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La Basilique du Sacre Coeur de Montmartre

On The hill of Montmartre in the North of Paris rises 129 meters above sea-level.

In 1870, war broke out between France and Germany.
The Council taking place at the Vatican broke up and the Pope,
no longer protected by French troops, felt himself to be a prisoner in the Vatican City.
France faced military defeat and occupation of part of the country by German troops.
The response of MM. Alexandre Legentil and Hubert Rohault de Fleury was spiritual.
They vowed to build a church consecrated to the Heart of Christ in reparation
(in penitence for sins commited) since for them,
the misery of France stemmed more from spiritual than from political causes.
Late 1872 : Cardinal Guibert, archbishop of Paris, approves this vow and chooses Montmartre.
Late 1873 : he obtains a parliamentary declaration of the public utility of the Basilica,
thus enabling the land to be used to built the church

At the time, the building of a Basilica dedicated to the Heart of Christ is unusual compared
with the series of Basilicas dedicated to Mary built during the same period : Lourdes,
Notre-Dame of Fourviere at Lyon, Notre-Dame of la Garde at Marseille.

The work was financed by gifts, often modest, from all over France.
The names of the donors are carved in the stone



The architecture/The construction

· The architect is Paul ABADIE, but six architects succeeded him before the building was completed.
· The style is Romano-byzantine,
that is to say in contrast with the gothic style of medieval churches such as Notre Dame of Paris (1163-1240)


The style was inspired by models such as Saint Sophia at Constantinople, Saint Mark's at Venice or Ravenna.

Key dates:

- 1875 : Laying of the foundation stone, and then several months work on the foundations : underpinning pits 33 meters deep are needed. Filled up, they become the pillars on which the edifice rests. Without these pillars, the Basilica would sink into the clay.
- 1878 : Work begins on the crypt
- 1881 :Work begins on the Basilica itself
- 1914 : All is ready for the consecration including the tower containing the "Savoyarde" a 19 tons bell. But the First World War breaks out (1914-1918)
1919: Consecration on the 16th of October 1919


Greetings
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