Montmartre is a unique scenic spot in Paris. Every tourist is simply obliged to visit it, walk along the small streets, sit in an open-air restaurant, look at the paintings of street artists, see with their own eyes the famous cathedral on the hill and the remaining mills.
Montmartre is a place of relaxation, culture and art. Representatives of Parisian bohemia have long gathered here, Zola and Renoir, Degas and Van Gogh, Berlioz and Seurat 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.
After all, it is here that green squares and small picturesque houses hung with flowerpots with flowering plants, cute cozy cafes and restaurants, rows of souvenir shops with merchants and artisans offering a variety of goods are located. Rows of stairs rise to the top of the hill, and the famous vineyard is laid out on the green slopes.
The article will talk about the history of thisa wonderful corner of the capital of France, it will be told how to get to it by public transport, all the famous sights of Montmartre are described in detail, interesting information and legends associated with this ancient place are given.
A bit of history
For the first time people settled the hill in the Neolithic period. The hill on the banks of the river Seine was more than 5 km wide and consisted of gypsum deposits. These useful deposits subsequently began to be developed in order to extract gypsum for construction purposes. Alphonse Daudet wrote that parts of Montmartre can be found anywhere in Paris.
In the era of the Roman Empire, the trade in mined stone made Montmartre the richest place, which made it possible for residents to build many churches and chapels. To assist in the processing of building material, a large number of windmills were erected on the hill. Eyewitnesses said that residents in the morning directed their gaze towards the hill to find out if there was a wind and in which direction it was blowing.
Mountain of Martyrs in Paris
The name of the hill literally translates as "mountain of martyrs" (Mons Martyrium) or "Mars hill" (Mons Martis). According to ancient legends, Dionysius of Paris, who was a bishop in Paris, and two of his preachers were beheaded on a hilltop for the spread of Christianity. According to legend, in the place where the severed head of Dionysius fell, a spring gushed. The headless bishop walked up to him, raised his head, and walked away along the road. In the place where he fell dead, a village was built, named after him Saint-Denis, thenthere is Saint Denis. It was believed that the apostle Paul himself converted him to the Christian faith. The saint is revered to this day, therefore, at the place of execution in the square, a monument was erected to the bishop holding a severed head in his hand.
The history of the Montmartre hill is closely connected with Christianity. The catacombs and caves formed from the extraction of stone helped to hide from the persecution of the Romans. It was in this place that there was a women's abbey and one of the oldest churches in the city, named after St. Peter.
Another explanation for the origin of the name of the Montmartre hill is the "Mars" hill. It is associated 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, 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. From a height of 130 meters, an unforgettable panorama of the city opens up.
The easiest way to get there is by subway. You reach the Anvers station, and then follow the direction of the dome of the Sacré-Coeur cathedral towering above the rest of the buildings. You can also get off at the Abbesses station and admire the art nouveau style at the same time.
If it is more convenient for you to get to the Jules Joffin metro station, then you can transfer to the Montmartrain city train and get to Pigalle Square, and train tickets are also valid for traveling to the Montmartre hill by funicular.
Funicular
The presence of a tram,raising and lowering millions of tourists every day, makes it much easier to visit the hill. This is not only a mode of transport, but also a pleasure available to everyone. You do not need to purchase tickets separately for travel, just buy metro tickets. The funicular belongs to the public transport network and connects the stations between Place Saint-Pierre and the top of the hill. However, to get to the beautiful Sacré-Coeur, you will have to climb a little more stairs, 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 find the funicular, right behind the trees you will see its top station. The funicular opened in 1900. During the years of operation it was restored twice. The trip from the foot to the top of the hill takes only 1.5 minutes.
Sacré-Coeur
The Basilica of Sacré-Coeur, which means "sacred heart", crowns the hill of Montmartre. This is one of the main symbols of the city, which is loved by the citizens and guests of Paris. The pearl of Montmartre is a white stone building 94 meters high with a wide staircase in front of the entrance, with 237 steps. On the main facade there are 5 bas-reliefs on gospel themes. The interior is lavishly 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 connected with sad events. France was defeated in the war with Prussia inIn 1871, Paris experienced several months of siege, followed by the "bloody week" of the Paris Commune. The Prussians captured the emperor of France, then the annexation of the Vatican took place, and Pope Pius IX was taken prisoner. At the call of Catholics to atone for sins before the Almighty, citizens raised the necessary funds on their own, and in memory of the sacrifices made, this most beautiful basilica was built according to the project of the architect Paul Abadi.
