Église de la Madeleine, Aix-en-Provence, France

The Église de la Madeleine is a Roman Catholic church in Aix-en-Provence. A convent of the Dominican Order and a Gothic church was built in the 13th century on the Place des Prêcheurs. However, it was burned down in 1383. It was rebuilt, but came down in 1465. The current church building was constructed in its place in the seventeenth century. It was designed by architect Laurent Vallon (1652-1724), and it was built from 1691 to 1703. The facade was designed by architect Henri Révoil (1822-1900) from 1855 to 1860, and it serves as an example of Second Empire architecture. It was renamed in honour of Mary Magdalene in 1822.

The church has a fair amount of art pieces. For example, paintings inside the church include: La mort de St.Joseph by Jean-Baptiste van Loo (1684–1745), Madeleine chez Simon by Michel Serre (1658-1733), La nativité de Jésus by Pierre Mignard (1612-1695), Annunciation Tryptych by Barthélemy d'Eyck (c. 1420–after 1470), and Le Martyre de Saint-Paul by Théodore Beyermann. There are also paintings by Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809) and Jean Daret (1613–1668).

References:

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Religious sites in France

Bengtskär Lighthouse

Towering 52 meters above the sea, Bengtskär lighthouse is the tallest one in Scandinavia. The building started in in 1905 after the shipwreck of S/S Helsingfors and was completed in 1906. The lighthouse was designed by architect Florentin Granholm. On December a special petrol lantern, designed and built in Paris, was brought to Bengtskär and installed atop the tower.

German fleet bombarded Bengstkär in the First World War in 1914. Since the Gulf of Finland was heavily mined, it was not until 1919 that the surrounding seas were declared safe for shipping, that the light was lit again.

After the war the military value of Bengtskär increased as part of the defence system of independent Finland. In Second World War (1941) Soviet Union made a suprise attack to island. After a bloody battle, the small Finnish garrison emerged victorious. Intermittent repairs to the facility continued during the post-war period.

Gastón Fillat (23 months ago)
Beautiful church in a charming town.

Ralph N (2 years ago)
It’s a very beautiful surprise and you can enjoy it better with the free mist

이승택 (3 years ago)
I have no idea what this is but beautiful

Brian Thome (5 years ago)
There is renovation and then there is RENOVATION. This is definitely RENOVATION. Hoping it will finish in my lifetime.

Aaron Pfaff (5 years ago)
Under heavy renovation. Couldn't find a way in.

Église de la Madeleine

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Bengtskär Lighthouse