La Madeleine

Fifty-two Corinthian columns, each sixty-five feet tall, support the pediment of La Madeleine. It resembles a massive Greek temple dropped into the heart of Paris. Napoleon intended it to be a temple of glory for his Great Army, but after he fell from power, the building became a Catholic church. In eighteen forty-two, its consecration finally transformed the shell into a place of worship. The interior features a gilded, ornate sanctuary that stands in stark contrast to the austere, pagan exterior.