BASALIQUE DE SACRE COEUR

Paris, France

Architect Paul Abadie designed the basilica, built on the summit of Montmartre in Paris, after winning a competition over 77 other architects. The foundation stone was laid June 16, 1875. Passionate debates concerning the Basilica were raised in the Conseil Municipal in 1880, where the Basilica was called "an incessant provocation to civil war.” The overall style of the structure is a free interpretation of Romano-Byzantine features, an unusual architectural vocabulary at the time.

The design was a conscious reaction against the neo-Baroque excesses of the Opéra Garnier, which was cited in the competition. Many design elements of the basilica symbolise nationalist themes: the portico, with its three arches, is adorned by two equestrian statues of French national saints Joan of Arc and King Saint Louis IX. The 19-ton Savoyarde bell (one of the world's heaviest), cast in 1895 in Annecy, alludes to the French annexation of Savoy in 1860. Abadie died in 1884, not long after the foundation had been laid. Five new architects continued with the work. The Basilica was completed in 1914, when World War I broke out. It was formally dedicated in 1919, after the war, when its national symbolism had shifted. The estimated construction cost of seven million French francs was raised from private donations, but that amount was spent before any above-ground structure was seen. Pilgrimage donations quickly became the mainstay for funding. Later, the National Assembly declared that the state had the ultimate responsibility for funding.

This sketch was done during our Christmas visit to Paris to spend time with our son who was in Paris for a year of study with the Georgia Tech School of Architecture studyabroad program. The church was a short walk from our hotel, also in Montmartre. I had been to the basilica a few times in past years, but this was the first time I had a chance to study its wonderful composition and commanding presence.