Initially meant to be a work of Baroque architecture, this building has come through a lot of changes and reconstructions. After its first architect, Pierre Contant d'Ivry died, another took his place with a completely different idea of what the building should look like.
The construction started anew and it was supposed to imitate a certain Roman temple, but the whole project was abandoned during the French Revolution. The third time people tried to finish it was when Napoleon was in power, and he planned to turn it into a Greek-looking temple to commemorate the glory of his army. After his fall, King Luis XVIII decided to turn it into a church. In 1842, almost a hundred years after the construction began, the church was consecrated and dedicated to Mary Magdelene.
Built in Neo-classical style, this building's final form was inspired by the Maison Carrée in Nîmes. Chopin's funeral was held here in 1849. Today, you can look forward to frequent concerts, some of them even for free, and for a real curiosity - a restaurant inside the church, where you can have your lunch served by volunteers.
Free admission.
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Madeleine,_Paris
Official website http://www.eglise-lamadeleine.com/
Email madln@orange.fr
Phone +33 1 44 51 69 00
Address Place de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France
Coordinates 48°52'12.107" N 2°19'28.142" E
