Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, Paris

Sacré-Cœur is the Catholic basilica dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, rising at the summit of Montmartre. Its rounded domes and layered arches give the building a distinctly neo-Byzantine-Romanesque character, created from a design by architect Paul Abadie. From the great dome, about 200 metres above the Seine, the basilica commands views across Paris and its suburbs, and it ranks as the capital’s second most visited tourist destination after the Eiffel Tower.

The project began in 1875 after France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, when Bishop Félix Fournier proposed a church of reparation. Its hilltop setting also carries political weight: construction followed the defeat of the Paris Commune, so the basilica remains a contested symbol for parts of the French left. Building lasted forty years and passed through five architects after Abadie’s death.

The church was completed in 1914 and consecrated in 1919. Since 1885, worshippers have maintained perpetual adoration of the Eucharist here. As local tradition has it, this hill is also linked with the martyrdom of Saint Denis, Paris’s patron saint. Look at the domes and arches together: the unusual combination makes this sanctuary instantly recognisable across the city.