# La Madeleine, Paris > La Madeleine is one of the most unusual churches in Paris: it looks like a vast ancient temple with Corinthian columns on all four sides. Begun under Louis XV, redesigned under Napoleon and consecrated in 1842 to Mary Magdalene, it has three domes lit from above, coloured marble, gilding and a famous organ once played by Saint-Saëns and Fauré. It stands on Place de la Madeleine at the end of Rue Royale, facing the Place de la Concorde. Entry is free. Web page: https://yesgo.io/france/paris/la-madeleine - City: [Paris](https://yesgo.io/france/paris), France - YesGo score: 52/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Free - Hours: Daily by day - Concerts: Organ and choral, ticketed - Consecrated: 1842 - Duration: ≈ 20–30 minutes - Location: 8th arrondissement, metro Madeleine - Coordinates: 48.87000, 2.32444 - Facts checked: 12.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1763** — the first stone was laid (source: English Wikipedia) - **1842** — the church was consecrated (source: English Wikipedia) - **33** — statues of saints in façade niches (source: English Wikipedia) - **1845** — the Cavaillé-Coll organ was built (source: English Wikipedia) ## About La Madeleine La Madeleine is the Catholic church of Saint Mary Magdalene on the square of the same name in the 8th arrondissement. King Louis XV conceived it as the climax of the new Rue Royale leading from the [Place de la Concorde](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/place-de-la-concorde), and laid the first stone himself in **1763**. Work stopped and the design changed several times, and the church was only consecrated on **24 July 1842**, Mary Magdalene's feast day. Its look is the work of the architect **Pierre-Alexandre Vignon**, whose design Napoleon chose in 1806. Vignon conceived it as an ancient temple with a colonnade all round, modelled on the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens and the Maison Carrée in Nîmes. There are no towers, no bell tower and no ordinary windows, just a majestic hall. ## What to see - **The colonnade** — Corinthian columns on all four sides. - **The Last Judgement pediment** — Lemaire's sculpture over the entrance. - **The bronze doors** — reliefs of the Ten Commandments. - **Three domes** — a hall lit from above, clad in coloured marble. - **The apse mosaic** — French saints in Byzantine style. - **The Cavaillé-Coll organ** — played by Saint-Saëns and Fauré. ## The façade and colonnade Tall **Corinthian columns** surround the church, a layout called peripteral, like Greek temples. On the south side, facing Rue Royale and the Place de la Concorde, the pediment over the entrance holds Philippe Lemaire's **Last Judgement**: Christ in the centre, with Mary Magdalene at his feet praying for sinners. Beneath the portico are huge **bronze doors** with reliefs of the Ten Commandments. The 30-year-old sculptor Henri de Triqueti made them, inspired by the Florence Baptistery doors, and they are larger than those of St Peter's in Rome. **Thirty-three statues of saints** stand in niches along the walls of the colonnade. In 2020–2024 the south façade was cleaned and restored for the Olympics. > **When to come** By day the church is open to visitors, but during Mass tourists are asked not to walk around; check the parish website for service times. To hear the famous organ, come to Sunday Mass or an evening concert: La Madeleine often hosts organ and classical concerts, with tickets sold in advance. Dress modestly, covering shoulders and knees. ## Inside the church The interior by the architect Jacques-Marie Huvé is a single long hall without a transept, divided into three bays, each under its own **dome** with a round skylight. Light is limited, and coloured marble and gilding glow in the half-dark across walls, arches and vaults. The decoration was completed quickly under King Louis-Philippe and is known for its rare harmony. The half-dome over the choir carries Jules-Claude Ziegler's painting of the history of Christianity in France, and below it a bright late-19th-century ceramic **mosaic** in Byzantine style of Christ with saints linked to France. Behind the altar stands Carlo Marochetti's marble group The Ecstasy of Mary Magdalene, and by the entrance François Rude's Baptism of Christ. ## Music at La Madeleine La Madeleine has long been tied to music. Above the south entrance stands a great **organ** built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll in 1845, in a carved case with angels and spires. The church's titular organists included the composers **Camille Saint-Saëns**, Théodore Dubois and **Gabriel Fauré**, who also led the choir here. Today the church hosts organ, choral and chamber concerts, with superb acoustics under the domes. Look for the programme at the entrance or on the parish website. ## Place de la Madeleine Around the church lies **Place de la Madeleine**, one of the most delicious spots in Paris. Famous gourmet shops gather here, selling delicacies, tea, truffles, caviar, chocolate and macarons. A small flower market sits on one side of the square, and the Grands Boulevards begin nearby. From the church's broad steps you look down Rue Royale to the Concorde obelisk and the colonnade of the Palais Bourbon across the Seine, built deliberately to mirror the Madeleine's so the two buildings face each other. ## How to get there 1. Metro lines 8, 12 and 14 to **Madeleine**, exiting by the church. 2. From the Place de la Concorde, a 5-minute walk up Rue Royale. 3. From the Palais Garnier, 10 minutes along Boulevard des Capucines. 4. Buses 24, 42, 52, 84 and 94 to the Madeleine stop. ## Tips for your visit See La Madeleine on the way between the Place de la Concorde and the [Palais Garnier](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/opera-garnier), or together with the [Place Vendôme](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/place-vendome): they're all 5–10 minutes apart. Half an hour is enough for the church. Climb the portico steps and walk round the colonnade, where the saints stand in their niches along the sides. Inside, photos without flash are fine when no service is on. Afterwards, browse the gourmet shops on the square or have lunch at a café nearby, a good place to buy edible souvenirs of Paris. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Study the bronze doors - [ ] Walk round the colonnade - [ ] See the mosaic above the altar - [ ] Check for an organ concert - [ ] Look down Rue Royale ## Places in Paris: compare and choose Places in Paris rated by YesGo. - [Notre-Dame de Paris](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/notre-dame-de-paris) — YesGo score 74/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Free; optional timed booking - [Sacré-Cœur Basilica](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/sacre-coeur) — YesGo score 62/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Basilica free - [Sainte-Chapelle](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/sainte-chapelle) — YesGo score 57/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Timed ticket, online - [La Madeleine](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/la-madeleine) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Saint-Sulpice](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/saint-sulpice) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free - [Saint-Germain-des-Prés](https://yesgo.io/france/paris/saint-germain-des-pres) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h 30 min · Quarter and church free ## Don't mix it up La Madeleine is the colonnaded temple-church near the Place de la Concorde; the Sainte-Chapelle is the Gothic chapel of stained glass on the Île de la Cité. ## Tips - Free entry. - Not during Mass. - Concerts by programme. - Gourmet shops nearby. ## Questions ### Is there an entry fee for La Madeleine? Entry is usually free; concerts are ticketed. ### Why does the church look like an ancient temple? The architect Vignon built it as a peripteral temple with a colonnade, after Greek and Roman models. ### Can I hear the organ? Yes, at Sunday Mass or evening concerts. ### How long does a visit take? About 20–30 minutes. ### How do I get to La Madeleine? By metro line 8, 12 or 14 to Madeleine station. ## How we checked Facts from English Wikipedia. Hours, service times and concert schedules weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: La Madeleine, Paris - Parish website, lamadeleineparis.fr --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.