Things to see and do Ile-De-France

The Sacré-Coeur is one of the most famous monuments in Paris. It is true that it hardly passes unnoticed, as monumental as well placed, enthroned at the top of the hill Montmartre. One goes there as much to discover the monument as to benefit from one of the most beautiful views on the capital. It is however a relatively recent building. Imposing, with its 100 m length, its 50 m width and its 83 m high dome, this building is the result of a political and moral project of the 1870's attributing to the country's setbacks (defeat of Sedan against Prussia and Napoleon's imprisonment) a deep spiritual crisis and as many sins to be forgiven at the time. So it was decided to erect a huge church as a national vow. As for the Butte, it is because it overlooks the capital that it was chosen. The place also allowed to open a new page of history in connection with its rich religious past. But this project is often associated with the desire to atone for the painful episodes of the Commune, a question that nowadays often resurfaces in the debates. The building site, directed by Paul Abadie (and 5 other architects!), lasted 50 years. The clayey nature of the land, which had to be compensated for by colossal support works, delayed the construction, while the First World War put a stop to the work for several years. Although the building was consecrated in 1919 (the title of Basilica makes it a place of pilgrimage), it was not completely finished until 1923. The front part of the basilica is in the Romanesque-Byzantine style and consists of a group of domes of Byzantine inspiration, while the back part is in the Romanesque tradition with its apses. Its white color is due to its exterior stones coming from the Souppes quarry (Seine-et-Marne) which naturally whiten in contact with rainwater. It should be noted that due to the narrowness of the building site, the basilica had to be oriented along a north-south axis and not east-west contrary to the norm. The interior architecture is Romanesque-Byzantine. The mosaic in the choir, one of the largest in the world, depicting the resurrected Christ with open arms and a golden heart ("Sacred Heart") is particularly noteworthy. One can also see the great organ of 1898 signed Cavaillé-Coll. The basilica houses the famous "Savoyarde" of 1895. It is possible to visit the Dome, the highest point in Paris after the Eiffel Tower!

Church of Sainte-Geneviève until the Revolution, the Panthéon was built at the same time as the neighboring Ecole de Droit (Sorbonne Law School). It is located on the eponymous square, which was laid out around 1770 on land once owned by the abbey of Sainte-Geneviève. The square was subsequently redeveloped in the ^19th century, notably following the construction of the Sainte-Geneviève library. Commissioned by King Louis XV as a tribute to Saint Geneviève, construction of the Pantheon began in 1755. It was directed by Jacques-Germain Soufflot from 1758, then by Maximilien Brébion and Jean-Baptiste Rondelet. They were completed in 1793. From the outset, they revealed the presence of Gallo-Roman clay extraction shafts nestling some 25 m below ground level. The building, 110 m long and 84 m wide, takes the form of a Greek cross with four naves topped by a dome at their intersection, a bold elevation - in reality a triple dome - under which Louis XV had wished to display the reliquary of Saint Geneviève. Today, the exterior may seem austere, but in the ^18th century, the facades were filled with some forty bays, and two 40 m-high bell towers. At that time, two other churches were located on Mont Sainte-Geneviève (the former ^12th-century abbey church on what is now Rue Clovis, and the ^15th-century church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont). This configuration, among others, motivated the transformation of Louis XV's church into a republican temple to house the tombs of "génovéfains (regular canons of the Order of Sainte-Geneviève) and Frenchmen illustrious for their talents, virtues and services to the fatherland". The first great man to enter was Victor Hugo. Among the personalities laid to rest in the crypt are Voltaire, Rousseau, Jean Moulin, Pierre and Marie Curie, Simone Veil, Josephine Baker... The wall of the monument and the staircase leading to the crypt also feature inscriptions and plaques honoring personalities who have also left their mark on French history: General Delestraint, Alain-Fournier, Charles Péguy, Victor Segalen, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Henri Bergson, François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture and the Justes de France. The decor is also well worth a visit, with works by Puvis de Chavannes, Gros and Cabanel... This place of collective memory is well worth a visit, reflecting the architectural and artistic know-how of different eras, as well as the ups and downs of a turbulent history.