Crowning the Butte de Montmartre (Montmartre Hill), Sacred Heart
Basilica was built from contributions pledged by Parisian Catholics as
an act of contrition after the humiliating Franco-Prussian War of
1870–71. Construction began in 1876, but the basilica was not
consecrated until 1919. In a way, atonement here has never stopped; a
perpetual prayer ‘cycle’ that began at the consecration of the Basilica
continues round the clock to this day.
Some 234 spiralling steps
lead you to the basilica’s dome , which affords one of Paris’ most
spectacular panoramas – up to 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, is huge.
If you don’t want to walk the hill, you can use a regular metro ticket aboard the funicular.
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