La Madeleine Paris is a religious center is Paris, often known as L'Église de la Madeleine or L'Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. This Roman Catholic Church is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene. The architecture of La Madeleine resembles a classical temple inspired by the Napoleon's army. Pierre Contant d'Ivry in 1764 first attempted to build this religious site. He designed the church drawing inspiration from the Mansart's Late Baroque church of Les Invalides featuring the Latin cross above a dome. His sudden death in 1777 changed the scenario. Architect Guillaume-Martin Couture took charge and planned a new design for the church following the Roman Pantheon. During the French Revolution, again the construction of the church got discontinued.
However, in 1806 Napoleon decided to finally build this religious monument. Architect Pierre-Alexandre Barthélémy Vignon was decreed to build a Temple de la Gloire de la Grande Armée or Temple to the Glory of the Great Army. The construction was based on the design of an antique temple. The existing bases were demolished and work began from the beginning. After the fall of Napoleon, the Catholic reaction emerged during the Restoration period and King Louis XVIII decided that La Madeleine Paris would be used as
a church. Today La Madeleine is associated with a Benedictine abbey. Religious ceremonies like
|
masses, concerts and choirs are held daily. Some of the most fashionable weddings of Paris have been celebrated in this church.
The Neo-Classical style of architecture is dominant in La Madeleine. This church has derived its inspiration from the Maison Carrée at Nimes, one of the best-preserved Roman temples. La Madeleine features 52 Corinthian columns, each rising to a height of 20 meters and is similarly sculptured around the entire exterior of the church. The pediment of the church is ornamented with an intricately sculptured mural of the Last Judgment by Lemaire. The church possesses bronze doors with illustrations of the Ten Commandments. The interior of La Madeleine has one enormous area with three domes, lavishly decorated by paintings of the Renaissance artists. At the end of the church, above the high risen altar, a statue of St Mary Magdalene by Charles Marochetti is placed. The dome of the church has a fresco by Jules-Claude Ziegler, titled as the History of Christianity.
The location of La Madeleine Paris is at the Pl. de la Madeleine near the Place de la Concorde at 8th arrondissement in Paris. The easiest way to reach La Madeleine Paris is by metro. There are several shopping plazas located near the church.
|
