The Église de la Madeleine is without a doubt one of the most impressive buildings in Paris, and one of the favorite spots for both tourists and Parisians alike. And the truth? It fully deserves that love!
This is a gorgeous building full of grandeur, one that pairs perfectly with the Palais Bourbon (Palais Bourbon), home to the National Assembly, even though nearly a century passed between the construction of the church and that of the palace. Add to that the twist of fate that turned the streets around the Madeleine into a major culinary hub (possibly the most important one in Paris) and you’ll understand why this place made it onto the list of 10 churches in Paris you must see. On the other hand, if we dig a little into the history of this church, we’ll find not just grandeur, but also a dark secret tied to the history of the Jews of Paris.
So today, let me invite you on a historical journey through the Église de la Madeleine, between beauty and ugliness, good and bad, destruction and construction.
The History of the Église de la Madeleine
The Église de la Madeleine is named after Mary Magdalene (in French, Marie Madeleine), that “working girl” (allegedly), whose love for Jesus led her to change her ways and become the “apostle to the apostles.” Today it stands in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, but the first church bearing her name was actually built on the Île de la Cité. That church has a fascinating story connected to our people, so it’s well worth pausing on it.
During the Middle Ages, the Jews of Paris were concentrated on the Île de la Cité and on the Left Bank around Rue Galande (not far from there was also the Jewish cemetery of Paris). This community enjoyed economic prosperity during the reign of Louis VII (r. 1137-1180), and by the end of his reign, nearly half of all private property in the capital of the French kingdom was owned by Jews. But all of that ended under his successor, Philip II, known as “Augustus” (r. 1180-1223).
Whether it was due to the need to raise funds to build his famous wall and expand the wholesale market at Les Halles, or whether it was pure antisemitism, the Jews did not have an easy time under his rule.
In 1180, the king outlawed the Jews and demanded an enormous ransom from them. Three years later, the Jews were expelled from Paris, and one of their main synagogues, located not far from where Notre-Dame Cathedral stands today, was turned into a church by order of Bishop Maurice de Sully (1120-1196), the very man who later initiated the construction of the famous cathedral.
A church was built on the site of that synagogue: the first Église de la Madeleine, one of 20 churches built on the Île de la Cité, of which only Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle survived. The church we’re discussing stood until 1793, when the land it occupied was sold and the church was demolished.
If you want to see today where that church once stood, along with the other churches that disappeared, head to the square in front of Notre-Dame and look down. Right in front of the entrance to the cathedral, you can see a kind of map set into the pavement showing which buildings once stood there, and that’s how you can locate the church.
Église de la Madeleine, Version 2.0
The next incarnation of the Église de la Madeleine began in 1238. At that time, all the land that today makes up the 8th arrondissement belonged to the Bishop of Paris, which is why the area was called Ville l’Évêque (the Bishop’s Town). The Bishop of Paris decided to take a small chapel, located where Boulevard Malesherbes begins today (number 8, to be precise), and turn it into a church dedicated to Mary Magdalene. This church’s altar faced east toward Jerusalem, as was customary, and over the years it underwent a long series of expansions and renovations.
We all know today the culinary district around the Église de la Madeleine (Patrick Roger, the chocolate sculptor; the late Fauchon, and more). You could say this tradition began back in the days of the church I just described, when the surrounding area was a kind of vegetable garden (in French, Culture) where not only fruits and vegetables were grown and sold to the people of Paris, but also sheep and cattle, whose milk was used to make exquisite cheeses.
But let’s get back to the Église de la Madeleine. During the 17th century, the congregation that worshipped there grew, and as a result, the church became too small for its needs. In 1659, it was decided to expand the Madeleine, and the woman who laid the cornerstone of the new church was Anne Marie Louise, daughter of the Duke of Orléans, whose tragic married life you can read about in the article on Hôtel de Lauzun.
But even this church wasn’t big enough for the growing population of Ville l’Évêque, and after the area was annexed to Paris in 1722, plans began for a larger and grander church to replace the old one. With the opening of Place Louis XV (the future Place de la Concorde), it was decided that the new church would stand at the end of Rue Royale rather than on its old site, so that it would align with the Palais Bourbon (Palais Bourbon), located directly across at the other end, in the 7th arrondissement. So that the church’s facade would face the Palais Bourbon, it was decided to move the altar from the east to the north, because in the end, aesthetics comes before everything else…
According to the plan of the architect Étienne-Louis Boullée (1728-1799), the new church was meant to be shaped like a Greek cross with a dome resembling that of the Panthéon. But construction, which had barely begun, was halted fairly quickly due to a lack of funds, and then again by the outbreak of the French Revolution. But the building did not stay abandoned for long. Napoleon had some very interesting plans for it.
The Temple to the Grande Armée Becomes a Church
Truth be told, the church came within a hair’s breadth of becoming something else entirely. Napoleon toyed with the idea of turning the building into a stock exchange (which was ultimately built in the 2nd arrondissement), a library, or even an opera house. But in 1802, Napoleon decided to build:
A temple to the glory of the French army. A monument of the kind found in Athens, but not yet in Paris.
As a result, a competition was held among a number of prominent architects, which was won by Pierre-Alexandre Vignon (1763-1828), one of the leading neoclassical architects of the era. Construction of the temple began in 1807, but seven years later, Napoleon’s empire fell and the work came to a halt once again.
