Montmartre, Paris
I currently have cathedrals on the brain, largely due to the fact that I just finished reading Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth. And while I fully understand and intend for this to be a travel blog, I can’t help but use my Internet platform to tell my readers to read this book. Its 900+ pages detail the story of a monk’s quest to build the most beautiful cathedral in all of medieval England. Halfway through reading it, I declared to Matt: “this is my new second-favorite book” (truly nothing will ever push Virginia Woolf’sMrs. Dalloway out of the top spot).
Thinking about cathedrals has made me nostalgic for the times I’ve been lucky enough to see the beautiful churches of Europe, and one of the most visually stunning churches that I’ve seen is the Sacred Heart Basilica in Paris, France (La Basilique du Sacré-Coeur). Sacré-Coeur sits at the top of a hill called Montmartre, situated in the 18th arrondissement of Paris.
In English, montmartre means “mountain of the martyr,” named for the martyrdom of the Bishop of Paris, Saint Denis, who was decapitated on the hill around 250 AD. Saint Denis is now the patron saint of France. The Montmartre district, the highest point in Paris, is a former artists’ village where Picasso and Dalí once lived.
When you visit Montmartre, you wonder if you’re just constantly walking uphill, even when you think you should be going downhill. At the top of the hill, Sacré-Coeur looms tall with its white-domed roofs.
During our summertime visit, Matt and I toured the interior of the basilica first, where mass was being said. Afterwards, we began the long, dizzying climb to the top of the church. At 272 feet high and 300 steps to the dome, it’s quite the journey.
Once at the top, treat yourself to panoramic views of Paris.
The best view is at the south end of the basilica, where you can see the Eiffel Tower reaching high in the distance.
Although I don’t normally consider myself afraid of heights, I found it challenging to get close to the edge and look down at the city below. (Funny enough, I had the same problem when I climbed to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona—so maybe I am afraid of heights?)
After touring Sacré-Coeur, we treated ourselves to a walk around the Montmartre neighborhood, popping in cafes and restaurants for coffee, and admiring street art in the public plazas.
Our last stop in Montmartre was, funnily enough, a cemetery: Père Lachaise Cemetery. Paris is famous for its unique, above-ground cemeteries.
In Montmartre, which was the home of many famous artists, you can find the graves of Edgar Degas, Alexandre Dumas, Hector Berlioz, Léon Foucault, and Jacques Offenbach, just to name a few.
Many other travelers to Montmartre will be sure to make a stop at the famous Moulin Rouge to enjoy a cabaret, but we didn’t get to do this–as great a disappointment as that was, I now consider it a reason to return to Paris! I’d love to hear your travel stories, so be sure to leave a comment below (and subscribe, please!)
