Sacre Couer the beauty in belief

I arrived in Paris somewhat early and didn’t  want to lose a single second waiting around to check into my room. After a quick meet and great at the hotel I dropped off my luggage and headed out to explore the fabulous Montmartre. Montmartre literally means the Mount of Martyrs. It was originally call the Mount of Mars but in 250 AD St. Denis and two of his fellow Christians were decapitated there and being martyrs of their religion the area became known as Montmartre. Its the highest hill in the city and the views are spectacular but walking up the hundreds of steps to get there….. a little less spectacular. My first stop is the unofficial crown jewel of Montmartre. The Bassilica Sacre Coeur. The church was completed in 1914 and was built during a time when the Roman Catholic Church felt the area was morally lax and needed some inspiration to be more Christian like. Im not sure if the church changes the values of the people but it is truly inspiring to me. Its a beautiful structure sitting tall on top of the hill. Its striking white walls command attention. There is no fee to visit the church but in my opinion you should always give a donation, but thats entirely up to you. Upon entering the church you are immediatly struck by the size. The view as you walk in is of the nave with rows of wooden benches and the pulpit is absolutely stunning. There is a mosaic over the pulpit of Jesus. Its called Christ in Glory it was made by Oliver Merson, H.M. Magne and R. Martin. It is one of the largest mosaics in the world. Its a risen Christ with arms extended with a golden heart. As you move around the nave you will see beautiful statues and even a small scale model of the church itself. There is another fabulous mosaics in one of the small chapel areas. Its of Jesus in white robes sitting on a throne. There is also a statue of St. Peter and its said that if you rub his right foot he will help you get into heaven…. I may or may not

of rubbed it… hehehe… There is also a statue of St. Denis holding his head in his hands. Its said that after he was decapitated he picked up his head and walked 60 paces and that to this day the place that he finally dropped at is considered holy by the Catholic religion. Another statue of the Angel Michael with accompanying stained glass windows of Joan of Arc. The story of Joan of Arc is told in the windows. A young girl with such a strong faith and will that allowed her to face every obstical even death is quite a heroic story. I guess Im not the only one who thought so because there is also a statue of her on top of the building. This basilica is not the oldest of most historical of the churches of Paris but with a view to die for and so much beauty within its not to missed.  Here are a few more pictures of the Basillica I hope you enjoy them.