After the Franco-Prussian War ended in 1870, the people of France decided to construct a church in honor of the Sacred Heart in Paris on the butte Montmartre. Originally the funds for the construction of Sacre Couer were to be only from wealthy donors. However in 1873, the government of France decreed its construction to be a state undertaking. Seventy-eight different architects entered a competition for the right to design Sacre Couer. The winning design was submitted by a veteran architect named Abadie. Abadie was already well known for his restoration of the St. Front Cathedral in Perigueux.
The plans for the new basilica called for an edifice of Roman-Byzantine style, and the first stone was laid in 1875. Abadie died in 1884 with only the foundation of the church built.
Completed in 1914, Sacre Coeur, was not consecrated until 1919 after the end of World War I. The total cost to build Sacre Couer was 40 million francs.
The interior of the church contains one of the world's largest mosaics, which depicts Jesus Christ with outstretched arms. The nearby bell tower contains the "Savoyarde", the majestic bell, which was cast in the city of Annecy in 1895. It is one of the world's heaviest bells weighing over 19 tons.
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