Montmartre

One of the things I am really enjoying in Paris is going on guided walks throughout the city.  Duane and I have learned about the French Revolution, Knights Templar, WW II sites in Paris, the Marais, and recently Montmartre (you recognize this area by the magnificent Basilica of Sacre Coeur at the north end of the city).  The walks have been a great chance to get out, exercise and talk with other parents from our school.  Here are some notes about Montmartre....

First of all it is interesting that this area was outside the city for many years until 1860, when it was incorporated into Paris.  There are maps depicting the layers of city walls as the town grew. The metro 2 line, which is our "home" line, was developed right along the site of an old city wall.

For many years during the medieval times people would travel on pilgrimage routes.  In Montmartre there were people who came in pilgrimage to see the route and resting place of St. Denis, the patron saint of Paris.  He was beheaded in 250 AD. The story goes that he picked up his head and walked over the hill where he collapsed (in the area that is now called Saint-Denis and is home to a cathedral where the kings of France are traditionally buried).  Along the way, he supposedly washed his head off in a fountain we visited.  

In order to profit more from people on their pilgrimage route, an abbey was established.  They in turn developed agriculture in the area--vineyards, etc.  There were windmills throughout this area that helped with a number of tasks such as crushing grapes and grinding flour. 

People would need food and wine on their route to see the patron saint and would stop at various places to get a biscuit, drinks, and such.  This became the first sort of tourism in medieval times.  A couple of windmills gave biscuits and water.  (Later these windmill owners profited from changing their menu from water to wine). In addition, people from Paris would come to this area because food and wine were plentiful and thus cheaper. People would come just outside the Paris city wall to have a drink. It became known as "the party area".  Cabarets developed and eventually the Moulin Rouge.  

Many poor artists couldn't afford to live in downtown Paris so they would live in Montmartre.  Some lived in a commune called Le Bateau.....Many famous artists-Picasso, Van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, would hang out together sharing ideas, etc.  Restaurants often allowed artists to trade sketches or poems for food. Cubism started to develop here.  The artists preferred north facing windows so the light would be more stable.  Many old homes still have large windows facing north.

During the walk, we also learned about how the area under Montmartre was a quarry for a fine material used for building.  This was called Plaster of Paris.  Often there were particles of this stuff in the air so it often looked like it was snowing.  This concept later inspired the name of the nearby metro stop, Blanche meaning white. Unfortunately, when they went to build Sacre Coeur, they had to set in many columns of concrete to support the building because much of Montmartre is hollowed out from excavation.