Montmartre is a unique picturesque place in Paris. Each tourist is simply obliged to visit it, take a walk along the small streets, sit in an open-air restaurant, examine paintings by street artists, see firsthand the famous cathedral on the hill and the remaining mills.
Montmartre is a place of relaxation, culture and art. Representatives of the Parisian bohemia have long gathered here, Zolya and Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh, Berlioz and Sera walked along these streets. The hill in the northern part of the city still attracts artists and writers, many directors make films in the Montmartre quarter, and writers mentioned it in their literary works.
Indeed, it is here that there are green squares and small picturesque houses, hung with flowerpots with flowering plants, lovely cozy cafes and restaurants, rows of souvenir shops with merchants and artisans offering a variety of goods. Rows of stairs rise to the top of the hill, and the famous vineyard is laid out on the green slopes.
The article will discuss the history of this wonderful corner of the capital of France, it will tell how to reach it by public transport, describe all the famous sights of Montmartre in detail, provide interesting information and legends associated with this ancient place.
A bit of history
For the first time, people settled on a hill during the Neolithic. The hill on the banks of the Seine River was more than 5 km wide and consisted of gypsum deposits. These useful deposits were subsequently developed in order to extract gypsum for construction purposes. Alphonse Daudet wrote that particles of Montmartre are located anywhere in Paris.
In the era of the Roman Empire, the trade in quarried stone made Montmartre the richest place, which made it possible for residents to build many churches and chapels. A large number of windmills were erected on the hill to aid in the processing of building material. Eyewitnesses said that in the mornings, residents directed their eyes towards the hill to find out if there was a wind and in what direction it was blowing.
Mount Martyrs in Paris
The name of the hill is literally translated as “Mount of Martyrs” (Mons Martyrium) or “Mars Hill” (Mons Martis). According to ancient legends, for the spread of Christianity, Dionysius of Paris, a former bishop in Paris, and two of his preachers were beheaded on a hilltop. According to legend, in the place where the severed head of Dionysius fell, the source scored. The headless bishop came up to him, raised his head and left along the road. In the place where he fell dead, a village was built named after him Saint-Denis, that is, Saint Denis. It was believed that the Apostle Paul himself converted to Christianity. The saint is still venerated to this day, therefore, at the place of execution in a public garden, a monument was erected to a bishop holding a severed head in his hand.
The history of Montmartre Hill is closely connected with Christianity. Catacombs and caves, formed from the extraction of stone, helped to hide from the persecution of the Romans. It was in this place that the female abbey was located and one of the oldest churches of the city, named after St. Peter.
Another explanation for the name of the Montmartre hill is the “Mars” hill. This is connected with the name of the Roman god of war Mars.
How to get there
First of all, tourists who come to Paris go to the Seine embankment, visit the Notre Dame Cathedral and the famous Louvre Museum, admire the Eiffel Tower and take a walk along the river. The next day, be sure to go to the highest point in Paris - Montmartre. An unforgettable panorama of the city opens from a height of 130 meters.
The easiest way to get there is by metro. You will reach the station Anvers, and there follow in the direction of the dome of the Sacre Coeur Cathedral towering above the rest of the buildings. You can go to the Abbesses station, at the same time admire the art nouveau design style.
If it’s more convenient for you to get to the Jules Joffin metro station, then you can take the Montmartrain local train and get to Pigalle Square, and the train tickets are also valid for traveling to Montmartre Hill by funicular.
Funicular
Having a tram that raises and lowers millions of tourists every day makes visiting the hill much easier. This is not only a form of transport, but also a pleasure accessible to everyone. It is not required to purchase tickets separately for travel, it is enough to buy subway tickets. The funicular belongs to the public transport network and connects the station between Saint Pierre Square and the top of the hill. However, to get to the beautiful Sacre Coeur Cathedral, you will have to climb the stairs a little more, but this is already much easier, the distance will be reduced by 200 steps.
If you are already in front of the cathedral, then turn left to search for the funicular, right behind the trees you will see its upper station. The funicular opened in 1900. Over the years of operation, it was restored twice. A trip from the foot to the top of the hill takes just 1.5 minutes.
Sacre Coeur Cathedral
The Sacre Coeur Basilica, which means “holy heart”, crowns the hill of Montmartre. This is one of the main symbols of the city, which is loved by the citizens and visitors of Paris. The pearl of Montmartre is a white stone structure 94 meters high with a wide staircase in front of the entrance, numbering 237 steps. On the main facade there are 5 bas-reliefs on gospel themes. The interior is generously decorated with beautiful stained glass windows. Of particular note is the mosaic located above the pulpit, depicting a scene of worship of the Sacred Heart of Christ.
The history of the construction of the basilica is associated with sad events. France was defeated in the war with Prussia in 1871, Paris survived several months of the siege, followed by the "bloody week" of the Paris Commune. The Prussians captured the Emperor of France, then the Vatican was annexed, and Pope Pius IX was taken prisoner. At the call of the Catholics, for the atonement of the Almighty, the citizens gathered the necessary funds on their own, and in memory of the victims, this beautiful basilica was built according to the project of the architect Paul Abadi.
