Sacré Coeur
Sacré Coeur
Sacré-Cœur de Paris
THE BASILICA OF THE SACRED HEART
A lovely little basilica boasting neo-byzantine architecture and no end of sculptures and icons. The city views from this church perched on top of the Butte Montmartre are spectacular. You’ll definitely want to explore the lovely local area and take a leisurely stroll through the little park, where you can usually enjoy the musical stylings of lively buskers.
My Rating:
The Positives:
A beautiful church with a stunning view across the city. Definitely one of the top 10 must-see attractions in Paris! You can explore the church and enjoy the view for free, but it’ll cost you EUR 6.00 if you want to climb up the tower.
The Negatives:
There are always crowds of people here. Tourists, locals and... pickpockets. Make sure you always keep your valuables close.
Tip:
If you don’t fancy walking up the hill, you can always hop on board the Funiculaire de Montmartre cable car.
Last Modified: 03.02.2023 | Céline
SACRÉ-COEUR
Tickets
The details
at a glance
Opening hours
Basilica: daily, 6.00 a.m. – 10.30 p.m.
Dome: June – September, 9.00 a.m. – 8.30 p.m.
show moreOpening hours
Basilica: daily, 6.00 a.m. – 10.30 p.m.
Dome: June – September, 9.00 a.m. – 8.30 p.m.
show moreOpening hours
Basilica: daily, 6 a.m. – 10.30 p.m
Dome: daily
June – September, 9.00 a.m. – 8.30 p.m
October – February, 10am – 5.30pm
March – April, 9.30am – 7pm
Times are subject to change if weather conditions require it.
show less
Prices
Basilica: free admission
Dome and crypt: EUR 6 for adults
When you stand in front of the basilica, you have to turn left once. There is a small entrance with the cash register.
Please note: you have to climb approx. 300 steps (without elevator) and walk down again.
Address
35 rue du Chevalier de la Barre,
75018 Paris
Metro:
Line 2 (blue): Anvers, Pigalle, Barbès-Rochechouart
Line 4 (pink): Château Rouge, Barbès-Rochechouart
Line 12 (green): Lamarck-Caulaincourt, Pigalle
& then you have to walk a bit uphill
SACRÉ-COEUR
Photo Gallery
What is there
to see?
If you ask me, Sacré-Cœur is one of the city’s little gems. It just has so much to offer!
A lovely little basilica boasting no end of sculptures and icons, a small park to stroll around, usually to the tune of the buskers’ music, and a spectacular view. Plus, to get to Sacré-Cœur you have to walk through the beautiful Montmartre district, which is never a bad thing.
The church itself is home to many relics, including a replica of the statue of Saint Peter found in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, providing another opportunity to touch his right foot…
The mosaic in the chancel is another sight to behold. The religious figures depicted are joined by Joan of Arc, who is seen offering her crown at Jesus Christ’s feet. Spanning an impressive 475 m², this mosaic is one of the largest in the world.
There are plenty of statues of saints on the inside and gargoyles on the outside.
You can access the steps up to the dome outside the basilica. Once you’ve reached the top, a panoramic view across Paris awaits. You should be able to spot the Pompidou Centre, Notre-Dame, the Tour Montparnasse and the Eiffel Tower! You can gaze up to 40 km into the distance on a nice day.
SACRÉ-COEUR
A bit of history
Officially called the Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre (Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre), the basilica was built between 1875 and 1914.
The architecture is described as being neo-byzantine in its style. But what does that mean exactly? Paul Abadies, the architect who died in 1884, before the construction work was completed, took inspiration from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul and Saint Mark’s Basilica in Venice. The architectural style features arches, vaults and domes with moulding and mosaics as decorative elements.
Sacré-Cœur breaks the basilica mould a little. Traditionally, a basilica is an elongated building with a high roof at its centre and lower chambers on either side. But Sacré-Cœur is more of a cross-in-square church with its compact square floor plan spanning 85 x 35 metres. The basilica stands at 83 metres tall, with the dome accounting for 55 metres of that height.
Sacré-Cœur got a lot of bad press for a long time. Even within the travel sector! This quote was taken from an illustrated book published in 1974:
“When you approach and reach the forecourt, when you enter the interior, you cannot put up with the accumulation of meaningless structures: the glorious, disproportionate domes, the indestructible ugliness of the sculptures and mosaics and even less with the coldness of the pale material, which will never take on a patina, this robust stone from Château-Landon which, contrary to expectations, becomes whiter with increasing age.” Fleury, Erlande-Brandenburg and Babelon, 1974.
That was then. What about now? These days, Sacré-Cœur is easily one of the top 10 sights in Paris!
Official website of the Sacré-Cœur: sacre-coeur-montmartre.com
Text and image rights: © Céline Mülich, 2016 – 2023
