Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XIII.djvu/95

 PAKIS 85 iment, and for its lofty dome, which, however, in every quality but size, is far inferior to that of the church of the Invalides, the masterpiece La Sainte Chapelle. in its kind of the time of Louis XIV. (See PANTHEON.) St. Germain 1'Auxerrois, apart The Madeleine. from its rich ornamentation, claims attention because from its belfry was given the signal for the St. Bartholomew massacre; St. Gervais for a singularly beautiful chapel. The exterior of the Madeleine presents a grand reproduction of pure antique forms. It stands on a raised platform 328 ft. long by 138 ft. broad, which is ascended at either end by a flight of 28 steps ; a surrounding colonnade of 52 pillars 49 ft. high, supporting a richly sculptured frieze and cornice, intercolumnar niches in the side walls filled with colossal statues of saints, the largest sculptured pediment in the world crowning the noblest portico the world has seen since the Athenian Parthenon, are the eminent features of this magnificent Christianized Grecian tem- ple. St. Vincent de Paul, Notre Dame de Lo- rette, Ste. Clotilde, St. Augustin, and the Trini- te are noteworthy, if not altogether admirable, as exemplifications of contemporary architec- tural talent ajid decorative taste in their ap- plication to religious purposes. In the spring of 1875 the assembly resolved upon the erec- tion of a magnificent "votive church," to cost 10,000,000 francs, on the summit of Montmar- tre. The corner stone was laid June 29, 1875. Many of the hotels of the city (notably the Grand H6tel on the boulevard des Capucines, and the H6tel du Louvre on the rue de Eivoli, both belonging to a large stock company), and several of the club houses (especially that of the Jockey club on the corner of the boule- vard and the rue de Helder), are fine and lux- uriously fitted structures ; and there are many beautiful private residences, especially in the neighborhood of the Champs Elysees. Every- thing relating to the public charities of Paris is subject to the superior control of the general administration of public assistance, which is it- self a dependence of the ministry of the inte- rior. It has at its head a director and a council of general management composed of 20 mem- bers, presided over by the S=t prefects of the Seine and of police. Within its juris- diction, besides bureaux de Mewfaisance in each of the 20 arrondissements, and an extensive system of out- door aid, are 34 general and special hospitals, alms- houses, asylums, and re- treats; five others are un- der the direct charge of the minister of the inte- rior, and three military hospitals under the direct charge of the ministry of war. The chief of the hos- pitals is the very ancient and famous institution of the Hotel-Dieu, founded early in the 9th century by the brothers of St. Chris- topher, who called it the hospital of St. Christopher. The names Notre Dame and Maison-Dieu de Paris were subsequently applied to it, that of Hotel-Dieu first occurring in an act of Louis