Église de la Madeleine
Monumental Neoclassical Greek temple with 52 Corinthian columns dedicated to the Grande Armée
Commissioned in 1806 by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as a Temple to the Glory of the Grande Armée, designed by Pierre-Alexandre Vignon in the form of a classical Roman temple (like the Maison Carrée in Nîmes). Consecrated as a church in 1842.
An imperial Roman temple of martial glory converted into a Catholic sanctuary of divine redemption on the Right Bank.
Before its completion, proposals were made to turn the building into a railway station, a stock exchange, a bank, and even the French Parliament.
Nearby Sacred Topography Nodes (Paris)
View All 50 →Place Vendôme & Colonne Vendôme
Octagonal royal plaza of high jewellery crowned by Napoleon's Austerlitz bronze column
Place de la Concorde & Luxor Obelisk
Monumental royal plaza framing the 3,300-year-old Egyptian golden monolith
Jardin des Tuileries & Arc du Carrousel
Historic royal garden of Catherine de' Medici along the Grand Axis of Paris