 |
|
In this issue: |
|
|
|
|
|
The Abbey of the Abbesses
The king did not build this structure only to please his beloved spouse . . .
|
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Sign up for a newsletter that will intoduce you to a
new region of France every month!
|
|
The Sacred Heart
So many quarries had been dug out that designing the foundations for such a monument became a tricky business . . .
|
The Village of Montmartre
In medieval France, villages were traditionally built around the church where the
peasants would gather when in need of protection and refuge . . .
|
The Quarries of Montmartre
An old saying even states that "there is more Montmartre in Paris than there is Paris in Montmartre . . .
|
The Bohemian Life
Montmartre very quickly became the rendez-vous of artists such as Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso . . .
|
Forward this Newsletter
Forward this newsletter to your friends and make them dream
about "la Belle France".
|
 |
|
onjour, We will begin this New Year 2004 with a newsletter dedicated to Montmartre, a particularly picturesque
and charming Parisian neighborhood. Far more than just an arrondissement (district), this small village in the
heart of the big city is a haven of peace that has kept its original bohemian spirit.
But before continuing, please remember that you can
access and read all the newsletters already published at
www.FranceMonthly.com and receive our free monthly newsletter through email:
just subscribe at
www.FranceMonthly.com.
We commit to NEVER sell your email address to another company.
| The Butte Montmartre! |
 |
A Sacred Place
This hill was considered a sacred place ever since ancient times. People were drawn to its geographical location,
the thick forest that covered the area, and its numerous springs. The Gaul druids came there to revere their
numerous gods, while the Romans established a temple dedicated to Mercury where they also worshiped Bacchus,
God of the Vine. This large hill, not yet called Montmartre, became a very popular place of pilgrimage. During
the Gallo-Roman era, the "Parisians" saw in this haven located in the middle of the countryside, the perfect
place to pray and honor their gods. This area was far enough away from Lutetia (the ancient name for Paris)
that one deserved some credit for getting there, even though it wasn’t a major feat either. As for wealthy
merchants, it was the ideal location to build their houses, far from the visible city down below and also
well beyond the woods and marshes.
The Legend of Saint Denis
Though it was the many forests and springs that had brought the Gauls and Romans to make this hill their
favorite place of worship, its religious vocation would be confirmed centuries later due to the abundance
of its limestone subsoil. Indeed, the numerous excavations dug by men working these quarries would later
serve as hiding and worship places for the persecuted Christians. St Denis, the region’s first bishop,
is even said to have carried out his first evangelizations there. Arrested, then tortured, he apparently
died of decapitation for having refused to renounce his faith. Legend has it that, guided by an angel,
he crossed the hill, his head in his hands, and walked up to his own grave. The hill, up until then
known as "Mount Mars" or "Mount Mercury", was then renamed "Mount of Martyrs" from which was derived
"Montmartre". Towards the end of the 5th century, a basilica was erected at the site where the holy man’s
remains had been put to rest. That is when Montmartre, already a sacred place, also became a very popular
place of pilgrimage.
|
|
| Recipe
for January 2004 |
Tatin Tart
 |
|
|
|
Cooking SOS !
If you run into trouble with one of our recipes, send an SOS e-mail to
911@FranceMonthly.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Abbey of the Abbesses
|
In 1133, King Louis VI, a fervent Christian devoted to St Denis, decided to establish an abbey for women on
the Montmartre hill which had already become centuries ago a meeting place for pilgrims. Montmartre would
retain this function up until the French Revolution. The king did not build this structure only to please
his beloved spouse, but rather to do penance and redeem his soul, as he felt responsible for the bloody
religion wars that only reasons of State seemed to justify. Forty-six abbesses ran this abbey over the
following centuries, and lived sometimes happy lives, sometimes tragic ones. Mary de Montmorency Laval
was the last abbess. In July 1789, during the French Revolution, she fell victim to the homicidal mania
of the period and was accused of hiding soldiers, weapons and ammunition in her abbey. Declared an
"enemy of the people", at a time when terror won over reason, she was guillotined. The abbey was looted
and the furniture sold at auction. Its church, St Peter’s, miraculously escaped any vandalizing and is
today the oldest church in Ile-de-France.
|
 |
|
|
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Subscribe to this monthly newsletter. Every month brings you
to a new and wonderful area of France with unique stories and insights into its
history and best areas to visit. We commit to NEVER sell your email address
to another company. Click on the image below.
|
|
|
|
The Sacred Heart
|
|
In 1870, France was conquered by Prussia. The siege of Paris lasted four months, causing widespread famine and misery.
Catholics saw this all as a sign of divine punishment since impious people had been in power ever since the Revolution.
