French Third Republic

The Église de la Madeleine is a neoclassical church distinguished by its fifty-two massive Corinthian columns that surround the entire rectangular structure like a marble forest. Unlike most cathedrals in Paris, it lacks traditional spires or a cross on its roof, appearing instead like a monumental Roman temple. This visual irregularity stems from the building's tumultuous history, as it spent decades caught between shifting regimes.