La Madeleine

La Madeleine looks nothing like a church, and that was entirely intentional. Louis XV commissioned it in 1757, construction stalled through the Revolution, and then Napoleon decided he wanted a temple glorifying his Grande Armée instead. That plan was dropped too. The building finally opened in 1842, a full 85 years after the first stone was laid.

Step inside and you find a single long nave lit by three concealed domes overhead. The light falls soft and diffuse, drawing your eye toward the altar and its dramatic sculpture of Mary Magdalene ascending. The choir dome carries a sweeping fresco by Jules-Claude Ziegler tracing the entire history of Christianity in paint.

Frédéric Chopin's funeral was held here in 1849, though it was nearly derailed. Chopin had requested Mozart's Requiem, which requires female singers. The Madeleine had never allowed women in its choir. After two weeks of negotiation, the church relented on one condition: the women had to sing from behind a black velvet curtain. Three thousand people attended anyway.

Before you leave, stand on the front steps and look down the Rue Royale. You will see the Place de la Concorde, the Assemblée Nationale, and the dome of the Invalides perfectly aligned before you. Napoleon designed this axis as an imperial line of sight straight through the city. Propaganda in stone, and honestly, it still works.