Ignored by most of the tourists queuing into and around the famous Sacre-Coeur, this lovely little…read morechurch provides a blissful escape from the crowds.
The site is adjacent to the remains of the Roman temple or Mars, which gives Montmartre its name. The church was possibly founded in the 3rd Century, but there was certainly a Church here by the 800s. Louis VI acquired the site in the 1100s to establish a monastery here, and the church was then rebuilt, and reconsecrated in 1147, at a Service attended by Bernard of Clairvaux.
The church was badly damaged in the French Revolution, and left as a ruin before its (remarkably sensitive) restoration was begun in 1900.
The rather grand classical facade belies the interior, which has the appearance of a small medieval country church. Notable inside are the re-used Roman columns and the vibrant stained glass, which on sunny days produces beautiful patterns on the columns.