Better late than never: Paris’ Sacré Coeur finally becomes listed building a century after completion

Paris' Sacré-Coeur is to become a listed building more than a century after being consecrated

It has taken a century but finally Paris famed Sacré Coeur, the French capital’s most visited monument since Notre Dame was closed for repairs, is to become a listed building.

Some 10 million people climb to the white basilica built between 1875 and 1914 atop Montmartre for the soaring views over Paris.

Yet while Notre Dame was listed in 1862 and the Louvre museum in 1889, the Sacré Coeur has to date not joined France’s 44,000 other listed buildings.

“Sacré Coeur is one of the symbols of Paris…But as astonishing as it seems, it is not protected as a historic monument,” said Laurent Roturier, head of cultural affairs for the Paris region.

According to culture minister Roselyne Bachelot, there were two reasons for this curious omission.

The first was a “wrong reading of history”; in many French minds, including some historians, the basilica has been linked to the Paris Commune — a radical socialist, anti-religious, and revolutionary government that seized power from for two months in 1871 before being put down by the regular French army in a bloody battle.

Montmartre with its butte, or hill, was the epicentre of the insurrection, which took place in the wake of France’s defeat in the Franco-German War and the collapse of Napoleon III’s Second Empire.

Far from a tribute to the Communards, the basilica was “designed as an act of penitence of France after a period of unrest”,” said Ms Bachelot.

The other reason, she said, was that for a long time it was seen as an eyesore, reflecting widespread “disdain for 19th century buildings”.

The decision to finally list the edifice was a belated sign of “reparation of an error”, said Father Stéphane Esclef, rector of the basilica.

The process to list the building, which started on Tuesday, will allow the Sacré Coeur to get state subsidies from the culture ministry for renovation.

Even though the basilica is in “a very good state, Mr Roturier said: “We need to think of the future. With this classification, the Sacré Coeur will be protected.”