Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
construct the church's foundations came solely from the contributions of local Catholics.
However, the Montmartre location was certainly no coincidence: the conservative old guard
desperately wanted to assert its power in what was then a hotbed of revolution. The battle
between the two camps - Catholic versus secular, royalists versus republican - raged on,
and in 1882 the construction of the basilica was even voted down by the city council (on the
grounds that it would continue to fan the flames of civil war), only to be overturned in the
end by a technicality.
Six successive architects oversaw construction of the Romano-Byzantine-style basilica,
and it wasn't until 1919 that Sacré-Cœur was finally consecrated, even then standing in utter
contrast to the bohemian lifestyle that surrounded it. While criticism of its design and white
travertine stone has continued throughout the decades (one poet called it a giant baby's
bottle for angels), the interior is enlivened by the glittering apse mosaic
Christ in Majesty
,
designed by Luc-Olivier Merson in 1922 and one of the largest in the world.
The Dome & Crypt
Outside, some 234 spiralling steps lead you to the basilica's dome, which affords one of Par-
is' most spectacular panoramas; they say you can see for 30km on a clear day. Weighing in
at 19 tonnes, the bell called La Savoyarde in the tower above is the largest in France. The
chapel-lined crypt, visited in conjunction with the dome (for an additional €2), is huge but
not very interesting.
You can avoid most of the climb up to the basilica with the short but useful
funicular rail-
way
(1 metro ticket;
6am-midnight)
or the
tourist train
(per person €6;
10am-midnight Apr-
Sep, to 6pm Oct-Mar)
, which leaves from place Pigalle.
