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Paris’s Sacré-Cœur finally to be classed as a historic monument
The listing has long been at the centre of a political and historical controversy surrounding the site on which the basilica was built
Sacré-Cœur Basilica in Paris is set to be classified as a historic monument, reigniting a long-standing controversy.
Paris city council voted to request the state grant the listing, which allows for more state funding for preservation work.
Built from 1875, the Sacré-Cœur is the second most visited site in the capital, after Notre-Dame, but its status has long been at the centre of an ideological battle, which is why the move has taken so long.
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It sits on the hill of Montmartre, which in 1871 was the site of the Paris Commune insurrection.
At least 6,000 people were killed in a single week as the army crushed the uprising.
For certain politicians at the time, the basilica’s construction represented a form of revenge against the revolutionaries, and today some left-wing councillors believe it should not be honoured.
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