Sacré-Cœur

Sacré-Cœur (säkrā-körˈ) [key], basilica in Paris, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a famous landmark atop the Montmartre, from which it dominates the city. Built (1875–1914) by subscriptions as a votive offering after the Franco-Prussian War, it was consecrated in 1919 after World War I and has a patriotic as well as religious symbolic significance. Designed by the architect Paul Abadie, the basilica is a huge and harmonious edifice in the Byzantine-Romanesque style. Behind its tall dome rises a bell tower 276 ft (84 m) high.