A B R I E F H I S T O R Y O F M O N T M A R T R E . . .
T h e b u t t e ( p e a k ) o f M o n t m a r t r e i s
t h e h i g h e s t p o i n t i n P a r i s
surpassing even the Eiffel Tower.
" M O U N T O F M A R T Y R S "
THE NAME " MONTMARTRE " comes from one of two sources,
either " Mount of Mercury," as it was once the site of a Roman Temple, or " Mount of Martyrs," as it was also the site of Saint Denis' martyrdom. Around 250 AD Saint Denis, Patron Saint of Paris, was decapitated here by the Roman government. Legend holds that Denis picked up his head, walked over the hill and further north of the city before collapsing at the site of (what is now) the town and Basilica of Saint - Denis.
T H E S A C R É - C O E U R
Montmartre is most - recognized for its white, " wedding cake "
church, the Sacré - Cœur ( "Sacred Heart" ) Basilica,
which sits atop the butte, visible throughout most of Paris.
Montmartre + Sacré-Cœur as seen from the Louvre's Jardin des Tuileries
S A C R E C O E U R ' s o r i g i n s a r e t w o - f o l d :
its founders proposed to build the church in remembrance of lives lost in the Franco - Prussian war and as atonement for the sins of the Paris Commune, which arose in the war's aftermath. Sacré-Cœur is the second - most visited French religious landmark after Notre Dame de Paris. Its style is Roman-Byzantine, and its construction is of Château-Landon stone which, producing calcite, allows the building to remain white in spite of pollution.
T W O F A M O U S W I N D M I L L S
Though numerous windmills once dotted Montmartre, it is known for two:
the MOULIN de la GALETTE and the MOULIN ROUGE.
T h e b u t t e ( p e a k ) o f M o n t m a r t r e i s
t h e h i g h e s t p o i n t i n P a r i s
surpassing even the Eiffel Tower.
" M O U N T O F M A R T Y R S "
THE NAME " MONTMARTRE " comes from one of two sources,
either " Mount of Mercury," as it was once the site of a Roman Temple, or " Mount of Martyrs," as it was also the site of Saint Denis' martyrdom. Around 250 AD Saint Denis, Patron Saint of Paris, was decapitated here by the Roman government. Legend holds that Denis picked up his head, walked over the hill and further north of the city before collapsing at the site of (what is now) the town and Basilica of Saint - Denis.
T H E S A C R É - C O E U R
Montmartre is most - recognized for its white, " wedding cake "
church, the Sacré - Cœur ( "Sacred Heart" ) Basilica,
which sits atop the butte, visible throughout most of Paris.
S A C R E C O E U R ' s o r i g i n s a r e t w o - f o l d :
its founders proposed to build the church in remembrance of lives lost in the Franco - Prussian war and as atonement for the sins of the Paris Commune, which arose in the war's aftermath. Sacré-Cœur is the second - most visited French religious landmark after Notre Dame de Paris. Its style is Roman-Byzantine, and its construction is of Château-Landon stone which, producing calcite, allows the building to remain white in spite of pollution.
T W O F A M O U S W I N D M I L L S
Though numerous windmills once dotted Montmartre, it is known for two:
the MOULIN de la GALETTE and the MOULIN ROUGE.
If you're familiar with the above painting,
" BAL du MOULIN de la GALETTE, " by Auguste R E N O I R
(1876), then you already know something about Montmartre.
The Moulin (windmill) of the Galette was a 19th - century meeting place and dance hall near the top of Montmartre.
( "Galette" means "cake" in current-day definition . . . at the time of the painting, a galette was a rye-bread sold here along with a glass of milk)
Locals enjoyed a still-bucolic setting here on Sunday afternoons in particular.
The Moulin de la Galette (above)
" BAL du MOULIN de la GALETTE, " by Auguste R E N O I R
(1876), then you already know something about Montmartre.
The Moulin (windmill) of the Galette was a 19th - century meeting place and dance hall near the top of Montmartre.
( "Galette" means "cake" in current-day definition . . . at the time of the painting, a galette was a rye-bread sold here along with a glass of milk)
Locals enjoyed a still-bucolic setting here on Sunday afternoons in particular.
still exists today as a restaurant in Montmartre
(one of two windmills remaining intact) and, a few miles away,
you may view Renoir's original painting at the Musée d'Orsay.
T h e M O U L I N R O U G E
( meaning " The Red Windmill " ) remains a well - known
French cabaret since first opening in 1889.
The Moulin Rouge was first made famous by 19th-century artist
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, (poster, above)
who regularly sketched life here in the cabaret.
The Moulin Rouge is also known by the 2001 film bearing its name.
Another famous Montmartre cabaret is Au Lapin Agile. This bar flourished amidst the bohemian lifestyle, so romanticized here, at the end of the 19th- and turn of the 20th-centuries. Its crowd ("The Lost Generation") would soon move to another Parisian "hill," Montparnasse (see the film "Midnight in Paris"). Don't miss Clos Montmartre, Montmartre's tiny, working vineyard, next door.
(one of two windmills remaining intact) and, a few miles away,
you may view Renoir's original painting at the Musée d'Orsay.
T h e M O U L I N R O U G E
( meaning " The Red Windmill " ) remains a well - known
French cabaret since first opening in 1889.
The Moulin Rouge was first made famous by 19th-century artist
Henri de Toulouse - Lautrec, (poster, above)
who regularly sketched life here in the cabaret.
