• View
• Edit
• History
• Print

Montmartre

Montmartre, or mountain of the martyrs in French, is reputed to be the hill on which Bishop Denis, the patron saint of Paris was beheaded circa 250 A.D. However, connoisseurs of this charming Parisian neighborhood will acknowledge that it is better known as the setting of the 2001 international hit film Amélie. Its winding cobblestone streets, picturesque gardens, fabulous city views and signature domed church are as magical on a fine March morning as they are in the movie.

That church, built on the highest point in the city and visible from almost anywhere in Paris, is the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur (Basilica of the Sacred Heart). Regarded as one of Paris' masterpieces of Romano-Byzantine architecture, its construction was the direct product of France's bloody history. The building was completed in 1914, shortly after the end of the Franco-Prussian War and the demise of the Paris Commune. Intended to honor the dead of the former and to expiate the crimes of the latter, the basilica was funded entirely from the donations of Parisian citizens. From the top of the famous butte on which it sits, which measures 130 meters in height, Paris lies literally at the traveller's feet.

Montmartre is also famous for its less holy attractions as well. Most well-known among these is the Moulin Rouge cabaret, birthplace of the can-can and host to such vaunted performers as Edith Piaf and Josephine Baker. Nightclubs and street artists abound on Montmartre, as they have since the 19th century, when the bohemian era was in full swing and famous artists like Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec kept studios on the hill. More recently, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso could be seen carousing at the Lapin Agile, a cabaret that is still open today and features a lively evening programme of French folk songs. In current times, the Place du Tertre is a haven for street art on Montmartre.

Other attractions include the Musée de Montmartre, housed in the former residence of painter Maurice Utrillo, which is next door to the former home of Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Espace Dali, close to the basilica, houses a fine collection of Salvador Dali's work. Montmartre even boasts a vineyard in the Rue Saint-Vincent.

Visitors can easily spend a day or more exploring the cafés, streets and nightlife of Montmartre, but they should be aware that the neighborhood is a popular tourist destination and consequently a hot spot for thieves and scam artists. One popular scam will see the traveller approached by an individual selling cloth bracelets, who will quickly fasten a bracelet onto the traveler's wrist, knot it so that it will not come off, and then demand exorbitant payment. The perpetrators of these scams frequently deserve pity, as they are often unemployed immigrants from Africa who have been denied better jobs due to widespread xenophobia. However, travellers unwilling to become their customers would do well to stay at a distance, keep limbs and handbags close, and rebuff any advances with a simple "non, merci."