The
building of the Madeleine Church, named
for Mary Magdalene, has had a turbulent
history. The church took about thirty-seven
years to complete; work was started by
Louis XV, paused for about a year during
the revolution, and was completed by Napoleon.
He did this to make a tribute to the magnificence
of his armies. Since this was to be a
temple of glory, its architects quite
naturally modeled it after the Parthenon.
The building itself is three hundred fifty-four
feet long, one hundred forty-one feet
wide, and ninety eight feet high, and
has often been pointed out as an example
of perfect proportions The entire front
of the building is taken up by twenty-eight
steps. The central doors are of bronze,
and in keeping with the size of the building,
thirty-three feet high and fifteen feet
wide. Around the exterior of the church
are fifty-two huge, fluted Corinthian
columns, sixty-five feet high and six
and one-half feet in diameter. The pediment
across the front of the church shows the
"Last judgment", with Mary Magdalene
in the center.
The
Madeleine Church stands at the very beginning
of the Boulevard de la Madeleine, but
it actually stands on a square known as
the Place de la Madeleine. From the steps
you can see the Place de la Concorde,
just down the Rue Royale. Across the Seine,
you can see the Palais Bourbon. With all
of the history connected to this fantastic
monument it is easy to see why it is one
of the most visited sites on Paris, and
few visitors to the “City of Love”
go for walks without passing by this monument
to the power and the history of the French
people. Like so many other monuments in
France the story of the Mary Madeleine
Church is one of history, revolution,
power, glory, sacrifice, and conflict.
Mary
Madeleine Travel Links |
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