Church of the Madeleine in Paris
Located in the 8th arrondissement, the Church of Saint-Marie-Madeleine and is usually called La Madeleine. It is a Catholic parish church devoted to Mary Magdalene and the surrounding square it sits on is also called Place Madeleine.
I should mention that this church has been under various extensive renovations for over 15-20 years, that it is the first time I’ve been able to photograph it without scaffolding!
Mary Magdalene in France
The church contains a relic of the saint considered to be Mary Magdalene after her arrival in France.
According to Provençale tradition, after the death of Jesus, Mary Magdalene and several companions are expelled from the Holy Land and arrive in France near Arles, a place called Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer (Saints Mary of the Sea).
She arrived in France in a broken-down little boat with Lazarus, Maximin, Martha, and their servant Sara. From there she is said to have gone to Marseille, and converted the locals to Christianity.
Lazarus went on to become the first bishop of Marseille and Saint Maximinus became the first bishop of Aix-en-Provence, both already big cities even in those days. Her sister Martha is said to have gone on to Tarascon to perform miracles there.
Mary Magdalene is said to have retired to a grotto in La Sainte-Baume Mountain (“Baumo” in the Provençale language means “Holy Cave”) where she is said to have spent several years.
At the time of her death, it is believed that Maximin and buried her in the oratory built by the first Christians. That oratory today is in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume, in a crypt inside a Basilica, with that little sign in front of it.
A relic of the saint was brought to Paris and placed in the Church of the Madeleine here.
The Church in Paris
The church in Paris was originally planned by Louis XV to lead towards the new Place Louis XV, (now Place de la Concorde where the French royals were beheaded). An earlier church of Saint-Marie-Madeleine was built in the 13th century on Avenue Malesherbes nearby, but it was considered too small.
Napoleon Bonaparte had the Church redesigned in the Neoclassical style with Greek pillars to become a monument to the glory of his armies. However, after his downfall in 1814, it continued construction as a church and was completed in 1844.
The church has undergone significant renovations in recent years to stabilize it and maintain it for future generations.