The Chapelle Expiatoire is nestled in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, in the heart of the square Louis XVI. This location is not by chance because it is here that the Madeleine cemetery was located. This cemetery housed the bodies of Louis XVI, the last King of France under the Ancien Régime, and of Queen Marie-Antoinette. They were guillotined in 1783 on the Place de la Concorde, which was then called the Place de la Révolution. Their remains have since been moved to the Basilica of Saint-Denis, the final resting place of the kings of France.
Commissioned in 1815 by Louis XVIII, the brother of Louis XVI, the construction of this chapel erected in memory of the royal couple was completed in 1826. It was built in the place where Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette had been buried before their transfer to the Basilica of Saint-Denis in 1815. In 1914, the chapel was classified as a historical monument.
Inside, there are two sculptures, one representing an angel showing the sky to Louis XVI, the other revealing Marie-Antoinette kneeling in front of Religion. One can also read the will of Louis XVI and the last letter written by Marie-Antoinette to Madame Elisabeth, the king's sister.
Dates and Opening Time
Starts June 17, 2020
Location
Chapelle Expiatoire
29 Rue Pasquier
75008 Paris 8
Prices
Tarif Réduit: €5
Plein Tarif: €6
Official website
www.chapelle-expiatoire-paris.fr
More informations
Gratuit pour les moins de 18 ans et les 18-25 ressortissants de l'Union Européenne