It is believed that a combination of Roman, Gothic, Romanesque and Byzantine styles of construction symbolizes harmony and tolerance. Montmartre was not chosen by chance for construction. This is the place where the war began between members of the commune and the Versailles. An interesting fact - when laying the first stone, a bronze medallion was placed on the ground with the inscription: "France presents the Montmartre Basilica to Christ."
“Passing through the walls”
On Marseille Aimet square, not far from the longest street of Montmartre Lepic, tourists can see an unusual monument. This is the head, arm and foot of a person appearing directly from the wall of the house. The sculpture is dedicated to the famous writer and playwright who lived on the hill, Marcel Aime. One of his stories was called “Passing Through Walls”.
Grateful Parisians decided to commemorate the talented author with such an unusual sculpture. The monument was created by the no less famous actor, poet and sculptor - Jean Mare, whom everyone remembers from such films as The Count of Monte Cristo and Fantomas. They say that if you shake hands with the writer, it will bring good luck. Many tourists follow the directions, so the hand is already shining with grated bronze.
Montmartre's "Heart"
There used to be a small village on the hill of Montmartre with cozy little streets and houses. Artists who came to Paris rented inexpensive housing there, because it was only an hour's drive to Paris, and the surroundings of the hill were incredibly picturesque. So it has long been the custom that creative natures settled in Montmartre.
Many famous creators wandered along the streets of quiet streets, who conveyed the beauty of this place on their canvases. Georges Michelle loved to paint mills on the hill; Jericho portrayed artisans working in quarries.
What is it - Montmartre in Paris, you can learn from the works of famous artists. Views of the hill can be seen in the paintings presented in his museum. Here are the works of Susanna Valandon and Maurice Utrillo, Eric Satie and Adolf-Leon Willet, Theophile-Alexander Steinlen and Picasso, Edgar Degas and Gustave Moreau. Camille Pissarro was so impressed with the surroundings where he lived that he painted as many as 13 paintings entitled “Montmartre Boulevard in Paris”, where he conveyed the atmosphere of city bustle at different times of the day, weather and light.
Nowadays, artists occupy the entire space of Tertre Square, which was nicknamed the "heart of Montmartre." It is an exhibition center for contemporary art. To get a place on the square, you must have a concession of the Union of Artists, and this is not easy.
Cemetery
If you are tired of the bustle of the city, you can take a walk to the most famous cemetery in Paris. It occupies 11 hectares of land, about 700 trees of 38 species grow here. Artists are buried here - these are famous artists and writers, artists and composers, singers and dancers.
Each monument represents a unique sculptural composition. Here you can visit the grave of Stendhal and Zola, Berlioz and singer Dalida, Vaclav Nijinsky and Ampere. The entrance to the artistic necropolis is only one and is located on the side of Rachel Avenue.
Famous mills
As we mentioned earlier in the article, on the hill of Montmartre there were more than 30 mills that were involved in the extraction of stones or the processing of grapes. Some were demolished, and they have not survived to our days, while others have been converted into restaurants.
The world-famous cabaret restaurant "Moulin Rouge". The dance hall of the institution was converted from a mill built in 1885.
Another establishment called "Moulin de la Galette", a photograph of which is presented in the article above, has preserved a real mill in front of the entrance. These unique structures inspired many artists, they can be seen in the paintings of Corot and Renoir, Van Gogh and Toulouse-Lautrec.
Montmartre through the eyes of poets
Writers and poets, as well as artists, did not bypass this picturesque corner of Paris. The mention of Montmartre in literature - both in prose and in poetry - is found in almost all French cultural figures. They then described cafes and mills, then sent their characters for a walk to Montmartre. The poet Gerard de Nerval in his book "Walks and Memories" described every corner of the hill, with its streets, huts and mills. He was especially impressed by the vineyards; he even looked after himself a small plot of land for its cultivation.
The poet Francis Carco wrote a poem about the famous cabaret "Moulin Rouge". He sang a new quadrille dance performed by dancers. There is a description of the hill and the Sacre Coeur Cathedral and in the verses of Max Jacob.
"Maigret in Montmartre"
In 2017, a film directed by Tadeus O Sullivan was released in the UK based on a book by Georges Simenon about the famous detective Maigret investigating another crime. The roles involved Douglas Hodge, Lorraine Ashbourne, Cassie Claire and the well-known to our viewer Rowan Atkinson.
In the film “Maigret on Montmartre”, the detective tries to find the criminal who killed the young dancer and the elderly countess. Despite the fact that there were crimes on different ends of the capital of France, Maigret will be able to find a connection between the victims and reveal a terrible secret.
To better know what it is - Montmartre in Paris, you need to plunge into its day and night life, wander through the narrow streets, examine monuments and ancient mills, taste wines from vineyards, get acquainted with the work of hill artists.