Eglise de la Madeleine visitor guide

Visit Eglise de la Madeleine, Paris

The Church of La Madeleine (église de la Madeleine) is to the north-east of the Place de la Concorde, in the 8th arrondissement.

The church is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris, notorious for its size and history, and is most remarkable because from the outside it resembles a large Greek temple rather than a church.

Discover the Eglise de la Madeleine

The construction of La Madeleine began in 1764 during the reign of Louis XV. It was designed by the architect Pierre Constant d'Ivry using plans based on the St-Louis-des-Invalides Church.

When d'Ivry died in 1777 his designs, which can be seen in the Musée Carnavalet, were dismissed by his successor, Guillaume-Martin Couture. He decided to raze the unfinished building and start with a new design, this time based on the Panthéon. These designs were also rejected and work stopped between 1790 and 1806.

Napoléon then decided that a Temple of Glory should be built for his Grande Armée and Pierre-Alexandre Vignon was authorised to draw up the plans. After doing away with the remaining efforts from 1790, building started on what was to be a beautiful Greek temple.

Columns along side of Eglise de la Madeleine

The commemorative role of the edifice was lost when the Arc de Triomphe was completed in 1808, and again the focus of the structure became uncertain. In 1814, Louis XVIII confirmed that the Madeleine should be a church, but in 1837 it was almost selected to be the first railway station in Paris.

Finally in 1842 it was consecrated as a church.

Exterior of the Eglise de la Madeleine

Modelled on a Greek classical temple, so in the neo-classical style, the church is surrounded by 52 columns, each 20 metres tall and in the Corinthian style and fronted by a huge pediment depicting The Last Judgement. At the front, the columns are topped with a sculpted frieze, again typical of the original Greek temples.

As well as the columns, take a moment to look at the fronton (the triangle above the entrance) which features a carving of the Last Judgement, complete in 1833 by Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire.

Experts will tell you that the building fails in terms of Greek and Roman temple architecture: both the Greeks and the Romans were very precise about the dimensions of their temples and the layout and height of the columns, whereas at the Eglise de la Madeleine they simply used very tall columns and laid them out as they saw fit. This is more of an issue for architectural purists than it is for regular visitors like me!

From the front of the church there is a view all the way along the Rue Royale across the Place de la Concorde, and to the Assemblée Nationale, the classical style government building you can see in the distance.

Interior of the Eglise de la Madeleine

The exterior leads you to expect a splendid church interior but it is actually rather gloomy. There are however a couple of notable features, in particular the altar area, and it is free to enter the church so still worth a look...

Inside the Eglise de la Madeleine there is a theatrical stone sculpture of the "Ascension of Sainte Marie Madeline" built in 1837 and showing her being swept up to heaven by two angels. This was executed by Charles Marochetti (1805–67) and draws your eye towards the high altar. The statue is surrounded by further stone columns.

The half-dome above is decorated with a fresco by Jules-Claude Ziegler (1804–1856), a student of Ingres, and entitled "The History of Christianity". It commemorates the concordat signed between the church and state after the end of the Revolution, and shows all the key figures in Christendom.

The church also boasts a pipe organ built by Cavaillé-Coll in 1846. Nowadays the organ is still used for concerts. The church's interior is otherwise rather plain despite the gilt-edged marble decoration.

During a large part of the year the area around the steps in front of the church are planted with flowers which adds a welcome splash of colour to the rather austere temple facade.

Inside the Eglise de la Madeleine

Attractions nearby

On the east side of the Madeleine church you can visit one of the oldest flower markets in Paris, dating back to 1832 and open every day except Monday. Also nearby are what must be Paris's most luxurious public toilets, with ceramic walls and wooden doors with stained glass, preserving their original 1905 Art Nouveau décor.

Another attraction in the Place de la Madeleine is the famous "Fauchon" delicatessen shop in the northeast corner, and down the west side you'll find the smaller Hédiard's, for rich gourmets and window-gazers, as well as caviar and truffle specialists.

See more churches in France. You can find more travel ideas in the Paris region guide.

To make travel arrangements to visit Eglise de la Madeleine see HERE