Monday, May 30, 2016

La basilique du Sacré-Cœur

Here's another iconic Parisian monument, the Sacred Heart basilica. It's not an old building, having been completed at the turn of the century. Uh, from the 19th to the 20th, that is. I forget that the century has turned again since that expression became popular. Us mid-century types are getting old.

The gothic church without towers just below the Sacré Cœur in the photo is Saint Eustache at les Halles. The gothic spire on the left, just behind the pointy green roof, is the Sainte Chapelle on the Ile de la Cité.

I won't go into the details of why it was built -- lots of guilt, remorse, political, religious and moral stuff, all of which you can look up on the internet if you're interested. But since it was built, up on the heights of Montmartre, it has become an icon of Paris and a tourist mecca. The views out over the city from the terraces are terrific. I have yet to climb up into the church's dome. Maybe one day!

6 comments:

  1. Loving these photos, Walt. You can spread them out for as long as you wish. None of us is getting bored with them.

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  2. I love your turn-of-the-century comment. I keep doing the same thing. I had a friend ask me the other day, "And which century might that be?" I'm thinking of dropping her as a friend.

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  3. I love seeing Sacre Coeur from the RER as I come into to Paris from CDG- it gives me a frisson every time. Our friend Linda had a little hotel room with a view of SC once. That hotel was in the same square as the Pantheon. One of my favorite locations in Paris.

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  4. Replies
    1. michael, from the Wikipedia entry: "Eustace was a Roman general named Placidus, who served the emperor Trajan. While hunting a stag in Tivoli near Rome, Placidus saw a vision of a crucifix lodged between the stag's antlers. He was immediately converted, had himself and his family baptized, and changed his name to Eustace." I felt bad for the stag.

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  5. bettyann, ha! Famous last words...

    mitch, like a hot potato!

    evelyn, cool!

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