Beneath the bustling streets and modern avenues lies a hidden gem. It is a sanctuary of remembrance, the Chapelle Marie-Antoinette.
This architectural wonder stands in neo-classical style. Commissioned by Louis XVIII in 1815 the Chapelle Marie-Antoinette was built to honor his brother Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette. Both were guillotined in 1793. Their deaths occurred on Place Royale now known as Place de la Concorde. The site where we stand was once a mass grave. It was used during the darkest days of the French Revolution. Though their tortured bodies now rest in the Basilica of Saint-Denis this place is still filled with emotion.
The Expiatory Chapel remains one of the most original religious buildings in Paris. As you step inside look up to the dome and vaults. They possess a rare beauty. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette seem to watch over us.
Engraved on the pedestal of King Louis XVI’s statue are the words of his will. He wrote this before his execution. On Marie-Antoinette’s statue pedestal you can read her last letter. She wrote it to Mrs Elisabeth the king’s sister.
The altar is in the crypt. It marks the exact spot where the king was buried. Take a moment for meditation. Feel the weight of history here at the Chapelle Marie-Antoinette.
King Louis XVIII shared the cost of building the Chapelle Marie-Antoinette with the Duchess of Angoulême. The expense totaled three million livres. Construction took ten years. The chapel was finally inaugurated in 1826. King Charles X attended the ceremony.
Hyacinthe-Louis de Quélen Archbishop of Paris blessed the cornerstone. He called for amnesty for exiled members of the National Convention. His plea was in vain.
The Chapelle Marie-Antoinette stands on a slight rise. Two buildings are separated by a courtyard. A cloister-like peristyle surrounds the courtyard. It isolates the chapel. The building on Rue Pasquier serves as the entrance.
An inscription above the entrance declares King Louis XVIII raised this monument. It was to consecrate the place where King Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette were buried. Their remains were moved to the royal tomb of Saint-Denis on January 21 1815. They rested here for 21 years. The inscription notes the chapel’s completion during the second year of King Charles X’s reign in 1826.
Cenotaphs in the courtyard honor those known to be buried here. The chapel itself has a tetrastyle portico. It is of sombre Doric order. Inside a domed space sits at the center of a Greek cross. Three coffered half-domed apses feature oculi. These supplement the light entering through the main dome’s skylight.
White marble sculptures depict the king and queen in ecstatic poses. François Joseph Bosio and Jean-Pierre Cortot created these works. A bas-relief by François-Antoine Gérard shows the exhumation of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Their remains were moved to the Basilica of St Denis.
The crypt holds a black and white marble altar. It marks where the royal remains were discovered. The Chapelle Marie-Antoinette is an uncompromising example of late neoclassical religious architecture. Chateaubriand called it the most remarkable edifice in Paris. Its severe geometry is unadorned by sculpture.
The Paris Commune demanded the chapel’s demolition in May 1871. Fortunately this order was never carried out. Today a memorial mass is held in the chapel every January 21. This commemorates the death of Louis XVI. The Chapelle Marie-Antoinette was damaged by a storm in 2009.
As we conclude our visit consider the layers of history beneath our feet. The Chapelle Marie-Antoinette stands as a testament to memory atonement and reconciliation. It is a place where even the most casual visitor faces the ugliness of history and the regretful results of society’s sometimes less than stellar behaviors. Take a moment to reflect on the lessons of the past. Carry them forward as we continue our journey through Paris.