The morning call., 1891-06-21
THE BASILICA OF
THE SACRED HEART.
1 Magnificent Church Built on The
Hill Of MOltlaTTG.
A Structure Which When Completed VIII
Cost About Five Millions Of Dollars.
The Gigantic Bell "savOyarde."
Special Correspondence Of THE CALL.

Special Correspondence OF THE CALL.
PARIS. May 2s, 1S91.-Americans who
visit Paris are ALWAYS impressed by two
edifces-oneis the Eiffel Tower and the
other a magnificent church on the hill Of
Montmartre, called the Baslica of the
Sacred Heart. For the last twenty years
the Sacred Heart has been the preoccupa-
ton of all faithful French Catholics, and
now it approaches completion. at least
the edifce is to be dedicated in the month
of June, and on Friday, June 9Th, solemn
benedction will be given; every day dur
ing the month of June high mass will be
celebrated, and every day there will be
procession of the Holy Sacrament. The
sOlemnities of the dedication will come to
an end July Sd, and on that day there will
be lie Deum and a thanksgiving service.
Before the benedictOn France viii be con-
secrated TO the Sacred EeaTt, and men are
working night and day in order that all
may be ready for the 9TH of June. VI
course the affairs of vanished pine are only
temporary, and the high altar OF pine
with mosaic applications vii! some day give
place to superb decorations.
This basiIica is built in the purest Byzan-
tine style and is composed of crypt and
superposed structure. II is 800 feet in leu 9Th
and 100 feet in breadth. Five cupolas sur
mount the church and they are arranged to
form a Greek cross, with central dome
$50 feet high. In front is a balcony 80 feet
wide, oTnamented with statues On the ont
side is an immense sacred heart with this IN
scription:
sacratissimo Cordi Christi Jesu.
GaIlia P9niteus Ell deyOta.
Two broad flights Of steps lead TO the
church, and above the cnancel a square
tower, higher than the dome, viii be used as
& befTy. The bell designed for the baSjlIca
weighs sc. GOO pounds and was cast very
short time ago at Annecy-le-E IeuX IN the
presence Of the Archbishop Of Chambery.
The casting required only fifteen minutes,
but the metal was cool only after four days.
The clapper weighs 2JOO pounds, and the
ring by which the clapper Is attached 10 the
bell weighs 200 pounds. The yoke is OF oak
and weighs more than 10000 pounds.
THE sAVOYARDE.
The yoke was given By the Count de
Montbrun. The bel IS called the Savoy
arde," and VIII be heard for more than
thirty miles around. But we must wait
some months before hearing the musical
tones of the "SavOyaTde," because 1t is no
small affair to displaCe this gigantic bell.
II is a common idea that only IN 1870 did
under the protection Of the Sacred Heart, but
the plan originated as early as 1859. when
nun, to-day canOulZed, had a revelation IN
which she saw Christ, who asked Tor ma
tional temple, erected TO the glory OF MS d.
vine Heart" It seems that III the TeYela-
ton Christ spoke of Louis XIV as 1.-THE eld-
est son Of my Sacred Heart" but lie
Grand MOnaTque' paid little attention to
the divine message, and Louis XIV followed
the example of his predecessor.
IL. n Ion rs
XVI aud Marie AutOinetLe remembered the
divine appaTitiJn, and in a prayeT-b0Ok be-
longing to Marie AntOlnette and Nine.
Elizabeth was found an act cOnSecraung
France TO the Sacred Heart an act signed
by both the Queen and Nine. Elizabeth.
Louis XVI himself in 1892 wrote a series Of
promises to the Sacred Heart, promises 10
be fulfilled if cd would restore him his
crown, his liberty and his royal power
During the reign Of Louis XVIII another
nun Of the Convent des OISe3uX had rev.
elation. and again the attention Of the peo-
pie was directed toward the Sacred Heart.
But, at this time, political events occupied
the kingdom more than pious Interests, and
nothing was attempted.
THE BASuICA LOCATED.
When, in 1870, came the disaster, the
faithful resolved TO erect temple TO the
Sacred Heart, and MOnseigueur Guibert,
Cardinal Of Paris, approved the project.
Plus X headed the SUBSCRIPTION with ms
gift Of $1,000, and Cardinal GuibeTt, wishing
to give Tie project national character,
brought il before the National Assem- bly,,
and july ., 1873, law was passed declar-
ing tie erection Of "a monument to the Sacred
Heart Of public utility. The Cardinal
Archbishop was authorized TO acquire land
and, to obtain money, he made an appeal TO
the Catholics. The first month 100000
was received and MOntmaTtre was chosen
as the appropriate situation for the baslica.
Thu of nrtplqTfre ph0Spn
because from its summit one behOldS a
marvellous landscape, but because the reilg-
iOuS history OF MOntmaTtre pTedestined the
hill to be the site Of the sacred edihce:
MOntmaTtre means Mountain OF Martyrs,
and on the spot where now stands the
church NapOleon | intended to build a
Temple of Peace. Alasl this was only one
Of the plans frustrated by defeat.
Very ingenious was the method of obtain
ing money for building the basilIca. The
entire church was divided into fractions,
and each person could buy portion, large
OF small, according to his means.
The stones were divided into three cate
CORES: the freestones, concealed, cost S24
each; the visible stones cost $50, and this
Dermitted the buyers initials to be engraved
In a hidden corner; arch-stones cost 500.
and two visible initials were allowed.
Posts were valued at from $500 to $1,000,
and pillars from $1,000 to $4,000. Every
piece that cost $500 or more could be
marked with monogram or arms. Nearly
all the posts and pillars are sold, and the
engraving Of names Will soon Dc COM
menced.
The chapels belong to professional groups;
there is one built by physicians, another by
lawyers, another by architects, another by
Catholic writers. another by the navy, an
other by the army, etc.
ITS ENORMOUS COST
The basilica has already cost nearly
S5.OOQ.OOO, and for its completion only
100000 are necessary.
On one side Parisians celebrate the COM
pletion of great religious structure, on the
other they mourn the approaching dem0li-
ton Of au old building, the Hotel deS Pre-
YoStS The Hotel des PrevOsLs, or GTaYIlle
House is in the Passage Charlemagne, not
far from the street Of this name; there are
two cOurt-yards, Snd the faCadeS Of the
buildings date from the Renaissance. In
the courtyard is a tower iDclOSing a spiral
staircase of exquisite architecture, and on
the site of the courtyard was the house,
sold by Jacques de Pacy in 1869 to the
pTeyOt (pTOYOst) Hughes AubTiOf, for 1900
francs in gold. the gift of Charles Y. Pierre
de Gac then bought the domain and it was
called POrc-Epic, In memory of the order
there created by Louis d'Orleans in 1897.
The building, to-day called Hotel des
Preyots, was constructed by Admiral de
Graville in 1863, and occupied by several
preVots. The principal owners OF the prop
erty were Jean de Berre, 1904; Jean de
Mantaigu, 1903: Jean de BourgognP, Duke
de Brabant, 1417; Anne de RichemOnt, Con-
netabe of France, 1872; and Jacques d. Es-
tOntivile, 1879
In 1916 Pierre de BalZac was the prOpri-
etOr, and in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries the building belonged to the
Jassaud family.
Now Il Is used for dressmakers, shoe
makers, miliners, blacksmiths, etc, but
the Hotel des Prevots certainly should be
Interesting to artists and psychologists.
Tie Society for the Protection of Partisan
Monuments unfortunately has no money,
but its President, Monsieur Jacques Nor
mand, has placed the question before the Mu-