The construction of the Madeleine church was fraught with drama. Scarcely had work begun in 1764, than it was stopped. Begun again in 1777, it was interrupted by the French Revolution, before being restarted under Napoléon, who made it a pantheon to the glory of his armies. Once again designated a place of worship, the church, completed in 1842, is more like a Greek temple: no bell tower or cross on the outside, but two monumental doors and a forest of Corinthian columns. From the top of the steps, the perspective is worthy of Olympia!