Église de la Madeleine

Église de la Madeleine

There is much written about this very photogenic 

and beautiful church which sits prominently in the 8ième.

Do you know that there are 52 of these Corinthian columns,

each 20 m high (65.5 feet!).  The fact that it was

 designed as "a temple to the glory of Napoleon's army" may explain

the enormity of La Madeleine.  It is one of my favorites, and the

acoustics are amazing!

bon dimanche

Église de la Madeleine

Place de la Madeleine

75008, Paris

Église de la Madeleine

Église de la Madeleine

La Madeleine assumes a prominent footprint

in the 8ième arrondissement.

Built in the Neo-Classical style its

fifty-two (52!) columns surround the building.

The interior is stunning and worth a visit.

bon dimanche

Église de la Madeleine

Place de la Madeleine

75008, Paris

Église de la Madeleine - les cierges

Église de la Madeleine

This magnificent church is well-attended
by the parishioners and visitors.


The corners of the church are bright with candlelight
and often with the music of concerts.

bon dimanche

Église de la Madeleine

Place de la Madeleine

75008, Paris

Métro Madeleine  

Fauchon - la terrasse

Fauchon

Rose Foncé

The terrace of Fauchon  looks to be a great spot for tourists (Coca-Light) but the Parisians enjoy the ultra-gourmet selections in both of the Madeleine locations.  Fauchon is a French gourmet food company that was founded in 1886 by Auguste Fauchon. The company is based in Paris and operates retail outlets. 

This terrace is one of two options for casual dining at this Fauchon location.

The éclairs are divine

miam-miam

Fauchon

30, Place de la Madeleine

75008, Paris

Métro Madeleine

Église de la Madeleine

The sounds of stringed instruments and finely-tuned voices

regularly fill this cavernous Neo-Classical church.  

The concerts bring in visitors and Parisians alike to Église de la Madeleine

bon dimanche

Église de la Madeleine

Place de la Madeleine

75008, Paris

Métro Madeleine 

L'Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine - L'Ascension

Yesterday I attended the funeral after the unexpected death of my sister-in-law (belle-soeur). I think she would have loved this vision in La Madeleine, the work of Charles Marochetti.

Bon dimanche

La Madeleine III

Above the altar of l'Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, or simply... La Madeleine.

I have brought you here before to see this beautiful church on Rue Royal facing Place de la Concorde and the Seine from its elegant perch. If you missed it, the previous posts are here and here.

Bon dimanche

Ladurée -- le petit déjeuner

In June just a few doors from our hotel on Rue Jacob was Ladurée. The room adjacent to the usual sales room was set for le petit déjeuner. It looked lovely and elegant with its crisp linens, roses, and china.

Did we enjoy a leisurely breakfast at Ladurée? Non, we just grabbed a variety of macarons and headed to Église St. Madeleine where we devoured them all on the flower-covered steps. miam-miam!

La Madeleine -- Tournez vers le ciel

J'adore, j'adore la Madeleine! Are you not just in awe with the juxtaposition of the angles and the carvings as you look up? There is so much to see and you could spend many hours here and still not absorb it all.

If you missed it, here is a previous post with another photo and some background information.

The Angels and Mary

The churches of Paris are, as an understatement, just stunning. La Madeleine, or more formally, L'Église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine, is one that I frequently visit. When your flight arrives at CDG from Atlanta at 5:00am and your hotel is not ready, you can always visit a café or a church. Not much else is open and the Parisians are mostly still nestled in their beds. La Madeleine is warm in the winter when it is raining (or worse) outside, and it is cool in the heat of summer.

This is a photo of the altar and to give you an idea of the size/scale just look at the chair on the left. The enormous statue by Charles Marochetti shows the ascension of St Mary Magdalene accompanied by three angels. Above the altar is a beautiful detailed mosaic by Lameire.

The special attraction to ma fille Holly is that her beloved and now deceased French teacher was married here many years ago.

I'll tell you another time about the music and the people we met at La Madeleine.