The Moulin Rouge is also known by the 2001 film bearing its name.
Another famous Montmartre cabaret is Au Lapin Agile. This bar flourished amidst the bohemian lifestyle, so romanticized here, at the end of the 19th- and turn of the 20th-centuries. Its crowd ("The Lost Generation") would soon move to another Parisian "hill," Montparnasse (see the film "Midnight in Paris"). Don't miss Clos Montmartre, Montmartre's tiny, working vineyard, next door.
has long been a major thoroughfare in Montmartre,
as well as a witness to much of its history.
as well as a witness to much of its history.
"View of Paris from Vincent's Room in the rue Lepic,"
1887, Vincent Van Gogh
While the Moulin de la Galette is located at 77, rue Lepic,
Vincent Van Gogh resided briefly at number 54, rue Lepic with his brother, Théo. Other famous inhabitants of this street include artist Edgar Degas, said to have lived at number 50, writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, at number 98 and Paris Communard, Jean-Baptiste Clément, at number 53. Louis Renault received orders for his first car in 1898, after winning a bet that it could make it up the steep rue Lepic. Last but not least, the Café des 2 Moulins, at number15, was the set for the popular 2001 film, Amélie.
1887, Vincent Van Gogh
While the Moulin de la Galette is located at 77, rue Lepic,
Vincent Van Gogh resided briefly at number 54, rue Lepic with his brother, Théo. Other famous inhabitants of this street include artist Edgar Degas, said to have lived at number 50, writer Louis-Ferdinand Céline, at number 98 and Paris Communard, Jean-Baptiste Clément, at number 53. Louis Renault received orders for his first car in 1898, after winning a bet that it could make it up the steep rue Lepic. Last but not least, the Café des 2 Moulins, at number15, was the set for the popular 2001 film, Amélie.
G Y P S U M M I N E S , P L A S T E R O F P A R I S
a n d t h e P L A C E D E S A B B E S S E S
A t 1 1 8 f e e t b e l o w g r o u n d l e v e l,
the Abbesses Métro station is the deepest in Paris.
"Abbesses" refers to nuns who ran an abbey here in the Middle Ages.
a n d t h e P L A C E D E S A B B E S S E S
the Abbesses Métro station is the deepest in Paris.
"Abbesses" refers to nuns who ran an abbey here in the Middle Ages.
According to Access Paris' Richard Saul Wurman, *
" The reason for the great depth
lies in Montmartre's old gypsum mines. . . "
"Gypsum, a soft stone, was burned to make the internationally famous Plaster of Paris used to mold, among other things, busts of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in the US Capitol. Over the years the growing network of quarry tunnels beneath Montmartre turned the hill, geologically speaking, to Swiss Cheese. In the 1840s the mines were closed, but not before 27 houses and several Parisians had disappeared into the void. The City of Paris is still filling Montmartre's cavities with high - pressure concrete. The métro platform was built at bedrock, precisely 285 steps below Place des Abbesses. Take the elevator and save your breath for the Montmartre summit."
" The reason for the great depth
lies in Montmartre's old gypsum mines. . . "
"Gypsum, a soft stone, was burned to make the internationally famous Plaster of Paris used to mold, among other things, busts of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in the US Capitol. Over the years the growing network of quarry tunnels beneath Montmartre turned the hill, geologically speaking, to Swiss Cheese. In the 1840s the mines were closed, but not before 27 houses and several Parisians had disappeared into the void. The City of Paris is still filling Montmartre's cavities with high - pressure concrete. The métro platform was built at bedrock, precisely 285 steps below Place des Abbesses. Take the elevator and save your breath for the Montmartre summit."
SAVE YOUR ENERGY FOR THE STAIRS!
In addition to above-described attractions, most people enjoy the view from the front steps of the Church of the Sacré Coeur. It is a view of Paris unlike any other ! If you can make it there towards late - afternoon, just before the sun sets, the light is especially beautiful.
At the end of the day, what I love most about Montmartre
is its small, village - like atmosphere
. . . although technically a part of Paris,
it is its own separate village within the city.
it is its own separate village within the city.
Montmartre retains both seedy and touristy sides in addition to its
charming ones. . . and a willingness to focus on the latter
will make all the difference in your visit.
charming ones. . . and a willingness to focus on the latter
will make all the difference in your visit.
* Richard Saul Wurman's "A C C E S S " series has remained
my favorite, go - to travel resource for as long as I can recall .
"Access Paris" continues to be my favorite Paris guidebook,
and I've enjoyed using Access guides in the US and Italy as well.
photos : 1. heartbeatoz, 2. henri cartier-bresson, 3. euratlas.com,
my favorite, go - to travel resource for as long as I can recall .
"Access Paris" continues to be my favorite Paris guidebook,
and I've enjoyed using Access guides in the US and Italy as well.
photos : 1. heartbeatoz, 2. henri cartier-bresson, 3. euratlas.com,
4. photos-galeries.com, 5. linternaute, 6. 123europe.com
7. museedesartsdecoratifs.fr, 8., 10., unknown, 9. wikipaintings,
11. everita, 12. olivier fabre 13. sacred-destinations
7. museedesartsdecoratifs.fr, 8., 10., unknown, 9. wikipaintings,
11. everita, 12. olivier fabre 13. sacred-destinations
For Ian and Bailey, on your first trip to Paris this week !
In hopes that you make it to Montmartre --
love, Tatie
