Place de la Madeleine is named after the 19th-century neoclassical church at its centre, the Église de la Madeleine. Constructed in the style of a massive Greek temple, ‘La Madeleine’ was consecrated in 1842 after almost a century of design changes and construction delays.
The church is a popular venue for classical-music concerts (some free); check the posters outside or the website for dates.
On the south side, the monumental staircase affords one of the city’s most quintessential Parisian panoramas. From here, you can see down rue Royale to place de la Concorde and its obelisk and across the Seine to the Assemblée Nationale. The Invalides' gold dome appears in the background.
