Paris - Eglise de la Madeleine 
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The church of St Mary Magdalene (Sainte- Marie-Madeleine) in Paris, generally known simply as the Madeleine, is in the form of a Greek temple of considerable size (108m/354ft long by 43m/141ft wide) surrounded by 54 Corinthian columns 15m/49ft high.
The story of the building of the Madeleine reflects the vicissitudes of French history from the closing years of the Ancien Régime to the bourgeois monarchy of 1830-48. The foundation-stone of a domed cruciform Baroque church was laid in 1763, in the reign of Louis XV. In the reign of Louis XVI it was decided to alter the plan to a neo-classical church on the model of the Panthéon, which was then under construction, but to give more prominence to the dome. After the Revolution work on the building came to a standstill, and various plans for converting it for use as a stock exchange, parliament building or bank were considered and rejected.
The story of the building of the Madeleine reflects the vicissitudes of French history from the closing years of the Ancien Régime to the bourgeois monarchy of 1830-48. The foundation-stone of a domed cruciform Baroque church was laid in 1763, in the reign of Louis XV. In the reign of Louis XVI it was decided to alter the plan to a neo-classical church on the model of the Panthéon, which was then under construction, but to give more prominence to the dome. After the Revolution work on the building came to a standstill, and various plans for converting it for use as a stock exchange, parliament building or bank were considered and rejected.
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Address:
Eglise de la Madeleine, Place de la Madeleine
14 rue de Surène, F-75008 Paris, France
14 rue de Surène, F-75008 Paris, France
Hours:
7:30am-7pm; Sun: 9:15am-1:30pm; Sat: 9am-7pm
Tips: Group visit book one month in advance.
Facilities: Gift shop
Transit: Metro: Madeleine; Bus: 24, 42, 52, 84, 94.
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La Madeleine church near Place de la Concorde in Paris.
Columns and walkway at Eglise de la Madeleine in Paris.
