La Basilique Sacre Coeur, the Basilica Sacred

La Basilique Sacre Coeur, The basilica sacred heartrests in the northern skyline of Paris and is a magnificent monument built from 1875-1914. The monument assumes much importance to the tourist landscape of Paris as thousands of devout Christians visit it each year. It was in the backdrop of French revolution and Franco-Prussian war 1870-71 that the idea of building this monument was conceived. The monument has both literal and symbolic importance in the political and cultural history of France.

La Basilique Sacre Coeur was built as a symbol of moral revival but had its roots in the confluence of royal monarchists and devout Catholics to establish and maintain their dwindling authority over the French society.

Discussion

Many researchers and historians have termed the building of La Basilique Sacre Coeur to maintain and protect the moral decadence of the French society. A cursory look at the events leading up to the promulgation of legislative bill for the construction of La Basilique Sacre Coeur indicates that it was politically motivated and did not wholly intend to render services for moral up gradation only (Jonas). The hard feelings of bloodshed that occurred after the Paris Communique were reignited as the Catholics established the site of La Basilique Sacre Coeur where horrific incidents of Paris Communique took place. The heights of Montmartre were selected through the legislation pushed by the non-republicans. By being ignorant of the mood of general public regarding the offence that civil war victims felt after the monument was established at the very place of incidents, the Catholics and monarchs proved themselves as being incapable of doing justice. To date, political symbolism of La Basilique Sacre Coeur remains more evident than its moral significance (Harvey, 362).

Political or moral

The debate regarding political and moral influence of La Basilique Sacre Coeurin the French history is plagued by skewed opinions in favor of the Catholics. Most of the French society was passing from an internal strife and external war at the time that La Basilique Sacre Coeur legislation was passed. Moro (71) described the convergence of religion with politics and vice versa. The result, the author observes, is dangerous for the interpretation. During the important phase of secularization, the devout Catholics and the aristocrats coalesced to resist the change taking place in the French society. Though monumental in intent, the construction of the basilica was also necessitated as the population had outnumbered the parish churches. Thus, anticipating the threat of obliteration, the defendants and keepers of catholic churches built the grand monument called (Germani, 222).

The beauty and distinctiveness of Basilica of Sacre Coeur is not contested by any researcher. The architecture of this historic monument is beyond description, it is magnificently designed with Byzantine style. The grandeur of this building, built in late 1800s and early 1900s, demands that respect to the building as well as the idea behind the building are given by citizens of Paris. Historians have mentioned that Archbishop of Paris himself climbed the steep hill that was selected for erecting Sacre Coeur in remembrance of martyrs of civil war. Historians have also mentioned that Marguerite-Marie wrote a letter to King of France in 1689 asking him to repent and establish a chapel that is reflective 'sacred heart of Jesus'. The followers of cult of sacred heart were utter opponents of French revolution. But they could not display their disapproval of the revolutionaries on the basis of religion. They had to bring in something that concerned all the powerful men and women of France, the monarchs and the religious elite. "Revolutionary France was no safe place to attempt to propagate the cult of Sacred Heart" (Harvey; 365). It is in the backdrop of this political frustration, which was developed as the events of civil war and French revolution unfolded, that monarchs and priests got desperate to hide behind the rationale of moral revival. By citing moral decadence as compelling reasons and by claiming to be the saviors of conflict-struck French, Basilica of Sacre Coeur was being built.

The materialist values that industrialization brought with it were contrary to the norms, values, and aesthetics of Christianity. The bourgeoisie culture threatened the 'redemptive' status of priests and secularism had expelled these Archbishops from their once grandeur position as fathers of the nation. After the industrialization started affecting the traditional way of French life, the aristocrats and priests struck the 'tacit' partnership to challenge the new order. After the temporal power of Pope was suspended by Napoleon III, the Pope got himself retired to Vatican and threatened not to come back until temporal powers were revived. The release of some of the Italian States from the control of Pope was also something that did not go well with the religious elite of France. Thus, Pope also courted French Catholics for this cause of restoration of temporal powers.