Sacre Couer
November 28, 2012
In 1995, Mom and I separated from our group in order to go see Sacre Couer. We made the mistake, however, of exiting at the wrong Metro stop. The one we picked had an incredible number of steps up. We were exhausted when we made it to the street. Then, we approached the church from the side, and only saw more steps. Halfway up those, Mom said, "What is the name of this mountain?" "The mountain of the martyrs." "Now I know why." When we got to the top, we saw the funicular.
In 2000 I got there the correct way, and after touring the church visited the artists' square behind it, where I bought a little painting of poppies and had a nice chat with the artist.
This time we visited the church and walked down Montmarte.
It was my favourite visit to the church. This time I understood more of the art and iconography than on my previous visits (you can't take pictures inside). I particularly enjoyed the images in the mosaic above the chancel. For instance, a dragon crouches beside St. Martha. Only a couple of years ago did I encounter the story of Martha as a dragon-tamer.
Rob and Tom enjoyed my explanation of church, and said that they appreciated it more than they ever had because of this. Rob also said it confirmed his longstanding opinion that Sacre Couer, unlike many of the other churches in Paris, is propogandistic for the Catholic Church while also seeming very pagan.
After visiting the church, we drank some beer in an Irish pub, enjoyed Artists' Square, walked down the twisting streets, ate lunch, and went by the Moulin Rouge. We then traveled back to the Opera neighborhood, where we did some shopping.
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