Montmartre is a former suburb of Paris, lying about 4.5 kilometres north of Cité. The former village became part of the city limits only in 1859. Today it is one of the most attractive places for tourists - here is a magnificent basilica Sacré-Coeur, from here you can enjoy an incredible view of Paris.
On a hill 130 metres high people settled in the Neolithic era. At the time of the Gauls and Romans, there were pagan temples in honour of Mars and Mercury. Gypsum was mined on the hill, and the local quarries became shelters for the first Christians. The first bishop of Paris, St Dionysius, was beheaded here for preaching Christianity (272). Legend has it that the executed man took his own head in his hands, washed it and walked about 6 kilometres before falling - the place of his death was named Saint-Denis (a current suburb of Paris).
Montmartre has a rich spiritual history. In the 12th century, the Order of St Benedict built a monastery here, now the church of the monastery of St Pierre de Montmartre is one of the oldest in Paris. It was in Montmartre that Ignatius de Loyola founded the Jesuit order in 1535.
At the same time, the hill has a solid business history. Gypsum, an indispensable building material, has provided wealth for the locals for centuries. It was ground by windmills. Alphonse Daudet wrote: "There is a piece of Montmartre in every part of Paris."
But it was culture that brought Montmartre its true fame. Since the late 19th century, it has attracted poor artists with its low housing prices. Renoir, Van Gogh, Toulouse-Lautrec, Utrillo, Picasso, Braque, Modigliani lived and worked here. Poor masters rented rooms in the barracks, without light and gas, with one tap for five floors. And although the role of the main bohemian neighbourhood has now been taken over by Montparnasse, Parisian artists still exhibit their works in Montmartre, on Place Tertre.
Montmartre has many faces. In the Rue Saint-Vensin there is a vineyard that produces about a thousand bottles of rare Montmartre wine every year. Nearby is the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret. And between Place de la Belle and Place Pigalle is the equally famous red-light district of Paris.
On a side note
- Location: Montmartre, Paris
- Nearest metro station: "Abbesses" line M12
- Official website: http://www.montmartre-paris-france.com
