The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur in Paris will celebrate its ninetieth anniversary

Paris/Prague - It stands on the hill of Montmartre, at the highest point of Paris, and from its base opens one of the breathtaking views of the French capital. The massive snow-white basilica of Sacré-Cœur (Temple of the Sacred Heart), admired yet condemned, was built as a reaction to the defeat in the Prussian-French war. The temple, in Byzantine-Romanesque style, sometimes derogatorily nicknamed "whipped cream cake," was consecrated 90 years ago, on October 16, 1919. The steps beneath it are a popular resting place for countless tourists.
    The impetus for the creation of Sacré-Cœur was the infamous end of the Prussian-French conflict, after which the Prussian troops marched through Paris. The project for the temple, meant to symbolize a mental uplift, national unity, and a return to spiritual values, was further strengthened by the Paris Commune, a revolution that for two months dominated the capital in 1871. The successor of the murdered Archbishop of Paris then chose a strategic location for the new sanctuary. In order to avoid difficulties with land acquisition, the construction was declared a matter of national interest.
    The winner of the 1874 competition was French architect Paul Abadie, who drew inspiration from several structures in his designs: the St. Front temple in Périgueux, the Notre-Dame du Port temple in Clermont-Ferrand, St. Mark's temple in Venice, and the Hagia Sophia basilica in Istanbul, Turkey. The cornerstone of Sacré-Cœur was laid in October 1875. However, the work on the foundations was complicated by an old quarry, necessitating the construction of over 80 33-meter-deep shafts, which were filled with concrete.
    The construction initially had state financial support, but after the funds were depleted, believers from all over France had to contribute to the temple. Anyone who donated a franc could buy a stone and engrave their name into it. The matter dragged on also due to the resistance of the republicans, who boycotted it in parliament. The basilica of Sacré-Cœur was completed just before the First World War in 1914, but was consecrated only after it ended. Abadie did not live to see the final works, and five other architects took over the project, each making slight changes.
    Sacré-Cœur is an architectural mix of Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque styles. The construction of the temple used travertine, a type of limestone that releases calcium carbonate in rain or moisture, so the building remains white despite the ravages of time and air pollution. The basilica is 85 meters long, 35 meters wide inside, and the highest point of the dome reaches 84 meters. Given that Sacré-Cœur stands on a hill one hundred meters above the Seine, its pinnacle is the second highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower.
    The entrance portal is adorned with two equestrian statues of figures that are inseparable from French history - Joan of Arc and Louis IX known as the Saint. The rectangular nave of the temple is surrounded by seven chapels. The bell tower hides the largest bell in France (named Savoyarde) and one of the largest in the world. It is three meters tall, weighs almost 19 tons, and its clapper weighs 850 kilograms. The interior of Sacré-Cœur also features a large mosaic above the apse and rare organs.
    The basilica, which is cared for by the Benedictine order, still has many critics today, not only due to its clash with the revolutionary civil tradition of French history. Some argue that the Byzantine style does not fit well in Paris, and malicious tongues say that Sacré-Cœur "looks like a fluffy cake from afar and a pound cake up close." However, the truth remains that this monument is one of the most visited in all of France and accurately reflects the diversities and paradoxes of once-bohemian Montmartre.