At Last! The Sacré-Coeur Makes the List

It has long suffered from a form of disrepute, with a silhouette considered too massive, heavy and bloated, earning it unflattering nicknames like "cream puff" and "meringue of the Butte". The Sacré-Coeur Basilica has had an eventful history, like France itself. Incredible as it may seem, this monument, though symbolic of the capital city and its second-most visited site after the cathedral of Notre-Dame (with eleven million visitors per year) was not registered as a French historic monument until very recently. One hundred and one years to the month after its consecration, the hour of recognition finally arrived: on October 13, 2020, the Regional Commission for Cultural Heritage and Architecture unanimously approved the basilica's inclusion in the register of historic monuments in France. It was vital to "give this building the consideration it deserves for its architectural quality," said Laurent Roturier, director of cultural affairs for the Ile-de-France region. This operation was part of a more general campaign conducted over the past eight years by the DRAC (Regional Cultural Affairs Directorate), in partnership with…