Troyes, Église de la Madeleine (Church of the Magdalen), Organ Topped with Angel Musicians
My personal favorite among Troyes’ many churches is the small Église de la Madeleine, the oldest in the city and a Gothic jewel box. The nave was built in the 13th century, the choir and apse were rebuilt in the 16th, and the tower was built in the 17th. It has been a national historical monument since 1840. Its outstanding attracting are the lace-like rood screen (jubé) and the dazzling stained-glass windows.
Stained-Glass Windows
• St. Louis Chapel, on the north side of the church : Life of St. Louis IX, King of France
• Apse Central Chapel, formerly the goldsmiths’ chapel: (1) Life of St. Eloi (Eligius), patron saint of goldsmiths ; (2) Tree of Jesse ; and (3) scenes from the Old Testament (Adam & Eve, the Last Judgment).
• Lady Chapel (Chapelle Notre-Dame), on the south side of the church : (1) a Passion donated by Nicolas le Muet, died in 1484, and his wife Catherine Boucherat ; (2) a history of the Magdalen, donated by the city hosiers in 1506 ; and (3) a triumph of the Cross, given by the Tartier family.
Choir
The choir is richly decorated with oaken choir stalls from the 18th century and a high altar in three different colors of marble. The choir furniture (armchair and four stools) are period Louis XVI.
Statues
Notable among the Statues are a Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, a St. Martha, and a Virgin with Child
Rood Screen or Jubé
The Église de la Madeleine is one of the very few churches in France to have kept its rood screen or jubé, a masterpiece that is emblematic of the Flamboyant Gothic style on account of its decorative exuberance and its daring design. It was carved in Tonnerre stone (a fine-grained oolithic chalk) by master mason Jean Gailde from 1508 to 1517 (he was buried under the rood screen in 1519). The rostrum panels are decorated with foliage and curly cabbages. The three little haut-relief scenes framed by quadrilobes on the nave side of the rostrum are the work of mason Nicolas Halins, known as the Fleming (1513), representing Christ preaching to two men and framed by two women. Only the stereotomic prowess and internal framework can explain the arc hanging above the choir, cleft by three soaring arches separated by hanging keys, those at either end blocked by large sculpted masses bearing the monograms IHS and AM (Ave Maria) as well as the instruments of the Passion. The escutcheons on the choir side (three, the one in the center bearing the initials S M for Sainte Madeleine, the other two, embossed with the arms of France topped by a crown, were carved by Simon Mauroy in 1515-1516. Above the cornice of flamboyant foliage is a railing of crowned fleurs-de-lys, ending in a handrail ornamented with spiny-leafed stems.
This monument was the object of much devotion, as the parishioners, not content with paying for it, donated their own labor to build it.
The organ, topped with angel musicians, was built in 1901 by Charles and Frédéric Rollin and is listed as a national historical landmark.
Troyes, Église de la Madeleine (Church of the Magdalen), Organ Topped with Angel Musicians
My personal favorite among Troyes’ many churches is the small Église de la Madeleine, the oldest in the city and a Gothic jewel box. The nave was built in the 13th century, the choir and apse were rebuilt in the 16th, and the tower was built in the 17th. It has been a national historical monument since 1840. Its outstanding attracting are the lace-like rood screen (jubé) and the dazzling stained-glass windows.
Stained-Glass Windows
• St. Louis Chapel, on the north side of the church : Life of St. Louis IX, King of France
• Apse Central Chapel, formerly the goldsmiths’ chapel: (1) Life of St. Eloi (Eligius), patron saint of goldsmiths ; (2) Tree of Jesse ; and (3) scenes from the Old Testament (Adam & Eve, the Last Judgment).
• Lady Chapel (Chapelle Notre-Dame), on the south side of the church : (1) a Passion donated by Nicolas le Muet, died in 1484, and his wife Catherine Boucherat ; (2) a history of the Magdalen, donated by the city hosiers in 1506 ; and (3) a triumph of the Cross, given by the Tartier family.
Choir
The choir is richly decorated with oaken choir stalls from the 18th century and a high altar in three different colors of marble. The choir furniture (armchair and four stools) are period Louis XVI.
Statues
Notable among the Statues are a Martyrdom of St. Sebastian, a St. Martha, and a Virgin with Child
Rood Screen or Jubé
The Église de la Madeleine is one of the very few churches in France to have kept its rood screen or jubé, a masterpiece that is emblematic of the Flamboyant Gothic style on account of its decorative exuberance and its daring design. It was carved in Tonnerre stone (a fine-grained oolithic chalk) by master mason Jean Gailde from 1508 to 1517 (he was buried under the rood screen in 1519). The rostrum panels are decorated with foliage and curly cabbages. The three little haut-relief scenes framed by quadrilobes on the nave side of the rostrum are the work of mason Nicolas Halins, known as the Fleming (1513), representing Christ preaching to two men and framed by two women. Only the stereotomic prowess and internal framework can explain the arc hanging above the choir, cleft by three soaring arches separated by hanging keys, those at either end blocked by large sculpted masses bearing the monograms IHS and AM (Ave Maria) as well as the instruments of the Passion. The escutcheons on the choir side (three, the one in the center bearing the initials S M for Sainte Madeleine, the other two, embossed with the arms of France topped by a crown, were carved by Simon Mauroy in 1515-1516. Above the cornice of flamboyant foliage is a railing of crowned fleurs-de-lys, ending in a handrail ornamented with spiny-leafed stems.
This monument was the object of much devotion, as the parishioners, not content with paying for it, donated their own labor to build it.
The organ, topped with angel musicians, was built in 1901 by Charles and Frédéric Rollin and is listed as a national historical landmark.