Sunday, October 6, 2013

Sacré-Cœur

Sacré-Cœur (Sacred Heart) Basilica is at the very top of la butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city.  As such, it's a landmark you can see from vantage points all over Paris.  Named after the sacred heart of Jesus, it speaks to the increasingly popular image of Jesus as a sympathetic and caring figure during the construction in the 1870s.  It has also been made a symbol for every side of seemingly most conflicts that have occurred in Paris since it was built.  French history is nothing if not complicated.

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Photos aren't allowed inside the basilica, sadly.

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The view from the steps - a bit blurry, but I adore the graffiti rainbow and how it matches with the colors of the Pompidou in the distance.

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Gulp.  People and tourists and buskers, so many of them.  Much to my peace and quiet-loving self, most places in Paris are mobbed with people.  Be warned.

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