A Walking Tour Paris

Exit the Madeleine metro station and you will be at La Madeleine. Commissioned by Napoleon as a temple to the glory of his Grande Armée, this magnificent essay in regal Neoclassicism was designed by Pierre-Alexandre Vignon, an Inspector-General of Buildings.

This imposing location, sitting at the top of the axis that runs across the Place de la Concorde from the Assemblée Nationale Palais-Bourbon, is a fitting spot for this peristyle temple which contains 52 20-metre-high (66-foot) fluted Corinthian columns. It is approached by grand flights of steps at either end. The pediment sculpture is by Philippe-Henri Lemaire and shows Mary Magdalene at the Last Judgement, while the bas-reliefs on the great bronze doors show the Ten Commandments by Henri de Triqueti. The interior makes lavish use of gilt and marble and contains some fine sculpture, particularly François Rude’s Baptism of Christ. The church was reconsecrated to St Mary Magdalene by Louis XVIII in 1842. Place de la Madeleine was created to set off this magnificent church and is a mecca for gourmets.

Fauchon at No. 26 is nicknamed the ‘millionaires’ supermarket’ and sells more than 20,000 different items. Hediard at No. 21 is noted for its wines, cheeses and chocolate. They also blend their own tea, which is shipped all over the world. The large house at No. 9 is where Marcel Proust grew up, while to the east of the church there is a small but busy flower market.