 They had to dig 83 shafts, each one 38 metres deep, in order to ensure a solid base for the Basilica!
Based on the plans of the architect Paul Abadie and built in the Roman-Byzantine style between 1876 and 1910, the Sacré-Coeur needed massive foundations and was the subject of much controversy.
The Basilica was erected, following the wishes of the French people in 1873, to commemorate the terrible events of the Commune, and is today devoted to Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
Dominating the Butte, the Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur is one of the most visited monuments in Paris. Its immaculate whiteness, visible from all over Paris, is the perfect symbol for Montmartre.
The bell tower holds the most famous bell in the world, the Savoyarde. Weighing just over 19 tons, it was donated by the four dioceses of Savoy and cast by Paccard at Annecy on the 13th May 1891.
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