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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.
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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