Paris - Eglise de la Madeleine - 8me

Plate LXXVI – Eglise de la Madeleine … 

I could not at the time of my visit hear the name Madeleine without hearing also the Jacques Brel song of that title. 
Today, I still think of the tragic disappearance of the McCann’s daughter, for whom the search continues (can you help?) 
But in Paris, La Madeleine refers most often to the more fully titled Eglise de la Sainte Marie-Madeleine.

Providing Neo-Classical symmetry to the fairly distant opposite southern Napoleonic façade of the Palais Bourbon (see previous post) this Roman Catholic church was erected by Napoleon in honour of his Grand Armée. The design commissioned from the architect Vignon in 1806, it was dedicated to St Mary Magdalene in 1814 – with the building standing today being the third attempt to erect a church on the site. Said to be inspired by the Greco-Roman temple like lines of the Maison Carrée at Nîmes, its purpose of glorifying the Armée was somewhat usurped by the completion in 1808 of the Arc de Triomphe, and following Napoleon’s defeat, it was Louis XVIII who determined it would be dedicated as a church. The pediment sculptures designed by Charles Lemaire depict Mary Magdalene’s holy intercession for the Damned. The knave dates from 1831, and despite brief consideration of converting the structure into a railway station in 1837, its final consecration came in 1842. The magnificent bronze doors to the church are bas-relief panels of the Ten Commandments. 
The area of the Faubourg surrounding La Madeleine was earlier known as Ville l’Evêque, having been seized from the Jewish community in 1182 and placed under the care of the bishops of Paris. The short stretch of street known as the Rue Royal and the intersecting Rue du Faubourg St-Honoré are arguably the most fashionable parts of the city, populated with retail houses named after the likes of St Laurent, Cardin, Lanvin and Hermes. Undoubtedly due to this fashion link the church is the popular choice for many Parisian society weddings to this day, the celebrated pipe organ built by Cavaillé-Coll heralding many a  bride’s arrival in Wagnerian triumph.

Paris - Sorbonne - 5me

Plate XLV - The Church of the Sorbonne…

Practically across the road from the Panthéon is (part of) the University of Paris. Whatever French I speak today, I owe in some measure to the ‘Sorbonne’*. My first French teacher, you see, did her post graduate language studies here in Paris - and you can’t get much better than that! Of course it meant that I learned the purest form of the language and even today I am told that I have the accent of a Suisse Romande. I guess that’s good?

Originally a theological college founded in 1257 by Robert de Sorbon, confessor to Louis IX, the College of the Sorbonne became the greatest seat of learning in Europe, and the centre of the University of Paris - with a claimed enrolment of some twenty thousand students as far back as the Renaissance age. The domed Church of the Sorbonne, added in 1637 contains the tomb of Cardinal Richelieu, both benefactor and sponsor of the college.  It was suppressed during the Revolution, restored by Napoleon in 1808, and was closed in 1882.  A secular institution since then, the present buildings of the university were completed in 1889. Marie Curie - the first woman Nobel Prize winner - also became the first woman professor at the University in 1908. The Curie Institute, still involved in teaching and research is in close proximity.

The University became a centre of world attention in May 1968 when it was occupied by student radicals during violent protests that spread throughout the Latin quarter of the city - evacuated by order of President Georges Pompidou. Later called the ‘events of May’ this civil unrest would lead to the political demise of General de Gaulle, and to widespread educational reforms.

*Although comprising of a number of colleges, the Universities of Paris today are familiarly referred to collectively as The Sorbonne.

Paris - Palais Royal - 1er

Plate XIX - The Palais Royal ...

Another of my favourite retreats in Paris is the Palais-Royal, especially for the many delightful specialist boutiques within its arcades. There is one selling the most exquisite hand painted lead figurines, ranging from authentically uniformed historical military characters to miniature TinTins. It is reputed that it was in one of these shops, selling knives, that Charlotte Corday acquired the weapon she used in the murder of Jean Marat (Marquis de Sade). Of course commercial pursuit was not the original intent of these buildings, for it was originally known as the Palais Cardinal and was home of the powerful Cardinal Richelieu. Completed in 1629 it was designed by Jacques Lemercier. Bequeathed to the crown by Richelieu on his death it has been home to various members of the French royal families, and was a refuge for the royals during the Fronde. It later became home to numerous second floor casinos, and was frequented by ‘ladies of the night’ (no longer part of the deal).

Today the French Conseil d’ État, Constitutional Council and Ministry of Culture are housed here. Controversy arose with the 1986 installation of Daniel Buren’s conceptual contemporary artwork Les Deux Plateaux. Primarily a work in black and white I wanted to capture this scene primarily shaded in natural greys or monochrome. This is not as difficult as it may sound, in a cloudy Paris. I was almost ready to snap (one did not shoot with this camera), when a young cyclist in a red shirt rode into view - making for one of my all time favourite images. I like to think of this as an instant that photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson described in his book Images à la sauvette as a Decisive Moment. Once again, in Paris I was in the perfect place, at the perfect time … only, without the perfect camera!!