressive flight of steps leads to the monumental entrance portico; the gigantic Cross that tops it was added at a later date.
Two massive bronze doors, adorned with low-reliefs depicting the Ten Commandments, provide access to the church.
The interior lacks a transept and ambulatory, while the nave is crowned by three magnificent domes supported by more Corinthian columns. It boasts a rich collection of sculptures by Pradier, Rude, Etex, Duret, and Bosio, the greatest artists of the era, who contributed to the decoration of the triumphal arches commissioned by Napoleon I, the Arc de Triomphe and Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel.
An impressive sculptural group by Marochetti, depicting Saint Mary Magdalene ascending to Heaven, adorns the high altar.
Finally, Jules-Claude Ziegler painted the fresco The History of Christianity on the semi-dome above the altar, and used Emperor Napoleon as a model for one of his main figures!
La Madeleine Church, although anachronistic, blends perfectly with the surrounding architecture of the neighbourhood and, in a way, even enhances it.
La Madeleine Church is one of the 25 Paris churches I have selected for you, lesser-known, yet equally remarkable and beautiful.
Directions: 8th District – Place de la Madeleine
Metro: Madeleine on Lines 8, 12
Coordinates La Madeleine Church: Lat 48.869808 – Long 2.324456
