La Madeleine
Place de la Madeleine - 75008 Paris |
The Madeleine Church offers a pretty view of the Place de la Concorde, just down the Rue Royale. Beyond that, across the Seine, you can see the Palais Bourbon, in perfect harmony with the Madeleine's Greek temple-like facade. The construction of the church was not without its problems, however; the original plans, designed by Constant d'Ivry in 1764 under Louis the 15th, echoed the Church of the Invalids, with a dome surmounting a cross-shaped building. However, work on the church stopped nearly as soon as it began. Couture restarted work on the project in 1777 but was interrupted during the Revolution. Finally, in 1806 Napoleon entrusted Vignon to transform it into a "Temple of Glory". |
