 | Paris Montmartre / Sacré Coeur Reviews | 11 - 20 of 678 |  |
Going in August meant that the place was extremely crowded! As we were walking up Montmartre, we could hear so many different languages spoken, vendors standing outside of their stores promising something different from the vendor next door, smells wafting out of the many side street cafes that line the area, and artists painting the beautiful Parisian scenery. Beware of street vendors selling you home made arts and crafts. These crafts are most often poorly made and these vendors sometimes work with pickpocketers to find out where you hide your money.
The walk itself up to the basillica is pretty long, but you see so much along the way. If you are too tired, there is a furnicular you can take. However, I suggest that you just wear comfortable shoes and brave the hike! It is indeed very entertaining. After, take a well deserved break at one of Montmartres many cafes and take the time to people watch!
*extra: the arrows and the carousel from the movie Amelie are still there! Leave a Comment
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In front of Sacre Coeur there is always a collection of dancers, jugglers, mimes, musicians and unauthorized street vendors. This is a lively and entertaining scene as some of the performers are quite talented. I have never been tempted by the vendors, but others tell me you should be cautious with them and look out for pickpockets as well. A time or two we noticed the vendors, who display their wares on blankets spread on the sidewalk or plaza, would gather their wares in the blanket/knapsack and rapidly disappear. Evidently there is some code they hear that translates roughly, "Cheez it, the cops!" Leave a Comment
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This magnificent Basilica looks ancient but only goes back about 100 years, begun about the end of the Franco-Prussian War and finished about 1914. By then the French were in another struggle with Germany (WWI) so the dedication was postponed until 1917. The white color is due to the gypsum on the surface which whitens with age. The church is built on top of some gypsum mines and required a deep and complex foundation. Leave a Comment
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Montmartre, which used to be a little village near Paris, was discovered by French artists in the second half of the nineteenth century and transformed in a vivid area.
Built on a hill, with steep staircases connecting one street to another, old houses, little parks, Montmartre still keeps its village characteristics.
Many famous painters lived and worked here: Van Gogh, Lautrec, Seurat or Monet.
It seems that originally the name came from god Mars, which had a temple built on this place, but the Christians changed it in Mont du Martyre or Martyr's Hill, when Saint Denis, beheaded on the hill for his Christian beliefs, carried his head to the bottom of the hill.
The small places are full of painters and small shops selling souvenirs.
We've visited the place in the morning, but we've been told to be very careful to the pickpockets and to avoid Montmartre after the sunset.
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So many comments or tips concerning this place... From my point of view, the Sacre Coeur, at the top of the Butte Montmartre, is a splendid church you wouldn't have imagined to find, here, in Paris...
Il y a deja tellement de commentaires ou de tuyaux sur cet endroit.. Mon point de vue : le Sacre Coeur, au sommet de la Butte Montmartre, est une eglise splendide qu'on n'imaginerait jamais etre la, a Paris... Leave a Comment
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The beautiful white basilica of Sacre Coeur was built on the site of the martyrdom of France's patron saint, St Denis, crowning the hill whose name commemorates that event - the martyr's mount has become Montmartre. The church was built as a memorial to the city's bitter defeat at the hands of the Prussians in 1870 and the civil war that followed soon after. Standing in front of the church to take in the wonderful view of the city spreading all around, wandering the steep cobbled lanes with their galleries and cafes, looking over the shoulders of the artists who have their easels set up on every corner and under every tree, it's hard to imagine the dreadful events which led to the church being built.
Described as "the last village" in Paris, Montmartre is hugely popular with tourists but it still retains much of its raffish charm. Long associated with the bohemian life of the many of great names of 19th and 20th century art - Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Pissaro, Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani are just a few of the artists who lived and worked here - as well as the decadent world of fin-de-siecle dancehalls and cabarets such as the Moulin Rouge and Le Chat Noir - the quarter is now an officially designated historic area with strict rules and regulations about what can be built there now , and how and where.
It's all a bit too picturesque for my taste, somewhat in danger of becoming completely Amelieified - let's hope the shades of the true Bohemians who lived here once will hang around to challenge and provoke those who would see the place set in the aspic of the past - just as they did with their art when they were alive.
leyle Leave a Comment
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Although initially I found morbid a visit to a cemetery, Montmartre is not a place like others.
Built below street level, with the entrance on Avenue Rachel under Rue Caulaincourt, Montmartre cemetery is the resting place for many famous artists who lived and worked in this area: Berlioz, Offenbach, Dumas, Dalida or Heinrich Heine.
The cemetery is actually a mini "museum" with numerous sculptures and picturesque graves and really worth the time. Directions: M: Abbesses (line 12)
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Sacre Coeur is at the top of Montmartre Hill and was built in 1914 but not consecrated until 1919. It's famous white-architecture dominates the city.
It is well worth taking the 234 steps to the top of the dome for beautiful views across Paris, but it is definitely hard-going!
If you don't fancy the climb, then the view from the top of the steps, on ground level to the entrance of Sacre Coeur is pretty amazing too. Leave a Comment Address: Metro: Abbesses, AnversDirections: From Anvers metro station, take the road on your right, up a small hill and you will see Sacre Coeur ahead of youWebsite: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/
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If you want to study tourists, sell tacky souvenirs or do some pickpocketing, the Sacre Coeur is one of the best spots in Paris (maybe even better than Tour Eiffel as they are more concentrated here).
More seriously :
This white neo byzantine basilica is perched atop a green part of Montmartre's hill (129 meters above sea-level) and visible from many parts of Paris is, in fact, rather recent.
After the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, it was decided to build a church consecrated to the Heart of Christ in reparation (in penitence for sins commited) since for this time's government, the misery of France stemmed more from spiritual than from political causes.
In 1873, the chief architect was chosen : Abadie known for his restoration of the Cathedrale Saint Front in Perigueux.
The first stone was laid in 1876 and the basilica was finished in 1914, but it was not consecrated until 1919 after the WWI's end.
The church has been concieved for pilgrimage pupose and since 1885, there has been perpetual adoration and worship within.
To reach it, you can either work up your legs and climb the stairs or use the small lifts (Funiculaire) taking you up there for the price of a metro ticket.
The front facade and the steps of the church are often crowded by tourists and the same obnoxious souvenir-sellers than at Tour Eiffel or Notre-Dame, but whith some good planning you can get nice pictures and enter the building in decent conditions.
In front the facade are 2 equestrian statues : on the left Saint-Louis, on the right Jeanne d'Arc, in the middle is a statue of the Christ.
In the basilica, there is a large mosaic depicting the Christ with outstretched arms and the inside of the church is really beautifull.
The dome is 80m high and if you walk to the top, you are rewarded by a fantastic view of the city (reaching about 40km by clear weather).
The Sacre Coeur basilica is open 6am to 11pm; the dome is open 9am to 7pm, it is also possible to visit the crypt. Leave a Comment Address: 35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre 75018 ParisPhone: 33 (0)1-53-41-89-00Directions: Metro Anvers or Abbesses (you can see it when exiting the station)Website: http://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com/
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It's my favorite district in Paris. It has its own spirit I'm sure. I can't explain that. I just liked it, its streets upstairs and downstairs. Fantastic place! I had a walking from Monceau Park to Sacre Coeur Basilica and it was one of the most fantastic journeys in my life. You should have a walking in quarters near of the cemetery because on the closed jalousie of the shops there are nice pictures of the local painters. Leave a Comment
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