I’ve been trying to visit the Chapelle Expiatoire for probably 3 years now.  The other day, walking by with my friend Ruth, I saw the door was open and we took the opportunity.

I discovered the place completely by chance when on another day, I was looking for a wine bar (this link goes to my Best Friend of Wine Meetup site where I list events and share wine info) that was in a nearby passage.  Walking around the corner, I saw this park and wandered in.  It was obvious to me that the memorial was some kind of chapel and had something to do with Marie-Antoinette and her husband, Louis XVI but it took a little research to figure it all out.

At the end of the Revolution of 1814 and during the restoration of the monarchy, King Louis XVIII wanted to memorialize his brother Louis XVI (the one who’s head was chopped during the other Revolution in 1793).  He had his and Marie’s remains transferred to Saint Denis Basilica and then had this chapel built on the former Madeleine cemetery where their remains had been originally dumped (theirs and many others of note).

The chapel was designed by the architect Pierre François Léonard Fontaine as a Greco-Roman necropolis in the shape of a Greek cross and built between 1815 and 1826.  It’s been through a lot of controversy politically but was finally classified historic in 1914 and remains secure.

The chapel itself is not immediately evident as it hides behind the pavilion entrance.  There is a serene rose garden inside that is a raised garden composed of the excavated material and remains from the former mass graveyard, so it is indeed “hallowed” ground.  There are rows of symbolic gravestones on each side that commemorate the Swiss guards who lost their lives in 1792 when the King was first arrested at the Tuileries gardens.

Once inside the chapel, there are four vaulted openings that bring in light and two white marble statues representing the King and Queen.  Each statue has the will and last testament of each engraved on the front.  Downstairs is the crypt with a black marble altar in the form of an ancient tomb that marks the place where the king’s body was exhumed.

The square is located at 29, rue Pasquier in the 8th arrondissement and is open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 1 – 5.  Guided visits in English can be arranged by calling: 01 44 54 19 30