Basílica of Sacre Coeur, Montmatre (+ photos in website)

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart or Sacré Coeur is the second tallest monument in Paris (surpassed only by the Eiffel Tower) and one of its most emblematic religious buildings.

Its white domes, thanks to the height provided by the Montmartre hill, are visible from practically any point in the city center and in front of its doors it is usual to find hundreds of tourists and Parisians enjoying the views from its staircase.


Montmartre, the sacred hill
--------------------------------------------

Montmartre ("monte de los martires", in French) has a long religious tradition. And it is that this hill was already occupied by several temples in Roman times, and the tradition says that the martyr St. Denis, who arrived to Christianize the inhabitants of Gaul, was beheaded in this same place.

The history of Montmartre is also linked to the lives of many saints: Saint Clotilde, Saint Thomas Aquinas or Saint Ignatius of Loyola are some of those who passed through this sacred hill; likewise, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to the Sacred Heart on one of his trips.

Basilica of the Sacred Heart history
----------------------------------------------------------

After the Franco-Prussian wars that had plunged France into a complicated social and economic stage, in the late nineteenth century several Parisian businessmen, in collaboration with the Archbishop of Paris and with the approval of the National Assembly, proposed the creation of a church in Paris to help the population recover the religious faith lost after so many misfortunes for the French people, and in memory of all the soldiers killed in the war.

The place chosen to locate this new church was Montmartre, and it would be decided to consecrate it to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Built thanks to small donations from parishes and individuals, in 1919 (when the First World War had ended) the Basilica of the Sacré Coeur was consecrated.

The names of those who contributed their donations for the construction of the basilica are engraved on the stones with which it was built.

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart is neo-Byzantine style and its design was carried out by the architect Paul Abadie, although having died before finishing it, he was succeeded by many other architects who were in charge of finalizing the project.

Inside, in the shape of a Greek cross, you will find the largest mosaic in France, the work of Luc-Oiliver Merson; a work of great proportions and golden aspect that represents the Sacred Heart.
At the entrance we receive two equestrian statues, that of Joan of Arc and that of King Louis IX, who crown a portico with three arches.
The Sacré Coeur has a very characteristic white color; This is due to the travertine stone with which it is built, which with time goes bleaching.
The large central dome, supported by several columns (if you look, you will see that each one has a different capital) and the huge bell of several tons, baptized as Savoyarde complete the visit.


The visit
--------------

You can enter the basilica for free; to go up to the dome or visit the crypt itself you have to pay a separate entrance.

In the crypt, in addition to several sculptures of saints, a relic related to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is kept.

Something that will surprise you when visiting the Sacred Heart for the first time is the group of devotees praying in front of the High Altar. And it is that this basilica is a temple of perpetual adoration even before it was officially inaugurated. These prayers take turns every so often to keep the prayer alive 24 hours a day for no less than ... 125 years!

#tammywhite