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L'Eglise de la Madeleine :
In 1806
Napoleon made his decision, commissioning Pierre-Alexandre
Barthélémy Vignon (1763-1828) to build a Temple
de la Gloire de la Grande Armée (Temple to the Glory
of the Great Army), with Vignon basing his design on an antique
temple. The then-existing foundations were razed and work begun
anew. With completion of the Arc de Triomphe in 1808, the original
commemorative role for the temple was blunted. After the fall
of Napoleon, with the Catholic reaction during the Restoration,
King Louis XVIII determined that the structure would be used
as a church. Vignon died in 1828 before completing the project
and was replaced by Jacques-Marie Huvé. In 1837 it was
briefly suggested that the building might best be utilized
as a train station, but the building was finally consecrated
as a church in 1842. Inside, the church has a single nave with three domes, lavishly
gilded in a decor inspired by Renaissance artists. At the rear
of the church, above the high altar, stands a statue by Charles
Marochetti depicting St Mary Magdalene being carried up to
heaven by two angels. The half-dome above the altar is covered
with a fresco by Jules-Claude Ziegler, entitled The History
of Christianity, showing the key figures in the Christian religion
with - perhaps inevitably - Napoleon occupying centre stage. The church has a celebrated pipe organ, built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899), which is widely regarded as one of the best in Paris. The composers Camille Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré were both organists at the Madeleine, and the funerals of Frédéric Chopin and Fauré were held there. To its south lies the Place de la Concorde, and to the east is the Place Vendôme.
She said she'd come, she didn't It's a sad day in Paris Oh, I wish I knew her better It's a sad day in Paris |
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L'église de la Madeleine, or L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine
(or simply "La Madeleine"), is a church in the 8th
arrondissement of Paris that was designed as a temple to the
glory of Napoleon's army.
