The Minister of Culture Rima Abdul Malak announced Friday, in a press release, the classification as historical monuments of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and Square Louise-Michel.
A favorable opinion was issued Thursday by the National Heritage and Architecture Commission.
"
The classification decree will be signed by the Minister of Culture in the coming days"
, specifies the ministry.
“The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paris and the square Louise-Michel constitute a significant architectural and urban witness in the complex history of the end of the 19th century,
considers the rue de Valois.
The Sacré-Coeur is an emblematic monument of the Parisian landscape, of international renown, the most visited in the capital after Notre-Dame cathedral until the fire of April 2019.
Read alsoThe Sacré-Coeur obtains the green light for its classification in the inventory of historic monuments
The history of this sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, property of the town hall of Paris, is sensitive.
Its construction was launched three years after the defeat of France against Prussia (1870) and two years after the Commune (March to May 1871), a bloody insurrectionary episode which began with the capture of cannons at the site of the building.
In 1873, the National Assembly, dominated by conservatives, declared the basilica of public utility.
The classification as historical monuments will allow any work to be covered "
up to 40% of the budget
" by the Drac (Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs), against 20% for an inscription, the lower level of protection obtained in 2020 .
Among the main projects to come are “
facilitated access for people with reduced mobility
” but also “
renovation work on the Cavaillé-Coll organ, which has been in a deplorable state for six years
”.
In the longer term, Father Stéphane Esclef would like to "
open the crypt to visitors
", which is currently impossible "
because in terms of security, the means of access are not suitable to accommodate a large number
" of people.
The new status of the basilica is also a welcome decision for the town hall of the 18th arrondissement, which is campaigning for the inscription of the Montmartre hillock as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
