The Glorious Sacre Coeur Basilica
View of the beautiful Sacre Coeur Basilica in Montmarte in Paris, France.
The glorious Sacré Cœur is a sublime and architecturally splendid Roman Catholic church in Paris. A joy to visit, I'd rate Sacré Cœur as a must see site.
Sacré Cœur, the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, is a glorious Roman Catholic church situated atop Montmartre at 130 meters above sea level, in Paris. Built in the Romanesque-Byzantine style between 1875 and 1914, and receiving 11.5 million visitors annually, Sacré Cœur is France’s most visited church.
I found great opportunities for photos both inside and outside the basilica and, despite the crowds and oppressive heat, visitors appeared to behave in a very respectful manner. This was, no doubt, due to the awe inspiring architectural surroundings awaiting visitors inside Sacre Coeur.
Sacre Coeur Meaning
The term sacre cœur translates as sacred heart.
After just a few minutes research you’ll discover some of the rich and colorful history associated with Sacré Cœur Basilica.
There’s a deep and complex history associated with the basilica and the site has long been associated with religious and spiritual practices.
It’s believed that, during pagan times, druids worshipped here. What’s more the Roman’s built temples on the site which they dedicated to Mars and Mercury.
According to legend the Romans beheaded St. Denis, the Patron Saint of Paris on the hill of Montmartre.
Sacre Coeur Opening Hours
Sacré Cœur offers very generous opening hours for tourist and local alike.
The Basilica is open every day from 6am until 10:30pm. Entrance into Sacré Cœur is free, though it costs 5 euros to climb the 300 steps to the dome.
There are no guided tours of the interior of the Basilica. The reason given is to ensure silence is maintained for prayer.
However, with the exception of Mondays, you’ll find a Benedictine Sister on duty at the reception desk to answer any questions you may have.
The domes of Sacre Coeur Basilica on Montmartre glittering in the sunlight.
Visiting Sacré Coeur
I was in Paris on the very last day of a fantastic six week European trip and, frankly, I was exhausted. I really had to push hard on that final day.
I decided that a tourist ride on an open-air, double decker bus would wake me up. It was fun and I had a hoot making photos from the top deck.
The final site on my list was a visit to Sacré Cœur Basilica where, despite large crowds and significant photography restrictions, I had a great time and managed to make some interesting photos.
It was a warm August day and, together with several hundred other visitors, I had to wait in line before being able to enter the basilica.
The queue was both long and slow moving. But, after coming so far, it’s always worthwhile putting up with such inconveniences.
Despite the crowds, and the fact that photography (at least with a big camera) is not permitted inside the building, a visit to the glorious Sacré Cœur Basilica is an opportunity that should not be missed.
Architecturally Sacré Cœur is quite spectacular. The outside is grand while the inside of the famous Montmartre Basilica is vast and extraordinarily beautiful.
No wonder it’s a site of deep devotion, something I witnessed first hand.
How to Photograph Sacre Cœur Basilica
While I wasn’t permitted to photograph inside Sacre Coeur there’s no such restriction placed on photography featuring the basilica’s facade or any of its towers or domes.
However, it’s a tricky structure to photograph. The basilica is very large and, situated on a hilltop, there’s only so far back you can move in an attempt to fit it all into your composition.
To avoid cropping the top of the domes out of your photo you’ll have to tilt your camera upwards to fit them in.
In some cases that’s fine as the distortion that occurs will add an interesting visual dynamic to your image. In other cases it might not look so good.
If you’re looking to reduce distortion you can straighten the photo up with the aid of post processing software.
Just be aware that you’ll need to include quite a lot of extra space around the top of the composition as the image will be cropped as it’s straightened on the desktop.
The more straightening required the more extra space you’ll need to include in your composition.
During my visit the main steps leading up the hill to the front entrance were full of people.
I moved around to one side of the Basilica to find space and a vantage point from where I could make photos that better explored the shapes of the domes and towers.
This helped to provide a more three dimensional view of the cathedral, as illustrated in the image at the top of this post.
The trees were interesting as they added color and texture to the scene yet, I suspect, in most people’s photos they’d act as a visual barrier to the Basilica.
I positioned myself so that the trees were, roughly, of equal importance in the frame to the Basilica. That became a key consideration in the composition that underpins the picture.
On the desktop I worked to ensure the color and texture of those trees was emphasized.
Domes and statues around the exterior of Sacre Coeur Basilica in Paris.
Sacré Cœur View: The White church Of Paris
The stones used in the construction of Sacré Cœur come from Chateau-Landon, a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region of France.
Within Chateau-Landon is the Souppes-sur-Loing quarry where the bright white travertine stones used in the construction of the Basilica were sourced.
In wet weather the high calcite content in the stone acts like bleach to give the church its distinctive chalky white appearance.
I first sighted Sacré Cœur from my hotel near the Arc de Triomphe. It looked amazing gleaming white in the sunlight. I knew I had to make the trip out to Montmartre for a closer look.
However, by the time I reached the Basilica the sky was mostly overcast. While an all white sky can be quite bland in a photo, it’s nice to have at least some clouds to break up the uniform nature of an all blue sky.
I was lucky in so much as a storm was brewing.
The changing weather produced variation in the density of the clouds which helped to separate them from each other and allowed them to better stand out against the sky.
Cloud cover may not always produce compelling skies, but it does produce a larger, softer light source than would be the case photographing under direct sunlight.
The quality of the light that’s emitted through an overcast sky is both soft and expressive.
Soft light produces lower dynamic range. That extends your ability to record details in highlights and shadows that might otherwise be lost under brighter and less diffuse lighting.
It was the soft light that enabled me to hold so much of the delicate detail within the light tone stone of the famous Sacré Cœur Basilica.
If, unlike me, you find yourself photographing the exterior of the Basilica under bright, direct sunlight you may want to place a polarizing filter in front of your lens.
Once attached simply spin the filter to reduce any reflections coming off the surface of the stone. This should allow you to retain as much delicate highlight detail in your photo as possible.
Arch and stained glass window in a chapel at Sacre Cœur.
Seeking Quiet and Tranquility
Because it’s such an immensely popular tourist destination I was both surprised and disappointed not to be permitted to make photographs inside the Sacré Cœur Basilica.
As a travel photographer that was my intention for visiting the Basilica and I needed to find a way, without breaking the rules, that would allow me to do so.
I entered a small chapel to the side of the cathedral where I was able to photograph unhindered.
However, I was careful not to move onto the altar area and to move out of the way when more devout pilgrims entered the space.
I believe it's important to be respectful of the needs of others at such times.
I don’t think that it’s unreasonable for my own experience, as a photographer, to be slightly compromised to ensure the experience of other visitors is not adversely affected by my presence.
Sometimes I have to wait a long time to make my photos. But when I get an opportunity my experience allows me to be able to make photos in a quick, efficient and discrete manner.
Graphically designed stained glass window in Sacre Coeur Basilica, Paris.
My Time At The Glorious Sacre Coeur Basilica
I’d definitely recommend a visit to Sacré Cœur Basilica for anyone visiting Paris. If you’re there during Summer it’s probably wise to arrive at the Basilica early or late in the day.
Hopefully less people arriving during those times will ensure your own visit is peaceful and without stress.
I’ve been fortunate to have travelled to Europe on several occasions and often think about my next trip.
With so much to see and do there’s always a good chance that Paris will, once again, find its way onto my travel itinerary.
