It is hard to imagine a person that has been in Paris but has not visited the delightful Snow White Sacre-Coeur Basilica. Firstly, it is impossible not to notice it: the largest temple in the capital of France is located at the very top of the famous Montmartre Hill, the highest point in the city. And secondly, the majestic landmark of the 20th century is one of the main attractions visited by tourists and admirers of temple architecture. The Paris Sacre-Coeur Basilica, which translates as “Basilica of the Sacred Heart,” was erected by a third-generation French architect Paul Abadie in 1914. It took about forty years of construction works before the Catholic shrine in the Romano-Byzantine style opened its doors to the parishioners, and the largest bell in Paris, the Savoyarde, weighing nineteen tons, rang, inviting people to the Mass. The famous French bell was cast in Annecy back in 1891, but its ringing is still heard before every Mass. It is unlikely that you climb the bell tower, but everyone can afford to look at beautiful Paris from the height of the magnificent temple dome.

There are 237 stone steps of a broad multilevel staircase leading from the picturesque foothill to the basilica. And at the very entrance, visitors are greeted by bronze equestrian statues of the most iconic figures in the French Catholic world: King Louis IX of France and the country’s national heroine Joan of Arc. Besides, there is a charming flower garden and a lovely fountain located near the Sacre-Coeur. Despite the grandeur of its appearance, the white-stone landmark has a very austere interior decoration. It consists of several colorful stained-glass windows and a large old mosaic called “Christ in Majesty” by the French artist Luc-Olivier Merson. But the crown jewel of the Sacre-Coeur is an 1898 old organ, the last work of a great French organ master of the 19th century, Aristide Cavaille-Coll. Its sounds fill the capacious halls of the basilica up to this day, and every Christmas Eve, you can hear the only festive concert of organ music.