La Madeleine, Paris

La Madeleine, Paris
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Part of	Paris, Banks of the Seine
Criteria	Cultural: i, ii, iv
Reference	600
Inscription	1991 (15th Session)

Church of Saint-Marie-Madeleine
Church of Saint-Marie-Madeleine
French: L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine
	Wikimedia \| © OpenStreetMap
	48.869984299038485°N 2.324432979292807°E
Location	8th arrondissement of Paris
Country	France
Denomination	Catholic
Website	eglise-lamadeleine.com
History
Status	Parish Church
Founder(s)	Napoleon (1807)
Dedication	Mary Magdalene
Consecrated	24 July 1842
Relics held	Bone of Mary Magdalene
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Monument Historique PA00088812
Designated	1915
Architect(s)	Pierre-Alexandre Vignon
Architectural type	Roman temple
Style	Neo-Classical
Groundbreaking	1807
Completed	1828
Specifications
Length	108 m (354 ft)
Width	43 m (141 ft)
Other dimensions	Columns: 20.0 m (65 ft 7 in)
Administration
Archdiocese	Paris
Laity
Organist(s)	François-Henri Houbart

The Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (French: L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine), or less formally, La Madeleine, is a Catholic parish church on Place de la Madeleine in the 8th arrondissement of Paris.^[2]^[3]^[4] It was planned by Louis XV as the focal point of the new Rue Royal, leading to the new Place Louis XV, the present Place de la Concorde. It was dedicated in 1764 by Louis XV, but work halted due to the French Revolution. Napoleon Bonaparte had it redesigned in the Neoclassical style to become a monument to the glory of his armies. After his downfall in 1814 construction as a church resumed, but it was not completed until 1842. The building is surrounded on all four sides by columns in the Corinthian style. The interior is noted for its frescoes on the domed ceiling, and monumental sculptures by François Rude, Charles Marochetti and other prominent 19th-century French artists.^[5]

The exterior and interior of the church are undergoing a major project of cleaning and restoration, which began in 2020 and is scheduled for completion in 2023.^[6]^[7]

History[edit]

First church[edit]

The neighbourhood, then at the edge of Paris, was annexed to the city in 1722. An earlier church of Saint-Marie-Madeleine was built in the 13th century on avenue Malesherbes, but was considered too small for the growing neighbourhood. Louis XV authorised the construction of a new, larger church, with a view along Rue Royale toward the new Place Louis XV, now Place de la Concorde. In 1763 the King laid the first stone for a new church, designed by Pierre Contant d'Ivry and Guillaume-Martin Couture.^[8]^[9]^[10]

The first design for the new church by Pierre Contant d'Ivry proposed a large dome atop a building in the form of Latin cross, similar to the Les Invalides church designed by Jules Hardouin Mansart. D'Ivry died in 1777 and was replaced by his pupil Guillaume Martin Couture. Couture abandoned the first plan, demolished much of the early work. and went to work on a simpler, more classical design, modelled after an ancient Greek or Roman temple.

Proposed monument to Napoleon's Army and railroad station, then church again[edit]

The construction of the new church was abruptly halted in 1789 by the French Revolution, with only the foundations and grand classical portico completed. After the execution of Louis XVI in 1793, his body was transported to the old Church of the Madeleine, which was still standing until 1801. The King's body was thrown onto bed of quicklime at the bottom of a pit and covered by one of earth, the whole being firmly and thoroughly tamped down. Louis XVI's head was placed at his feet. On 21 January 1815 Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette's remains were moved to a new tomb in the Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Under the Revolutionary government, a debate began on the future purpose of the building. Proposals included a library, a public ballroom, and a marketplace. The new building of the National Assembly, in the Palais Bourbon, at the other end of the former Rue Royale, was given a classical colonnade to match the already completed portico of church.^[11] The new Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, was crowned in 1804 and in 1806 settled the debate. In 1806 he declared that the church would become "A Temple to the Glory of the Grand Army". While on a military campaign in Poland, he personally chose the design of A new architect, Pierre-Alexandre Vignon (fr: Pierre-Alexandre Vignon), over the design that was recommended to him by the Academy of Architecture.^[12] The plan of Vignon took the form of a classical temple with Corinthian columns on all four sides.^[13] The work began anew, with new foundations but preserving the classical columns that had already been raised.^[14]

Completion of the church (1855)[edit]

The church in 1867

After the fall of Napoleon in 1814, the new King, Louis XVIII, resumed construction on the unfinished church, which he intended to make an Expiatory chapel for the sins of the Revolution and the execution of Louis XVI. However, this idea was dropped, and the new church was instead dedication to Mary Magdalene, or the Madeleine, a follower of Jesus who witnessed both the Crucifixion and the Resurrection of Christ.^[15]

The architect Vignon died in 1828 before completing the project and was replaced by Jacques-Marie Huvé. A new competition was set up in 1828–29 to determine the design for sculptures for the pediment. The design chosen was "The Last Judgment" , depicting Saint Mary Magdalene kneeling to pray for sinners, by Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire. The new government of the July Monarchy decided to go ahead with the church, despite financial difficulties. in 1830 they declared that it would be dedicated to national reconciliation. The vaults were finally completed in 1831.^[16]

Work on the church was largely completed during the reign of King Louis-Philippe, between 1830 and 1848. in 1837 a proposal was brought forward to convert church into the first railroad station in Paris, but this was abandoned as expensive and impractical. The church was finally inaugurated on July 24, 1842, the day of Saint Mary-Magdalene.^[17]

The new church became popular with musicians. The funeral of Chopin at the Church of the Madeleine in Paris was delayed almost two weeks, until 30 October 1849. Chopin had requested that Mozart's Requiem be sung. The Requiem had major parts for female voices, but the Church of the Madeleine had never permitted female singers in its choir. The church finally relented, on condition that the female singers remain behind a black velvet curtain.

During the Paris Commune of 1871, the curé of the church, Abbé Deguerry, was one of those arrested and held hostage by the Commune. He was executed alongside Georges Darboy, the Archbishop of Paris and four other hostages on 24 May, during the Semaine sanglante, as French government troops were bloodily retaking the city and executing Communard defenders.

Besides Chopin, musicians and artists whose funerals were held at the church include Jacques Offenbach, Charles Gounod, Camille Saint-Saëns, Coco Chanel, Joséphine Baker, Charles Trenet, Dalida and Johnny Hallyday.^[18]