Sainte-Marie-Madeleine

The church of the Madeleine, officially Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, is one of the most unusual churches in Paris, because it looks like a Roman temple. It stands at the end of the rue Royale, on the Place de la Madeleine, in the eighth arrondissement, and its tall peristyle of fifty-two Corinthian columns, each about twenty metres high, surrounds the entire building, which has no belfry and no dome visible from outside. The look is all the more striking because the church is surrounded by the shops and cafés of a smart commercial district, among them famous food shops on the square and a flower market.

The building has a complicated history. Work began in 1764 on a church in the Baroque style, but the Revolution stopped it, and in 1806, Napoleon ordered the structure to be rebuilt as a Temple of Glory, to honour his Grande Armée, in the form of a Greek temple. After the fall of the emperor, in 1815, the project was changed back to a church, and the building was only completed in 1842, under King Louis-Philippe. The architect Pierre-Alexandre Vignon was responsible for the main design, and later architects completed it. The pediment, above the entrance, carries a large sculpture of the Last Judgment by Philippe Lemaire, and the great bronze doors show scenes illustrating the Ten Commandments.

The interior is very different from the exterior. The church has no windows in the walls, and light comes from skylights in three domes, creating a warm, theatrical glow over gilded decoration. The nave is a single large space, with a sculpted group of Mary Magdalene carried up to heaven by angels in the apse, and a painted semi-dome that shows the history of Christianity. The organ, built by the French maker Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, has been played by some of the most famous organists in France. Camille Saint-Saëns was organist here for almost twenty years, and Gabriel Fauré was choirmaster and later organist, and Chopin's funeral was held in the church in 1849, with a performance of Mozart's Requiem.

The church is open daily and entry is free. It hosts masses, and concerts of baroque music, chamber music and organ recitals are held on a regular schedule, many of them free or at modest prices. Visitors should dress modestly, and be quiet during services. A visit takes an hour or less.

The church is a short walk from the Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Gardens, the Opéra Garnier and the grand department stores. It suits architecture lovers, music lovers and anyone who enjoys a landmark with a surprise inside.