Basilique du Sacre-Coeur and the white hill of Montmartre

Basilique du Sacre-Coeur crowns Montmartre with a bright mass of white stone and domes above Paris. Paul Abadie’s neo-Byzantine design was begun in 1875 and completed in 1914, with consecration in 1919.Paul Abadie’s neo-Byzantine design

Montmartre’s white mass above Paris

The basilica stands on the summit of the butte of Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. Its travertine skin gives the exterior a pale, uniform surface that reads clearly against the hill.

That material is one of the building’s most recognisable traits. The stone, quarried for the church, keeps the façade bright and separates the basilica from the darker masonry below.travertine skin

Paul Abadie and the long build

Paul Abadie won the design competition, and the basilica took shape over several decades. Construction began in 1875, after a proposal made in 1870 and formal approval in 1873.Construction began in 1875

The church belongs to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in both form and chronology. It is a minor basilica, and its Romanesque-Byzantine vocabulary gives the exterior domes and arches a compact, layered profile.Romanesque-Byzantine vocabulary

Inside the church and beneath it

The plan is centred on a Greek cross, with chapels around the main volume and a crypt below. The interior contains a large mosaic, side chapels and a grand organ by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.

The crypt is part of the same composition, not a separate afterthought. It has its own chapels and structural arrangement, and the building’s long completion left different phases visible across the whole complex.the crypt below

Visiting Basilique du Sacre-Coeur: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The basilica stands in Montmartre, in Paris’s 18th arrondissement. Metro line 2 reaches Anvers, and the hill is approached from the streets below.
• The climb includes the slopes and stairways of Montmartre. The square below the basilica is part of the setting, and the approach rises noticeably from the surrounding street grid.
• The church is a minor basilica and a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site. Its interior combines a Greek-cross plan, chapels and the high central dome.
• The complex includes the basilica, its crypt and annexes, together with the square and the stairways by the hill. That recorded grouping places the church within a larger protected ensemble.

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Frequently asked questions about Basilique du Sacre-Coeur

Where is Basilique du Sacre-Coeur?

It stands in Montmartre, in the 18th arrondissement of Paris. The basilica sits on the hilltop above the surrounding streets.

What does a visit there involve?

The visit means a steep approach, a large church interior and a wide view over the city. The building combines a pilgrimage church, a crypt and annexes in one ensemble.

What makes it distinctive?

The white travertine exterior, the domes and the late nineteenth-century design by Paul Abadie define it. Its protected status and hilltop position make the basilica easy to recognise in the Paris skyline.