Paris Travelogue: Sacre Couer

Sacre Couer sits atop the highest hill in Paris

Opening Hours and Admission
Open daily from 6.45 a.m - 11 p.m., while the dome and crypt are open from 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.Entry to the Basilica is free but tickets must be purchased for the dome and crypt.

How to get there
Address: Parvis du Sacre Coeur
Metro: Abbesses, Anvers, Abbesses, Chateau-Rouge or Lamarck-Caulaincourt
Bus: Montmartrobus or numbers 30, 54, 80 or 85

Photography Policy
Photography is permitted.

Shining like a beacon atop the Butte (hill), the Basilique du Sacre Coeur gives the impression of having looked down on Montmartre for hundreds of years. Many are surprised to discover that it’s relatively young, being completed in 1914. Its apparent luminesence comes from the travertine stone used in its construction. This releases calcite when wet, a great way of maintaining its white-washed Romano-Byzantine appearance.

Inside, there are striking mosaics and a crypt which contains what some believe to be a piece of the sacred heart of Christ. Light levels are low, however, and it can be difficult to do much photography without a tripod - something that’s fairly incompatible with a church full of tourists.

The roof of Paris
A narrow staircase climbs to the main 83-metre high dome that is the highest point in the city, offering a view from a point 200-metres above sea level that stretches for over 30 miles. Again, though, and as with the Eiffel Tower, a wide angle lens will squeeze everything in but reduce it in scale until even the most impressive buildings are rendered fairly insignificant in the distance. It’s far better to choose a telephoto lens or use the long end of your zoom to pick out little vignettes on the horizon.

The views back towards the Basilica from the gardens to the front are lovely-especially if the sky is a strong blue when it offers a striking contrast to the gleaming white building. If you’re shooting with black and white film, here’s the time to fit an orange or red filter to turn the sky a very dark grey for a contrasty, dramatic pic. The same effect can be had using Photoshop or similar image processing software by converting just - or mainly - the red channel in your colour image to greyscale.

The biggest difficulty photographing the Basilica close-up - even in the middle of winter - is all the people milling around! If you’re finding it next to impossible getting some clear shots, then take to the surrounding narrow streets and photograph the dome rising above the buildings. I’ve used this approach with the Eiffel Tower as well as I believe it’s often better to show a building in its true context than as a stand-alone monument.

If you use a wide angle lens in the side streets, you’ll certainly capture a strong foreground but the dome of the Basilica will diminish in size in the background. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you want to emphasise something at street level and use the Sacre Coeur as a backdrop. However, standing back a little with a moderate telephoto of around 90mm will produce the effect of the dome towering over the side streets and that, from my way of looking at it, conveys a more accurate impression.