It is believed that the combination of Roman, Gothic, Romanesque and Byzantine styles of construction symbolizes harmony and tolerance. It was no coincidence that Montmartre was chosen for the construction. This is the place where the war began between the members of the commune and the Versaillese. An interesting fact is that when the first stone was laid, a bronze medallion was placed in the ground, on which was the inscription: “France presents the Montmartre basilica to Christ.”
Passing Through Walls
On Place Marseille Aime, not far from the longest street of Montmartre Lepic, tourists can see an unusual monument. This is the head, arm and leg 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 short stories was called "Passing Through Walls".
Grateful Parisians decided to perpetuate the memory of the talented author with such an unusual sculpture. The monument was created by a no less famous actor, poet and sculptor - Jean Marais, whom everyone remembers from such films as The Count of Monte Cristo and Fantomas. They say that if you shake the hand of a writer, itwill bring good luck. Many tourists follow the directions, so the hand is already gleaming with rubbed bronze.
Heart of Montmartre
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 accommodation there, because Paris is only an hour away, and the surroundings of the hill were incredibly picturesque. It has long been customary that creative people settled in Montmartre.
Many famous artists wandered along the pavements of quiet streets, who conveyed the beauty of this place on their canvases. Georges Michel liked to draw the mills of the hill, Géricault depicted artisans working in quarries.
What is it - Montmartre in Paris, you can learn from the work of famous artists. Views of the hill can be seen in the paintings presented in his museum. Here are the works of Suzanne Valandon and Maurice Utrillo, Eric Satie and Adolphe-Leon Villette, Theophile-Alexandre Steinlen and Picasso, Edgar Degas and Gustave Moreau. Camille Pissarro was so impressed by the surroundings where he lived that he painted as many as 13 paintings called "Montmartre Boulevard in Paris", where he conveyed the atmosphere of the bustle of the city at different times of the day, weather and light.
In our time, artists occupy the entire space of Place du Tertre, which is called the "heart of Montmartre". This is an exhibition center for contemporary art. To get a place on the square, you need to have a concession from the Union of Artists, and this is not easy.
Cemetery
If you are tired of the bustle of the city, thenyou can 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 is a unique sculptural composition. Here you can visit the grave of Stendhal and Zola, Berlioz and the singer Dalida, Vaslav Nijinsky and Ampère. There is only one entrance to the artistic necropolis and is located from the side of Rachel Avenue.
Famous windmills
As we mentioned earlier in the article, there were more than 30 mills on the Montmartre hill, which were involved in the extraction of stones or the processing of grapes. Some were demolished, and they did not survive to this day, while others were converted into restaurants.
The Moulin Rouge cabaret restaurant is world famous. The dance hall of the establishment was converted from a mill built in 1885.
Another establishment called "Moulin de la Galette", the photo of which is presented in the article above, has kept a real windmill in front of the entrance. These unique structures have inspired many artists and 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 thendescribed cafes and mills, then sent their characters for a walk in Montmartre. The poet Gerard de Nerval in his book "Walks and Memories" described every corner of the hill, with its streets, huts and windmills. He was especially impressed by the vineyards, he even looked after himself a small plot of land for his cultivation.
Poet Francis Carco wrote a poem about the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. He sang the then new quadrille dance performed by the dancers. There is a description of the hill and the Sacré-Coeur and in the verses of Max Jacob.
Megre on Montmartre
In 2017, a film directed by Tadeus O, Sullivan based on the book by Georges Simenon about the famous detective Maigret investigating another crime was released in the UK. The cast includes Douglas Hodge, Lorraine Ashbourne, Cassie Clare and Rowan Atkinson, well-known to our viewers.
In the film "Maigre on Montmartre" the detective tries to find the criminal who killed the young dancer and the elderly countess. Despite the fact that crimes have occurred at different ends of the French capital, Maigret will be able to find a connection between the victims and uncover a terrible secret.
To get to know better what Montmartre is in Paris, you need to plunge into its day and night life, wander through the narrow streets, look at the monuments and ancient mills, taste the wines from the vineyards, get acquainted with the work of the artists of the hill.
