Iconic Sacre-Coeur Basilica in Paris celebrates its 150th birthday

PARIS (OSV News) -- The famed Sacré-Coeur, or Basilica of the Sacred Heart, which Émile Zola called a "stone host placed on the open wound of the city," celebrates the 150th anniversary of the laying of its first stone.

To celebrate her birthday in style, on June 15, 200 families -- the "living stones of the church" -- as the basilica's rector called them, gathered at the top of Montmartre hill for a festive day of prayer, retreat and consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. "The icing on the cake" -- in the organizers' own words -- was a special blessing from Pope Leo XIV.

The first stone of the basilica shining on top of Montmartre hill was laid precisely on June 16, 1875. The church was completed and consecrated in 1919. Now a must-see spot of Paris, it was built in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, 200 years after the apparitions of Christ in Paray-le-Monial, France, during which Jesus showed his heart to French Visitation religious sister, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, as a sign of his love and his desire to be loved in return.

In the 1900s, during the so-called Belle Époque, the Montmartre district was a popular place for artists and known for its cabarets, such as the Moulin Rouge. Among others, painters Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Pablo Picasso lived in this neighborhood during the years when the basilica was being built.

"Up there, on the hill, in the clear sky, the Sacré-Coeur began to take shape, with its appearance of a giant meringue; a stone host placed on the open wound of the city," Zola, a French novelist and journalist, wrote at the time of construction.

Today, the basilica's famed white dome, visible from all angles of the French capital, rises 420 feet high and dominates the Paris skyline. It is an unmistakable symbol of the city of lights, and one of the most photographed monuments in France. There are 222 steps to reach it. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is perpetual there.

"During construction, some ladies said that if the stones were rising, the prayers should rise too," the rector of the basilica, Father Stéphane Esclef, told OSV News. "Little by little, the link was made between the Heart of Jesus and his presence in the Eucharist, and adoration gradually took hold. From August 1, 1885, perpetual adoration began."

Church historian and member of the Faith and Culture Observatory of the French bishops' conference, Jean Duchesne, knows the basilica by heart. He has been a frequent visitor since the 1970s, when he was a student and then a university professor, and he helped found the student branch of the Adorers of Montmartre.

"The rector of the basilica was Msgr. Maxime Charles, who was very influential in Paris at the time, especially among students," he said. "Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament was previously carried out by women during the day, and by men who came to sleep in Montmartre to take turns at night. Msgr. Charles extended it to couples and students, and he set up theological, spiritual, and biblical training for the worshippers."

The history of the basilica's foundation dates back to the Franco-Prussian war in 1870 and 1871.

"It was a 'national vow' that led to the construction of the Basilica of Montmartre," Duchesne explained. "In September 1870, France's defeat ended the Second Empire, during which Emperor Napoleon III reigned, and paved the way for the advent of the Republic. This defeat of the French army contributed, in Rome, to the takeover of the Papal States by the Kingdom of Italy. Pope Pius IX took refuge in the Vatican, where he considered himself a prisoner."

Duchesne said that "in this context of political unrest and insurrection in Paris, besieged by the Prussians, two young fathers, very pious and deeply committed to serving the poor, vowed to build a Parisian and national sanctuary, praying for the recovery of France and the liberation of the pope."

He further explained that "they also saw this vow as a way of making amends for the profiteering, unscrupulous enrichment, and corruption that had marked part of Parisian bourgeois society during the Second Empire."

The archbishop of Paris at the time, Cardinal Joseph Guibert, was a supporter of the project. To build it, he chose the hill of Montmartre where St. Denis, the first bishop of Paris, had been martyred in the third century. It was also there that the companions of St. Ignatius of Loyola had taken their first vows, which had led to the founding of the Society of Jesus in 1539.

"In order to acquire the necessary land, this vow had to be recognized as being of public utility," Duchesne explained. "The question was put to a vote in the National Assembly at the end of 1872. At the time, there were still many Catholic monarchist deputies, and the project was voted through in 1873."

"Then donations to build the basilica poured in from all over France," Duchesne said. "In the 17th century, the confessor of St. Margaret Mary had been a Jesuit, and during the Second Empire, the Jesuits had greatly contributed to encouraging devotion to the Sacred Heart. The project therefore generated a lot of enthusiasm, and the basilica did not cost the state a penny."

"There were 10 million donors to build the basilica," Father Esclef, the rector, told OSV News. "St. Therese of Lisieux herself donated her gold bracelet for the construction. It was used to make the basilica's large solemn monstrance."

On Aug. 1, the basilica will celebrate 140 years of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, which has never been interrupted, day and night, even during the world wars. "During the COVID lockdowns, the chaplains of the basilica and I took turns to keep it going, with the Benedictine sisters of the Sacred Heart, who are at the service of the basilica," Father Esclef said.

Cardinal Christophe Pierre, a French prelate who is apostolic nuncio to the United States, will celebrate a solemn Mass to mark this milestone of the basilica in August.

After a large procession of the Blessed Sacrament through the neighborhood, Father Esclef will emerge onto the basilica's forecourt at midnight with the Blessed Sacrament.

"There is a splendid view of Paris from there," he explained. "The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre is truly the home of God's people, where Jesus awaits everyone with his heart burning with love. It is like a beacon, a sentinel watching over the capital, France, and the world. I will bless them with the Blessed Sacrament."