The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1914-08-08
FAMOUS FRENCH CHURCH

OF MoNTMARTRE IN PARIS
WILL BE coNsEcRATED ON
OCTOBER 17-BEGUN IN 1875
COST e1,6oo,ooo.
The announcement has just beer
made of the date when will be conse
Grated the most famous of modern
French churches, the Church of the
Sacred Heart on the hill of Mont
martre. The date chosen for the con
secration, October II, is the Feast O.
Blessed Margaret Mary, to whom the
building if the church is primarily
due, although a century elapsed be
tween her death and the laying of the
first stone. When Louis XIV wa!
King of France Our Lord appeared tt
Blessed Margaret Mary and command
ed her to build church in honor o.
His Sacred Heart on the top of Mont
martre. Louis XIV heedlessly disre
garded the invitation to accomplish
XVI, though he promised to build thu
church, died on the scaffold before hi
could realize his intention. Napoleon
proposed to build a Temple of Peace
on the hill, saying, "the future il
mine" But when peace came to Ma
poleon he was not triumphant, he wa!
defeated and degraded.
The events of the Franco-P russiar
war of 1901 directed the Catholic
mind again to the project which was
taken up with zeal by the Catholics o.
Paris at the time when the city was
besieged by the German troops. The
difficulty was to establish communica
ton with the outside world. Balloon.
were tried and the pigeon-post, bu
all failed, and it was not until the
war was over that the enterprise tool
practical shape.
The War Minister objected that h,
wanted the site for fort; but, better
inspired, Mgr. Guibert, the Carolina
Archbishop of Paris, cried, your for
will do no good and may be turned
against you. Better build my eitade
than yours" The Minister gave vi
his'project, and,5 ON July &c. 1873; tf11
National Assembly authorized the pur
chase of land for the church.
Two years later the first stone wa
laid with impressive pomp, and in TIL
presence of 10000 persons gathere,
from all parts of France. The churcl
was built in the Byzantine style, ant
slowly the domes and campanile AM
the cluster of side chapels arose OF
the Mount of Martyrs-near, indeed
to the spot where st. Denys was de
capitated and carried his head unde
his arm as if it had been a crown.
On pillars within the sanctuary az
pear the arms of towns of Franc
which have contributed to the building
fund. Each stone may be said to bea
the name of some community tow
or village-or of an individual Cath
olic. Affairs to st. Patrick and to ST
John the Baptist mark the offering
of Ireland and Canada. Deputies
working men, students, and evel
schoolboys have their part in the cree
ton of this striking and majestic mon
ument to the Catholic spirit of France
Only now, after thirty-nine years, i
the fair fabric complete enough to b.
ready for conservation. The grea
bronze doors have lately been put in
the paving is scarcely finished, AM
some of the affairs, bespeaking the de
votion of different parts of France, ar
still unbuilt. In it's present state tn
huge white building, under it's impos
ing dome, has cost G1,600,000. Thi
is precisely the sum which Napoleon
proposed to spend on his Temple o
Peace. 1t has been the aim of thos
who have founded the church to ad
dress themselves to all classes of sc
ciety, and the same spirit prevails to
day in the great Sunday services, a
which from 1,500 to 1000 men ar
present in the nave. These worship
pers are drawn from every section O
the community; academicians and off
GERS of the army and navy sit sid
by side with artisans, small shoI
keepers and the very poor. TIL
Church of the Sacred Heart has n
parish attached to it; it is a place O
pilgrimage, and scarcely a day passe
without some band of pilgrims climb
ing t4fe-siles Of the 4HeaHt--I a-th
evening lights glimmer from the sun
nit of the rock upon which is perche
this symbol of "Gallia poenitens ct dc
vota."
Cardinal Annette, the Archbishop @
Paris, will be assisted by the othe
Cardinals of France in the great cor
secration ceremony, and possibly tn
Pope may send delegate In a sens
| it will be a national occasion, for tn
Church of the Sacred Heart is a n;
tional monument, representing tn
high hopes of people. It's gracefl
silhouette and bouquet of chapels
stand out lofty and incorruptible froI
the crowded plain as the image of
spiritual power brooding over Paris.