Louis XVIII (r. 1814-1824), who succeeded the emperor, decided to change the building’s purpose, and instead of a temple to the glory of Napoleon’s army, it was decided that the building would once again become a church. But construction continued to crawl along, since in 1830 another revolution broke out, halting the work once more. As a result, the work was finally completed only in 1842, about fourteen years after the architect’s death. It’s no wonder that until construction was finished, the Madeleine looked like the ruins of a Greek temple, which gave it a romantic air (similar to the colonnade of columns in Parc Monceau) and turned the construction site into a meeting place for lovers (especially at sunset).
But when the church was finally completed, the result was impressive, if a bit strange. Since the church, as mentioned, had been designed as a temple, no one bothered to build it a bell tower, which makes it the only church in Paris without one (by the way, this church also has no cross). Despite all that, nothing stopped the church from becoming very popular shortly after it opened to the public.
The first reason is the grandeur of this church, which truly recalls a magnificent Roman temple. Whether it’s the beautiful bronze doors, the 52 Corinthian columns, or the frescoes, everything here is impressive and powerful. It’s no surprise, then, that Georges Duroy, the hero of Maupassant’s novel “Bel-Ami,” chooses to celebrate his final triumph over the high society of his time with a lavish wedding in this very church.
The second reason this church became so successful is thanks to its acoustics and its excellent organ. Some of the greatest composers of the 19th century played this organ, including Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) and Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924). Fauré himself conducted the premiere of his Requiem here in 1887, in its unfinished version. The complete work was performed here in 1924, at his own funeral. If you’d like, you can hear it performed at the Église de la Madeleine in the video below:
And speaking of requiems, Parisians love not only visiting the Église de la Madeleine to hear a concert, but also beginning their funeral processions from there. Here are a few celebrities whose funeral services were held here:
Josephine Baker (1906-1975)
The American dancer and Resistance fighter (if you’d like to read more about her and follow in her footsteps around Paris, feel free to check out the article Josephine Baker: A Walking Tour of Paris in Her Footsteps). Here is one of her most famous songs:
Tino Rossi (1907-1983)
A very famous Corsican singer, who performed at Paris’s famous cabarets and in several films. One of the best known films he appeared in is Si Versailles m’était conté, which also starred Édith Piaf. The film tells some of the most famous stories that took place at the Palace of Versailles, and here you can watch a short clip from the film featuring the singer.
Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992)
A German actress with a rich and successful film career (ranked the 9th greatest actress of all time). She died in Paris, and the Église de la Madeleine was chosen as the site of her funeral service before her body was flown to Berlin.
Johnny Hallyday (1943-2017)
The last great funeral held at the Madeleine (so far) took place in 2017, when rock singer Johnny Hallyday died of lung cancer. You can watch the funeral procession in the video below, and if you’d like to get to know the famous singer better, feel free to read Dr. Orna Liberman’s article Johnny Hallyday: A Brief History of the French Rock Idol.
Église de la Madeleine: A Traveler’s Guide
Now that we’ve covered the story of the Église de la Madeleine, it’s time to give you some practical details to help you visit and enjoy the surrounding area.
Address
The church is located at Place de la Madeleine. You can get there via metro lines 8, 12, and 14 (get off at the Madeleine station).
Opening hours
The church is open every day from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Classical Music Concerts at the Église de la Madeleine
As you read in this article, the Église de la Madeleine is a perfect venue for classical music concerts. If you’d like information on which concerts are taking place during your stay in Paris, and to buy tickets, feel free to check out the article Classical Music in Paris.
Famous Food Shops and Restaurants Near the Église de la Madeleine
If you’ve already come to visit the Église de la Madeleine, I highly recommend also visiting the famous food shops right next to it. If you decide to take my advice, you’ll be happy to know I created exactly for this purpose the article Église de la Madeleine: A Culinary Walking Tour for Food Lovers, which will help you not miss a single important shop or restaurant.
Is It Worth Staying Near the Madeleine?
The answer is a definite yes! The Madeleine is close to Place de la Concorde, the Tuileries Garden, and the Paris Opera. On top of that, both the Madeleine station and Place de la Concorde are served by quite a few metro lines, so you can easily reach plenty of places in Paris from there. And the last reason, of course, is the food. True, Fauchon closed in 2020, but there are still plenty of wonderful food shops in the area (especially relevant if you decide to rent an apartment nearby).
If you take my advice and decide to stay in the area, I recommend checking out these two articles, which list places to stay around the Madeleine:
- Recommended Hotels in the 8th Arrondissement of Paris (Champs-Élysées, Madeleine, Arc de Triomphe, and Chabad House)
- Recommended Apartments in the 8th Arrondissement of Paris (Champs-Élysées, Madeleine, Arc de Triomphe, and Chabad House)
Finished Visiting the Madeleine? What Else Can You Do?
Since the Madeleine sits at a crossroads, you can choose to visit the 1st, 8th, or 9th arrondissements once you’re done there. Here are some articles that can give you a few ideas for what to do next on your trip:
- Attractions in the 1st Arrondissement of Paris: The Louvre and More
- Attractions in the 8th Arrondissement of Paris: Much More Than the Arc de Triomphe and Champs-Élysées
- Attractions in the 9th Arrondissement of Paris: The Opera and More
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