Sacré-Cœur Basilica

There is so much more to visiting the Montmartre area in the 18th arrondissement when traveling to Paris. But we can not ignore the Sacre Coeur Basilica. It is a well-known landmark and the city's second most visited monument.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a Roman Catholic church and minor Basilica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Paris, France, located at the top of the butte Montmartre, the city's highest point. The building began in 1875 and was finished in 1914. It is regarded as a political and cultural monument, reflecting a national penance for France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the activities of the Paris Commune of 1871. Sacré-Cœur Basilica was built in a neighborhood that witnessed significant events by the Paris Commune of 1871. It is a well-known landmark and the city's second most visited monument.

The Archbishop of Paris, Cardinal Guibert, sanctioned the construction of this church, and Montmarte hill was chosen as the best location. Cardinal Guibert got permission to use the property for the new church in 1873. The architect chosen was Paul Abadie, and the Romano-Byzantine architecture was influenced by sites like Venice's Saint Marks Church and stood in stark contrast to the medieval design of Gothic cathedrals like Paris' Notre Dame. The stone used to construct the Basilica was called travertine stone, and it was mined in the Seine-et-Marne district of Ile de France. Travertine stone produces calcite, so the Basilica has that distinctive white appearance.

Address: 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France