Many pilgrimages and public prayers were organized, and it was agreed that the salvation of France could only come
from the consecration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was necessary to do penance and build a temple in his honor.
Montmartre was chosen because of its religious past and its location dominating Paris. In 1873, the National Assembly
passed a law declaring that the planned work was directed to the public benefit. The project of the architect Paul
Abadie -- who preferred Byzantine curves to Neo-Gothic style -- was selected. However, getting the work underway
proved to be a real challenge. Indeed, so many quarries had been dug out that designing the foundations for such
a monument became a tricky business. They ended up being deeper than those of the Egyptian pyramids! It took more
than 40 years of construction at a cost 7 times the initial budget to achieve this Roman-Byzantine masterpiece. It
was built out of a rock with the peculiar quality of hardening and whitening over time. Finished on the eve of WWI,
the long awaited consecration of the Sacred Heart finally took place 5 years later, on October 16, 1919.
|
 |
|
|
Forward this Newsletter
Share the information on this region of France with a friend
by clicking on the image below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Village of Montmartre
|
 |
In medieval France, villages were traditionally built around the church where the peasants would gather when in
need of protection and refuge. Montmartre developed in the completely opposite way. Indeed, the village followed
the life rhythm of the abbey of the Abbesses. The nuns had, over many centuries, suffered the hazards of wars
and economic difficulties. They had to sell the land belonging to the abbey to settle their debts if not just to
survive. This is how, little by little, the sacred hill found its farming vocation. To the long cultivated
vineyards were added fields, farms and mills. It was only under the Second Empire that the appearance of the
Montmartre hill truly changed. As Baron Haussmann built his “grand boulevards” in the Paris that we know today,
he sent the expropriated Parisians to settle down in Montmartre where at least the rents were much lower. The
deep countryside then began to transform itself into a suburb, which eventually became part of the city.
Would you like to read more about Paris? Click here.
|
|
|
The Quarries of Montmartre
|
|
Already in ancient times, the bedrock of Montmartre, very rich in gypsum and chalk, was heavily exploited to build
Lutetia, and then Paris. An old saying even states that "there is more Montmartre in Paris than there is Paris in
Montmartre". The gypsum had such a reputation that it was even exported to England and America. The true metamorphosis
of the neighborhood was directly linked to these quarries, or rather to their closing. The quarries served as a
refuge to outlaws and vagrants and it was quite dangerous to walk there at night. Around 1830, all extraction had
to be stopped because the constant digging had left the ground dangerously unstable. Risks of subsidence caused
the authorities to forbid all underground exploitation. So little by little, this disturbing underground population
disappeared, and the town became safer. Montmartre still looked like a provincial town when it was attached to the
city of Paris, in 1860. But all this was about to change, as bohemian Montmartre would soon emerge.
|
|
|
The Bohemian Life
|
|
Montmartre very quickly became the rendez-vous of artists who were probably more attracted to this location by its
modest rents than its picturesque hill. Painters, sculptors, writers and poets were among the first to settle there.
Among the most famous, were Augustus Renoir, Gérard de Nerval, Utrillo, Cézanne, Toulouse-Lautrec and Picasso. It
was the era of the "Bateau-Lavoir" (literally, “Washhouse-Boat”), a cluster of rundown studios where the artists
lived and shared true friendship. These were the times when, equally penniless, they would pace up and down the
streets of Montmartre looking for a free dinner in exchange for a picture or a poem. They would all meet at the
"Lapin Agile" (Agile Rabbit) knowing that the owners, old Frédé and his wife Berthe, would not let them leave with
empty stomachs. They would eat, sing, laugh, and also fight as wine would flow freely and sometimes heat up their
personalities. Then they would go dance at the "Moulin de la Galette". Little mattered... the atmosphere of Montmartre
was created, a mood of real camaraderie, where all stuck together while awaiting better days.
|
|
Even if today’s Montmartre has become popular with tourists, it has not lost any of its past genuine charm.
Walking down its streets, you are always sure to enjoy the same somewhat bohemian atmosphere. You can still have
a meal at the “Moulin de la Galette” (on rue Lepic), or go to the corner of rue St Vincent and rue des Saules, to
the “Lapin Agile”. The cartoonist André Gill designed its sign, a rabbit jumping from a saucepan, which gave the
restaurant its name. After having climbed the many steps to the top of the hill, it is a very pleasant surprise
to discover one of the most beautiful viewpoints of Paris, to stroll around the Place du Tertre or down the small
adjacent streets, such as the beautiful avenue Junot a little lower, or to discover the secret Victorian charm of
the Villa Léandre. You may even come across one of these poets or painters who will offer you his creations. And
why not go all the way down to the foot of the hill and push open the door to the Moulin Rouge? We will save that
for another newsletter...
|
|
| |
 |
|
|
