Montmatre/ Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coure and Montmartre Despite the fact that the district of Montmartre is not considered a very nice area in Paris, it quickly became one of our favorites. Everything was much cheaper and there are a variety of restaurants to choose from no matter what cuisine you prefer. But what makes Montmartre so unique is the beautiful Basilica of the Sacred Heart. The Sacred Heart is located on the highest point of a hill of Montmartre. In the nineteenth century the basilica was built in a Romano-Byzantine style which was the style that was popular at the time. The Basilica of the Sacred Heart was built with a special stone called Chateau-Landon which due to its properties allows the stone of the basilica to retain its radiant white color throughout the years, unlike other churches in the city such as the famous Notre Dame of Paris. Montmartre is place of a legend of Saint Denis, who is the patron of the city of Paris. It is believed that in the third century Saint Denis was beheaded yet he was not killed as he picked up his head and walked miles north from the place of his attempted execution to what is now known as the Church of St. Denis. This legend has given the name to the district, Montmartre, which means the hill of martyrdom. The loss of lives during the fighting of the Franco-Prussian War and the Commune of 1871 were decisive enough events that a basilica, The Sacred Heart, was decided to be built on Montmartre to commemorate the dead. It would be built to redeem the soul of those affected by these horrible French tragedies. Another of the reasons of why this basilica was built, was that during the Commune of 1871 Georges Darboy, the Archbishop of Paris, was executed. During this time of uncertainty, many people were killed and the city was almost destroyed. Afterwards, Napoleon Bonaparte III hired Baron Haussmann to redesign the city of Paris to make it a more modern and urban city. As an effect of this, the working class were driven to the edge of the city to areas such as Montmartre. Because Montmartre was located on the outskirts of the city, it was tax exempt and therefore it was not unusual for people to go there and drink. This lead to the creation of establishments such as the Moulin Rouge; more than a cabaret this was a place where people were free to express themselves. It is therefore not surprising to learn that some of the greatest impressionistic painters lived in the area or spent a lot of time in it. Such is the case of the famous Toulouse-Lautrec, who would constantly portray the Moline Rouge in his paintings.