Basilique du Sacré Coeur (Sacred Heart Basilica)
This basilica was built in honour of 58,000 French dead in the Franco-Prussian war (France-Germany) of 1870/1871. It was built on top of Montmartre, whose name was originally used for the village on top of the hill, but is now also used for the quarter below. The build lasted from 1876 to 1914, but the church wasn't consecrated until 1919, due to World War I.
The area of Montmartre in Paris used to be somewhat of an artists' quarter. Many (now) famous artists lived and worked there: Toulouse Lautrec, Pisarro, Van Gogh and Picasso, to name but a few. Some of those artists would have lived there while the build of this beautiful church was going on! If you stand in front of the Sacré Coeur, you have a wonderful view over Montmartre and the rest of Paris (although the Eiffel Tower was hidden behind the trees).
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What wonderful memories this brought back!! I spent a week in Paris a number of years ago and this was one of the beautiful places we visited! Great post and photo for the day! Hope your week is going well! Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteSylvia
Wow. What a gorgeous building! Fantastic architecture!
ReplyDeletethanks for the interesting information. Wish I could visit Paris and see the wonderful places you talk about. Great post Mara.
ReplyDeleteDidn't know it was so recently built, so much to see in Paris I've never made it there, yet.
ReplyDeletesensational building; would have thought it was older.
ReplyDeleteROG, ABC Wednesday team
I remember the area from a mapping project we used to do in geography class. It's nice to see a picture of the real thing.
ReplyDeleteI haven't been there for years and years - an incredibly beautiful part of the world. Excellent picture!
ReplyDeleteNever been fortunate enough to visit there to see these amazing architectural sites! Thanks for taking me there today. And I'm glad I could help you out with a word for "Sister"! Still thinking about the new name for College Girl.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful building. Looking at this, I think a return visit to Paris is long overdue for me. :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting information and a great new picture of you!
ReplyDeleteLovely to revisit this through your blog. Great post!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful building, it certainly has had many unique uses in its long history.
ReplyDeleteThe Sacré Coeur made a deep impression on me the first time I saw it, even though I'm not very religious. Combined with its location, it is marvellous. Thank you for the post and the additional information!
ReplyDelete"J'ai fixe mon coeur pres du Sacre Coeur, certainment pour le mieux." Sung by Maurice Chevalier quite a number of years ago. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt is beautiful and thank you for sharing the history behind it.
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