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- by: Bastomas
At it consecration, in 1919, the Sacre Coeur was declared a basilica. It is not a parish church but an independent sanctuary, a place of pilgrimage where the Sacred Heart of Christ is venerated.
The term ” Heart of Christ ” originates in the Bible itself, where the word Heart indicates the seat of the emotions, of thought and of the will. So the Heart connotes the whole person of Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man. All the life on earth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shows God’s love for mankind and, on the Cross, the Heart pierced by the lance expresses the infinite nature of that Love. Great theologians and philosophers such as St Albert the Great, Thomas Aquinas and the medieval Rhineland mystic saints deepened this dimension of the Christian faith.
The church is situated on Montmartre, which translates as Mountain of Martyrs, as it is alleged to mark the spot where Saint Denis, the patron saint of France was martyred. All of that aside, the only reason why you really want to visit it is for the spectacular views over Paris, especially at sunset.