"A Greek temple in Paris dedicated to the woman who first announced resurrection"
La Madeleine (Church of Saint Mary Magdalene)
Paris, Île-de-France, France
Fifty-two Corinthian columns surround a church that looks nothing like a church. No cross. No bell tower. Napoleon wanted a temple to military glory; what emerged is Paris's shrine to Mary Magdalene—the woman who witnessed crucifixion and resurrection, first to see the risen Christ. Inside the neoclassical shell: colored marble, gilded domes, the saint ascending to heaven above the altar, and a Cavaillé-Coll organ that drew Saint-Saëns and Fauré as organists.
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Quick Facts
Location
Paris, Île-de-France, France
Tradition
Site Type
Coordinates
48.8687, 2.3212
Last Updated
Jan 18, 2026
La Madeleine represents Paris's long dedication to Mary Magdalene, complicated by Revolution and Empire before final consecration in 1842.
Origin Story
The Place de la Madeleine was consecrated to Mary Magdalene in 1182. Louis XV commissioned a church in 1757 as focal point for Rue Royale. Construction began 1764 but was interrupted by Revolution. Napoleon in 1806 declared it would become a Temple to the Glory of the Grand Army, choosing Vignon's neoclassical design. After Napoleon's fall, Louis XVIII continued construction as a church, finally consecrating it to Mary Magdalene in 1842.
Key Figures
Pierre-Alexandre Vignon
Architect of Napoleon's temple design (1806)
Jean-Jacques-Marie Huvé
Completed the interior
Charles Marochetti
Sculptor of altar Magdalene
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll
Organ builder
Camille Saint-Saëns
Organist
Gabriel Fauré
Organist
Spiritual Lineage
Paris Magdalene devotion since 1182. Part of Parisian sacred geography with Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, Sainte-Chapelle.
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