Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre
Romano-Byzantine basilica crowning Montmartre, built as political atonement over France's most revolutionary hill.
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About this audio guide
This guide to the Sacré-Cœur in Paris begins in 1870, when Prussian troops encircled the city and a Parisian philanthropist named Alexandre Legentil made a vow amid the wreckage of national defeat: if France survived, he would build a sanctuary on Montmartre's highest point. It follows the decades-long construction that followed, plus a detail about the stone itself that explains why the dome looks the way it does after rain. You'll also hear about a form of continuous prayer that began inside the unfinished building in 1885. Stand back far enough to take in the full dome as you listen.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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