Below is some information on the exciting Place de la Concorde, one of the major squares in Paris, located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. "La Madeleine" is a nearby church now dedicated Napoleon's army. Some of Paris’ best restaurants and luxury stores can be found in this area.
The very centrally-located Madeleine-Concorde area of Paris has so many exciting restaurants to choose from, you may find yourself pulled in many directions at once! The Madeleine-Concorde is home to many luxury hotels and palaces, as well. Fortunately, it is all within easy distance of one of our many Paris one bedroom apartment.
With traffic, sights and sounds in seemingly all directions, it is easy to feel lost on the 84,000 square meters of the Concorde. The center of the Place is occupied by a giant Egyptian obelisk decorated with hieroglyphics exalting the reign of the pharaoh Ramses II. It is one of three Cleopatra's Needles, the other two residing in New York and London. Long ago, the obelisk marked the entrance to the Luxor Temple. The viceroy of Egypt, Mehemet Ali, offered the 3,000-year-old Luxor Obelisk to France in 1831. The obelisk arrived in Paris in 1833. Three years later, on October 25, 1836, King Louis-Philippe had it placed in the centre of Place de la Concorde. It’s believed that its original cap was stolen in the 6th century BC. As a result, in 1998 the government of France added a gold-leafed pyramid cap to the top of the obelisk.
The red granite column rises 75 feet high, including the base, and weighs more than 250 tons. Given the technical limitations of the day, transporting it was difficult to say the least. On the pedestal diagrams explain the machinery that was used for the transportation.
The Place itself was designed by Ange-Jacques Gabriel in 1755 as a moat-surrounded octagon, situated between the Champs-Élysées to the west and the Tuileries Gardens to the east. Choose from various lovely furnished apartments paris to see all of these sights and many more. Filled with statues and fountains, the area was named Place Louis XV to honor the king. At the north end, two magnificent identical stone buildings were constructed. Separated by the rue Royale, these two structures still remain among the best examples of that period's style and architecture. Shortly after its construction, the western building was made into the luxurious Hôtel de Crillon (still operating today) where Marie Antoinette spent many an afternoon relaxing and taking piano lessons.
During the French Revolution the statue of King Louis was torn down and the area renamed "Place de la Révolution". The new revolutionary government erected the guillotine there. The first notable to be executed at the Place de la Révolution was King Louis XVI, on January 21, 1793. Other important people guillotined there, often in front of cheering crowds, were Queen Marie Antoinette, Madame Élisabeth, Charlotte Corday, Madame du Barry, Saint Just and Robespierre. The guillotine was most active during the "Reign of Terror", the summer of 1794, when in a single month more than 1,300 people were executed. A year later, when the revolution was taking a more moderate course, the guillotine was removed from the square. In token of national reconciliation, its name was changed.
L'église de la Madeleine, or L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine (or simply "La Madeleine"), is a church centered at the end of rue Royale, a line-of-sight between Gabriel's twin hôtels in the Place de la Concorde. Soak in the history after a rest and typical Parisian breakfast prepared in your vacation apartment in Paris. The church was actually the result of two earlier attempts to create a church here. It was officially consecrated in 1842.
Built in the Neo-Classical style, the Madeleine was inspired by the Maison Carrée at Nîmes, one of the best-preserved of all Roman temples. Fifty-two Corinthian columns, each 20 metres high, frame the entire building. You may even be able to catch a glimpse of them from your Paris apartment rental Madeleine-Concorde. The pediment sculpture of the Last Judgement is by Lemaire, and the church's bronze doors showcase reliefs representing the Ten Commandments. The church features a single nave with three domes over arched, gilded bays, which owe as much of their their style to the Roman baths as the sensibility of the Renaissance. At the rear of the church, above the high altar, stands a statue depicting St Mary Magdalene being carried up to heaven by two angels. The half-dome above the altar features a fresco on “The History of Christianity,” with Napoleon occupying centre stage.
The church has a celebrated pipe organ, built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, which is widely regarded as one of the best in Paris. Composers Saint-Saëns and Gabriel Fauré were both organists here. In another bit of interesting musical history, the funerals of Frédéric Chopin, Saint-Saëns, Fauré and Josephine Baker were all held at La Madeleine.
To its south lies the Place de la Concorde, to the east is the Place Vendôme, and to the west L'église Saint-Augustin.
