BASILICA OF THE SACRÉ-CŒUR DE MONTMARTRE

The Sacré-Coeur is one of the best-known monuments in Paris. It's true that it hardly goes unnoticed, as monumental as it is well-placed, enthroned at the top of the Butte Montmartre. People go there as much to discover the monument as to enjoy one of the finest views of the capital. And yet, it's a relatively recent edifice. Imposing, with its 100m length, 50m width and 83m-high dome, the building is the fruit of a political and moral project of the 1870s, which attributed the country's setbacks (defeat at Sedan by Prussia and Napoleon's imprisonment) to a profound spiritual crisis and just as many sins to be forgiven at the time. So it was decided to erect a huge church as a national vow. As for La Butte, it was chosen because it overlooks the capital. The location also opened up a new page of history in connection with the city's rich religious past. But the project is also often associated with the desire to atone for the painful episodes of the Commune, a question that often resurfaces in today's debates. The project, led by Paul Abadie (and 5 other architects!), took 50 years to complete. The clayey nature of the terrain, which had to be compensated for by colossal retaining works, delayed construction, while the 14-18 war brought the project to a standstill for several years. Although the building was consecrated in 1919 (the title of Basilica makes it a place of pilgrimage), it was not fully completed until 1923. Built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style, the front of the basilica consists of a group of Byzantine-inspired domes, while the rear, with its apses, is in the Romanesque tradition. The basilica's white colour is due to the fact that its exterior stones come from the Souppes quarry (Seine-et-Marne), which naturally whiten in contact with rainwater. It should be noted that, due to the narrowness of the building site, the basilica had to be oriented on a north-south axis rather than the usual east-west. The interior architecture is Romanesque-Byzantine. Of particular note is the choir mosaic, one of the largest in the world, depicting the risen Christ with open arms and a golden heart ("Sacred Heart"). The 1898 Cavaillé-Coll organ is also well worth a look. The basilica is also home to the famous "Savoyarde" from 1895. And don't forget to visit the Dome, the highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower!