Basilica · Other

Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Paris, France

"The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur crowns the Butte Montmartre, the highest point in Paris, visible from almost eve..."

Highlights

1France's most-visited church — over 11 million visitors per year
2Continuous Eucharistic adoration has been maintained without interruption since 1885 — over 140 years
3The apse mosaic of Christ with outstretched arms is one of the largest in the world at 480 square metres
4The great bell La Savoyarde weighs 19 tonnes — one of the heaviest bells in the world
5Built as an act of national penance after the 1871 Franco-Prussian War and Paris Commune

Getting There

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Address

35 Rue du Chevalier de la Barre, 75018 Paris, France

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Directions

Metro Line 12 to Abbesses or Anvers, then climb 222 steps or take the funiculaire (Metro ticket valid). From central Paris, Abbesses is 20 minutes by Metro.

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Timings

Current time — Paris Time (CET)

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When	Hours	Note
Basilica	6:00 AM - 10:30 PM
Dome	9:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Entry to the basilica is free. A ticket is required for the dome and crypt. Photography not permitted inside during prayer. Continuous Adoration takes place in the right transept chapel at all times.

Masses & Events

Daily Masses

7, 8 AM; 11 AM (solemn); 3, 6, 10 PM

Daily schedule

Solemn Mass with Gregorian Chant

Sundays 11:00 AM

The most celebrated Mass of the week — arrive early

Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration

Continuous 24 hours

The unbroken prayer at the heart of Sacré-Cœur since 1885

Must See

The Great Mosaic of the Apse

Behind the main altar Christ in Glory, 480 square metres of mosaic, reigns with arms outstretched. At its base: To the Sacred Heart of Jesus, France fervent, penitent and grateful. The visual and spiritual centre of the building.

Perpetual Adoration Chapel

Right transept Here the Blessed Sacrament has been continuously exposed since 1885. Through wars, revolutions, epidemics

the prayer has never stopped. To sit here for five minutes is to touch the living current of a century of unbroken petition.

The Dome Panorama

Accessible via stairs from the crypt The highest accessible point in Paris

130 metres above street level with views across the entire city. Pilgrims see Paris from above, a sprawling human city held in the arms of the basilica.

La Savoyarde Bell

Bell tower Weighing 19 tonnes and measuring 3 metres in diameter, La Savoyarde is one of the heaviest bells in the world. When it rings on major feasts, its resonance can be felt as much as heard across the hill.

The Steps and Esplanade

Exterior [OUTDOOR] The 222 steps descending from the basilica form one of the great urban pilgrim approaches in the world.

To climb them

past musicians, past the city of Paris spreading below

is itself a form of contemplation.

Intentions

Carry these intentions into the Basilica with you — pause at each sacred spot and lift them to God.

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For France and for all nations built on Christian foundations now losing their faith

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For those who have suffered great loss and seek consolation

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For an end to indifference toward God in the hearts of the modern world

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For those who keep the night vigil of prayer while others sleep

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For the conversion of those who have hardened their hearts

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For priests and religious who intercede without ceasing

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For artists and builders who have given their gifts to God In reparation for the sins of the world, as the founders of this basilica intended

Reflection

The founders of Sacré-Cœur made a vow in the worst moments of France's national humiliation. They promised: if we survive, we will build a church of perpetual prayer. That vow became a basilica, and that basilica became a century of unbroken adoration. In times of catastrophe, prayer is not an escape from reality — it is the most real thing we can do.

Suggested Scripture — Matthew 11:28

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Read in full on Bible Gateway →

A Pilgrim's Prayer

Sacred Heart of Jesus, I come to you from a noisy, restless city and a noisy, restless life. I do not come with the right words or the right posture. I come only with a heart that is tired and a hunger I cannot name. Let me rest here for a moment in the company of those who have knelt before you for a hundred years. Let their unbroken prayer carry mine. Amen.

The Basilica of Sacré-Cœur crowns the Butte Montmartre, the highest point in Paris, visible from almost everywhere in the city. Its chalk-white domes, gleaming in all weathers due to the self-cleaning properties of the travertine stone, have become one of the defining silhouettes of the French capital. With over 11 million visitors per year, it is France’s most-visited church.

History

Construction began in 1875 following the trauma of the Franco-Prussian War and the Paris Commune. The basilica was conceived as an act of national penance and consecration to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It took 40 years to build and was consecrated in 1919, just after the First World War ended.

Perpetual Adoration

Since consecration, a continuous Eucharistic adoration has been maintained: the Blessed Sacrament has been exposed for worship around the clock for over a century without interruption. Even during two World Wars, the adoration never stopped. This unbroken prayer is the hidden soul of Sacré-Cœur, often unknown to the tourists who admire its architecture from the stairs below.