Basilique du Sacré-Cœur
Or the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Paris. In 1873, the National Assembly voted for the construction of a basilica devoted to the Sacred Heart on the butte Montmartre. The site was chosen as much for its altitude (127 meters) as for its symbolism; it was sanctified long before with the martyrdom of Saint Denis and sullied by the violent acts of the Commune, in 1870. Pitfalls, controversies, underground quarries, and 83 buried pillars caused the work to extend over forty years. All these efforts were rewarded!
From below, the Romano-Byzantine contours take on the appearance of a whipped-cream palace set on a hill of gardens and terraces: green and white outlined against swathes of azure. The view from the top of the steps, and especially from the top of dome, is simply stunning.
