Sacré Cœur Basilica - Basilique
du Sacre Coeur
The Sacre Coer Basilica, also
known as Basilique du Sacre-Couer which
means the Basilica of the Sacred
Heart in English, is one of Paris’
most well known landmarks. The
majestic structure sits atop
the
summit of butte-Montmartre, which is
the highest point in Paris.
The Commune’s first insurrection
happened in Montmartre. Many of the
communards lost their lives and were
entombed in the underground
galleries of the gypsum mines they
retreated to. Instead of finding
refuge in the subterranean
corridors, the communards were
trapped when the Army of Versailles
detonated explosives at the
entrances of the mines.
For the construction of the
basilica, a law of public utility to
seize the land at the peak of
Montmartre was passed. The church
was designed by Architect Paul
Abadie whose design bested those of
over seventy other architects.
The foundation stone was laid in
June 16, 1875, and the project was
finally completed
in 1914.
The Roman Catholic Basilica was
dedicated by Legitimist royalists
and ultra-Catholics to the Sacred
Heart of Jesus after the French
Revolution. Presently, however, many
assert that the basilica be
dedicated in honor of the 58,000
people who died in the war.
According to the decree of the
Assemblee national released in July
24, 1873, the Sacre Coer Basilica
was built in order to “expiate the
crimes of
the communards”. |
