The Church of the Madeleine, stunning and impressive

TheEglise de la Madeleine is, of course, the church where Johnny Halliday 's funeral was held and in front of which thousands of fans gathered, but it is above all an incredible Parisian church, full of history.

With its 52 20-meter-high Corinthian columns, theEglise de la Madeleine doesn't go unnoticed. It has to be said that Napoleon I thought big. So when it came to building a Temple of Glory dedicated to his Grande Armée, he naturally needed a building to match his ambitions.

In December 1806, Napoleon resumed work on a church (begun in 1763 and aborted by the French Revolution), and architect Pierre-Alexandre Vignon drew inspiration from theOlympiion in Athens to design the Madeleine we know today.

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But after the fall of Napoleon, Louis XVIII ordered that the building be returned to its religious function. As a result, theEglise de la Madeleine is a strange pagan temple, inspired byGreco-Roman architecture, with neither cross nor steeple.

Once through the two monumental bronze doors, the interior of theEglise de la Madeleine features neo-classical architecture, Corinthian columns (again!), sculptures, paintings, a neo-Byzantine mosaic and a great organ by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, played by Camille Saint-Saëns. For the more music-loving among you, note that free classical music orchestras are held here throughout the year.

Before you leave, take a moment to admire the panorama before your eyes as you emerge from theEglise de la Madeleine. With nothing to distract your gaze, you can see the Place de la Concorde, theAssemblée Nationale and even the Invalides. A visual plunge into the history of Paris!