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Origin and history

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre, known as the National Vœu, is a major religious and political monument in Paris. Located at the top of the Montmartre hill in the 18th arrondissement, it was erected between 1875 and 1923, after the French defeat of 1870 and the Paris Commune. Its origin dates back to a vow formulated by Alexandre Legentil in 1870, promising the construction of a sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus to atone for "national faults" and obtain divine mercy. This project, supported by the archbishop of Paris and Catholic notables, was declared of public utility in 1873 by a National Assembly with a majority monarchist, despite the Republican opposition.

The choice of Montmartre, historic site of the martyrdom of St Denis and cradle of the Commune, has a strong symbolic dimension. The basilica, designed by architect Paul Abadie in a Romano-Byzantine style, was financed by a national subscription of nearly ten million donors. Its construction, marked by technical challenges (83 foundation wells to stabilize the gypsum soil), sised over nearly 50 years. The works began in 1875 with the laying of the first stone by Cardinal Guibert, but the building was not dedicated until 1919, after the First World War. The basilica became the property of the city of Paris in 1908, thus avoiding its decommissioning under the Third Anti-clerical Republic.

The architecture of the Sacred Heart, inspired by models such as Sainte-Sophie de Constantinople or Saint-Marc de Venise, is distinguished by its 83-metre central dome (the highest point in Paris before the Eiffel Tower) and its four domes. The white stone of Château-Landon, chosen for its resistance and self-cleaning, gives it a characteristic brightness. The interior, richly decorated with mosaics (including that of the choir, the largest in France), stained glass and sculptures, reflects a nationalist and religious iconography. The crypt, of the same size as the high church, houses chapels and tombs of Cardinals Guibert and Richard.

The Sacred Heart was from the beginning a place of pilgrimage and Eucharistic adoration, with a perpetual prayer established in 1885. Its history is also marked by controversies: perceived as a symbol of the "moral order" and the repression of the Commune, it was criticized by artists (Zola, Steinlen) and left-wing politicians. In 1905, a statue of the knight of La Barre, an anticlerical symbol, was erected in front of his court, before being moved. Ranked a historic monument in 2022, the Basilica remains an active place of worship, managed since 1995 by the Benedictines of the Sacred Heart, and attracts nearly eleven million visitors annually.

The annexes, built in the 20th century (sacristy, dormitories for pilgrims), complete the architectural ensemble. The square Louise-Michel, built in the 1920s by Jean-Camille Formigé, offers a monumental perspective towards the basilica, accessible by stairs or the funicular. The great organs, the last masterpiece of Cavaillé-Coll (1898), and the bell La Savoyarde (18,835 kg, offered by the dioceses of Savoie) bear witness to its exceptional artistic heritage. Today, the Sacred Heart embodies both a religious heritage, an architectural prowess and a memorial issue, between devotion and historical debates.

The basilica is also a cultural symbol, appearing in musical works (clips by The Fortunes or Gab) and remaining a Parisian landmark. His late ranking (2022) revived the controversy over his connection with the Commune, but his role as a sanctuary of perpetual adoration and a place of recollection continued, despite societal transformations. Benedictines live an active spiritual life there, perpetuating the initial vow of prayer for France and the Church.

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