Basilica of the Sacred Heart (Sacre-Coeur)

The Story

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre (Sacre-Coeur) crowns the highest hill in Paris, its white travertine domes visible across the city. It was conceived as a 'national vow' of penance and hope after the sufferings of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71, an act of consecration of France to the Heart of Christ. The first stone was laid in 1875 on the hill of Montmartre, the 'mount of martyrs' associated by tradition with the martyrdom of St. Denis, first bishop of Paris. Built to the Romano-Byzantine design of Paul Abadie and funded by the offerings of millions of French faithful, the church was completed in 1914 and consecrated as a basilica in 1919, after the end of the First World War. The basilica's deepest identity is not architectural but Eucharistic: perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has continued here day and night without interruption since August 1, 1885, sustained through wars, occupation, and every season of the city's life. Above the sanctuary, the great apse mosaic of Christ in Glory, among the largest in the world, shows the Savior with his heart of gold open to all. Today Sacre-Coeur is both one of the most visited churches in France and a living sanctuary, where pilgrims may join the chain of adorers, attend Mass, and entrust their intentions to the merciful Heart of Jesus overlooking Paris.

Church Recognition

A minor basilica of the Archdiocese of Paris, consecrated in 1919 as the fulfillment of France's national vow to the Sacred Heart, and a sanctuary of continuous Eucharistic adoration since 1885.

Catholic Teaching

The basilica unites devotion to the Sacred Heart, the sign of Christ's redeeming love (CCC 478), with adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, in which the Church worships Christ truly present in the Eucharist (CCC 1378-1381).

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Practical

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A place of perpetual Eucharistic adoration overlooking Paris.

Go Deeper

Visit the basilica's official website at https://www.sacre-coeur-montmartre.com, read Pope Pius XII's encyclical Haurietis Aquas on devotion to the Sacred Heart, and see the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Eucharistic adoration (CCC 1378-1381).