Through Him, with Him, and in Him
Soul Stirring
Image provided by Deborah Burton
It was a treat at the historic La Madeleine Church [formerly known as L'église Sainte-Marie-Madeleine/Church of Mary Magdalene] in the 8th District of Paris when Frédéric Moreau and the quintet Orchestre Les Violons de France performed Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons', and Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D major. In addition, a soloist sand two different versions of Ave Maria.
The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau states that this Neo classique church began construction in 1764 and was completed in 78 years for Napoleon who wanted a style, like a replica of the Greek temple Maison Carrée in Nimes, for glorifying his armies aconstructed 52 Corinthian columns all around the building. Following Napolean's defeat, King Louis XVIII determined that the structure would be used as a church, dedicated to Mary Magdalene and was finally consecrated as a church in 1842. Since it was built as a temple, there are no transept, no aisles and no steeple
The bronze entrance doors, bearing reliefs representing the Ten Commandments, are 354 feet (108 meters) long and 141 feet (43 meters) wide.The nave of the church features Jules-Claude Ziegler's fresco The History of Christianity. Wikipedia.org describes the statue of Saint Mary Magedlene being lifted up by angels above the high altar, depicting St Mary Magdalene being lifted up by angels which evokes the tradition concerning ecstasy which she entered in her daily prayer while in seclusion.
The acoustics in this church are so amazing now, as when Chopin requested that Mozart's Requiem be sung at his funeral.
This experience got me thinking about all of the people involved who used their talents to construct and decorate this beautiful church, and it took years to complete. And all the priests and bishops who have used their talents to provide the sacraments. It took years for the solo violinist to develop his talents, along with his accompanying musicians.
How are we using our talents to honor and serve God who has given us everything?
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Madeleine,_Paris
https://travelfranceonline.com/la-madeleine-church-greek-temple-paris/
https://en.parisinfo.com/paris-museum-monument/71158/Eglise-de-la-Madeleine
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About the Author
I am a lifelong, continuously learning Catholic, Mom of two creatively brilliant adult children, Telehealth Program Manager at a Catholic Health System, and Editor at Catholic365.com. Have BA in Communications and Information Studies, MA in Communications and Information Studies/Health Communications, and all but Dissertation completed in PhD in Educational Psychology.
