The Sacré-Coeur Basilica is a landmark on the Paris skyline and one of the city's top tourist destinations. It offers commanding views of the French capital, but its history is not that well known to visitors. They may be surprised to learn that it was built as a means of spiritual renewal and national atonement following several defeats. It is also interesting because its construction was supported by a law in the National Assembly in 1873 and it was built by public subscription between 1875 and 1914. Whether it be in terms of location or design, the Sacré-Coeur has been controversial since its inception.
The initial idea came from Alexandre Legentil, a wealthy businessman, philanthropist and devout Catholic. Together with his brother-in-law Hubert Rohault de Fleury, Legentil felt that France was being punished and they had to make amends for this situation. The punishment came in the form of the Franco-Prussian War when France was defeated by a coalition of Prussian states.
From Sensato, the dark history behine the Sacré-Coeur
To atone for the sins of their fellow citizens, they made a vow in January 1871 to build a church in Paris dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Devotion to the Sacred Heart in France goes back to the 1670s when a nun and future saint Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of Jesus. Some argued that the church was needed as "an act of repentance for the alleged moral decadence of the Second Empire and the collective apostasy of the French nation". In other words, the French people were living the high life and had turned away from God.
A group of laymen called the Committee of the National Vow was established to oversee the project. They lobbied public representatives, which resulted in a vote being passed in the National Assembly in July 1873 to build the Church of the National Vow as a public good. This meant that land could be expropriated on which to construct the church, but it also meant that the building must be financed privately. The project went ahead despite opposition from a small but broad range of politicians and secularists.
The chosen location was at the summit of the butte of Montmartre in the northern 18th arrondissement. A funding scheme was devised and donations were sent in by the public to cover the cost of construction. The committee came up with "ingenious marketing techniques" in order to get the message out, such as newsletters, site visits and souvenir sales.
An open competition to design the basilica was launched in 1873. Paul Abadie's distinctive Roman-Byzantine design was chosen from over 70 proposals submitted. There were mines directly under the site as the area was used for many years to mine building materials. This led to a complicated construction process involving massive amounts of piling to secure the new building to the bedrock more than thirty metres below. Altogether, 83 wells were sunk to anchor it securely.
The first stone was laid in June 1875 in a ceremony led by the Archbishop of Paris Joseph-Hippolyte Guibert, who championed its construction. There were nine bishops present at the ceremony together with 200 deputies from the National Assembly. The sum of 48 million francs was collected from donors throughout France over a period of 40 years.
The striking white travertine stone that clads the basilica was excavated from quarries near Souppes-sur-Loing in the Seine-et-Marne department about 100km south of Paris. The stone is self-cleaning. When rain hits it, it exudes calcite meaning that despite pollution and weathering, it will only grow whiter with age. The central dome, which stands at 83m, represents Jesus. The four smaller domes that surround it represent the apostles. The blessed sacrament has been perpetually exposed there since August 1885. Initially, this took place in a provisional chapel which could hold over 700 people and later in the basilica itself.
The bell tower at the rear of the basilica contains a 19-ton bell that is the largest and heaviest bell in France. It has been nicknamed the 'Savoyarde’ as it was given by donors in the Savoie department in the French Alps. The Sacré-Coeur was consecrated by Cardinal Amette in October 1919 with a Papal legate, eight cardinals, 12 archbishops and 98 bishops in attendance. While Amette consecrated the main altar, 30 bishops consecrated the other 30 altars (15 of which are in the basilica and 15 are in the crypt).
It has been called a "key monument of modern French Catholicism". However, it may surprise some to learn that as the basilica is not a parish church and there are no baptisms or marriages performed there. It was always intended primarily as a place of pilgrimage and, like many pilgrimage sites, it has a guest house where people can stay.
As much a tourist attraction as a place of worship these days, the Sacré-Coeur is also a symbol of Paris for the hordes of tourists who visit it each day or who see it standing on the butte of Montmartre from wherever they are in the city. In 2022, it was added to the list of National Historical Monuments, meaning that the building could receive state subsidies for conservation and renovation work. Communist Party councillors criticised this move labelling it an "affront" to the memory of the over 30,000 Communards killed during the Paris Commune, which had its roots in Montmartre.
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