la madeleine

la madeleine is an enormous temple of pillars that oversees 8th district of paris. i learned that it has a history of being built and destroyed and rebuilt since the 18th century. in the end, good ole' napoleon is responsible for her construction; la modern madeleine was built as a temple to his great army. after his fall came the catholic restoration, which saw this temple repurposed as a church dedicated to mary magdalene. its blended history is represented by its mixed appearance. from the outside we see a pantheon and inside we are in a cathedral. always moved by the mixed history here in france.