A heavenly placeto stay

A heavenly placeto stay in Paris –Sacré-CoeurThere is a place to stay in Paris that is noordinary place to rest your head. It is, in fact,a hôtellerie attached to one of Paris’s mostfamous churches – the great Basilica ofSacré-Coeur.The hill of Montmartre has been a place ofworship since long before anyone dreamed ofthe Basilica of Sacré-Coeur. Millennia ago,Gallic druids claimed the top of Montmartreto practice their rituals. When the Romansarrived, they chose this spot to build templeshonouring their gods Mercury and Mars. It’snot hard to understand why – it’s the highestnatural spot in Paris.The views from the top of the hill where the Basilica is perched are magnificentThe Roman-Byzantine style Basilica isrelatively new – the first stone was laid in 1875,and the Basilica was consecrated in 1918.It was conceived as a symbol of penitence,trust, hope and faith after the PrussianArmy defeated the French army in 1870,and designed by architect Paul Abadie. Thebeautiful white stone used in the constructioncame from the Souppes-sur-Loing quarryin Seine et Marne. It’s essentially a “selfcleaning”stone and Paris’s Arc de Triompheand Pont Alexandre III are built from the samematerial. The people of Savoie funded a giantbell; at 19 tons, it’s still one of the heaviest inthe world and was dragged up the hill by 21sturdy horses in 1895.Around 11 million people visit the Basilicaannually making it the second most visitedchurch in Paris after Notre-Dame. But just ahandful are aware of the hôtellerie (formerlythe Maison Éphrem), a guesthouse run byBenedictine Sisters, whose community isclose by.The Basilica is a “Sanctuary of EucharisticAdoration and Divine Mercy” where anunbroken chain of prayer takes place, anidea proposed by Mother Marie de SaintDiscover a secret, sacred hotel in the very heart of Paris, says Janine Marsh.36 | The Good Life FranceThe Good Life France | 37