Church of the Madeleine of Paris, part II !!!

Posted in Europe, France, Paris

This is a wonderful church in my eternal Paris. It is very popular and should be seen more me think. It is surrounded by a wonderful neighborhood which we love. And if that is not enough, I walked by it every day for 3 years working nearby! It was awesome to say the least , each time popping up in front of those columns !! I found me older pictures in my cd rom vault and they should be here for you and me. Let me tell you again on the Church of the Madeleine of Paris, part II !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

It is an imposing appearance of a classical temple with 108 meters long (350 feet) by  43 meters wide (140 feet) surrounded by 52 Corinthians columns each measuring 20 meters (64 feet). There are no external bells or cross to show this is a Church but in the bronze doors (3 tons) you see bas reliefs of the Ten Commandments and the niches hold 52 Saints inside.  In the axis of Rue Royale, an octagonal style portico with a triangular pediment adorned with sculptures treated in high relief and depicting a scene from the Last Judgment ; bronze doors, and nests housing 32 statues of Saints.

The interior has a vast nave of about 79 meters long (260 feet) with three bays surrounded by flattened domes . Two beautiful sculptures  such as “The Rapture of Mary Magdalene” in marble ,and “The Baptism of Christ“, on the surface of the dome you will see a fresco covering about 23 feet of “The history and Glorification of Christianity” .  This is the only fresco in a Church in Paris where you see the figure of Napoleon I, surrounded around the Christ, Mary Magdalene ,and the apostles the great personage that marked Christianity such as Constantine, Clovis, Godefroy de Bouillon, Frederick Barberousse, Jeanne d’Arc, Dante, Raphaël, Pius VII , and the emperor in sacred costume.

A bit of history tell us that it was served by a small church dedicated to Mary Magdalene , which stood at the entrance to the present-day bd Malesherbes . The decision to rebuild it as a first-rate monument was taken in 1757; it stems from the royal project of redevelopment of the west of Paris around a square in honor of Louis XV . It  was ordered built a Church here since 1764 to provide a nice ending to the Rue Royale facing the Bourbon palace! In 1806, Napoléon I, change the plans in order to provide a temple to the glory of the French armies… The building with columns was to resembled those in Athens; the Church once again dedicated to religious worship was finally finished in 1842.

The official Church of the Madeleine: http://www.eglise-lamadeleine.com/

The Paris tourist office on the Church of the Madeleine: https://parisjetaime.com/eng/culture/eglise-de-la-madeleine-p939

There you go folks, one of the icon monuments of France and a must on a visit to Paris. It was my walking route to work going around it every day was awesome, and I got to have a sentimental touch to this area of Paris ever since.  You will do well to come and visit it, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church of the Madeleine of Paris, part II as I.

And, remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

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Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

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