Paris, at Sacré Coeur

 

From the Anvers metro station, we walked a bit along the Rue de Steinkerque in the Montmartre area to the Place Saint-Pierre. Montmartre, which notably means hill of martyrs, owed its name to Saint Denis, who was beheaded on this hill in the third century on the orders of the emperor Decius. Saint Denis was Bishop of Paris at the time and is now known as the patron saint of France. 

A short walk later, we saw the white building of the Sacré-Cœur basilica perched on top of the hill of Montmartre. It is amazing that the basilica although is more than 100 years old, its white color is not polluted. Apparently this is because the walls were built from travertine limestone from Château-Landon. This stone has a very interesting characteristic: when it comes into contact with rainwater, the thin protective layer that naturally coats the stone releases a white substance that hardens in the sun. Therefore, every rain is an opportunity for this building to cleanse ! 

The Sacré-Cœur Basilica, which means the Sacred Heart Basilica, is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Christ. From the beginning until now, the faithful take turns day and night to pray here without stop. Each evening, after the doors close at 10.30pm, the prayer relay continues, with people registering for the evening service in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. On the ceiling above the altar is one of the largest mosaics in the world depicting the risen Jesus Christ, clothed in white and revealing a heart of gold. This mosaic created by Luc-Olivier Merson, shows the worshipers around Jesus represented by the saints: St Joan of Arc, St Mary and St Michael. 

At the front of this basilica under the statue of Jesus Christ there are also statues of St. Louis IX and St. Joan of Arc sitting on a horse, besides being considered saints they are also respected French heroes. So this basilica also became a symbol of French nationalism. Its construction is also an effort of national reconciliation and atonement for the tragic events of the Paris Commune in 1870-71. 

The architecture of this basilica is unique compared to other major churches in Paris such as Notre Dame. Many large churches in France have gothic architecture, while architect Paul Abadie was inspired to design this church in Romano-Byzantine style after completing many restorations on a similarly designed church in southern France. The Byzantine style of the building is characterized by a high dome, the result of new techniques of the sixth century, and the interior features many mosaics.

 

THE END

 

SOURCE:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacr%C3%A9-C%C5%93ur,_Paris

Paris, from Hotel de Ville to Seine

 

Walking in Paris, strolling on cobbled streets flanked by old buildings, we really can feel the romantic atmosphere. As in many European cities, the buildings and streets were preserved that way, not modernized. The last Paris renovations were carried out from 1852 to 1870 by Georges-Eugne Haussmann under the order of Napoléon III. Haussmann’s work gave Paris the look it has today as well as its architecture. He created a very long and wide avenue with cafes and shops that influenced much of Parisian life. The architecture of classical Haussmann buildings was not designed independently but rather as part of a quarter, block, and thus the style should be coherent and in harmony with the architecture of the other buildings. The ground floor has thick walls. The second floor offers beautiful balconies and the third and fourth floors are built in the same style, although the window frames have less intricate stonework. 

After wandering through the cobbled streets of Le Marais, we arrived at the Hotel de Ville. Wow we thought, this hotel looked like a palace or a museum, wasn’t it? It turns out that in French, 'hotel' can mean a house, building, residence, so it does not always mean hotel as a place to rent rooms to stay for tourists. Today, apart from functioning as the city's administrative office, the Hotel de Ville is also a venue for art and cultural exhibitions. There are many interesting exhibits in the building and on the grounds in front of this building. 

From the Hotel de Ville we walked not far, only a few hundred meters to the south, to arrive at the Seine river. We can walk along this river or take a ferry to explore Paris. It turns out that the Eiffel Tower is located on the bank of this river and is one of the stops of the ferry route. The name of this stop is Port de la Bourdonnais. From this side we can see the towering Eiffel Tower, with its trademark brown color named Eiffel Tower Brown. 

Walking along the Seine reminds me of the words of the famous French painter Claude Monet: “I have painted the Seine all my life, in every hour, in every season. I never get bored: for me the Seine is always new.” But the river Seine in Paris is not as beautiful as Monet's paintings made in the interior of France, such as Argenteuil, Poissy and so on. Although the river water in Paris is not blue like in the painting, and there are no lotus plants, it flows calmly leading us to various history that are close to it, besides the Eiffel Tower, also Notre Dame Cathedral, Louvre Museum, and Musée d'Orsay.

 

THE END

 

 

Source:

 

https://www.french-property.com/regions/haussmann-buildings-architecture/#:~:text=The%20Parisian%20Haussmann%20buildings%20and%20architecture%20renovations%20were,to%20buildings%E2%80%99%20front%20facades%2C%20public%20parks%20and%20monuments.