An enclave of artists and bohemians, this “mountain of the martyr"
is one of the world's most artistically historical areas, built on a
hill 130 metres high on the Right Bank of Paris. Read below to find out
more.
Those who saw the movie Amelie may recognize the quaint,
quirky character of this bohemian part of town, which carries an
interesting historical mix of spirituality and fun-filled decadence.
Montmartre
is
an official historic area, which strives to preserve its charm and
history. As a result, some modern development had been intentionally
limited. You can catch the Montmartre Bus here, and the RATP's
Funiculaire de Montmartre is another option for visiting.
Located
on the Right Bank, north of central Paris, the most recognizable
feature of the Montmartre is probably the white-domed Basilica of the
Sacred Heart (Sacré Cœur), located at the summit of this little
mountain. The Basilica of the Sacré Cœur is still one of the
Montmartre’s most treasured and most-visited icons. Erected on
Montmartre between 1876 to 1912, it remains a psychic center of
artistic activity, where artists still work at their easels amidst the
shade of Place du Tertre's umbrellas.
The Saint Pierre de Montmartre
church is also here. According to some histories the Saint Pierre
church is the location at which the order of Jesuit priests was
founded.
The Montmartre is named after martyr Saint Denis, the
Bishop of Paris who was decapitated on the hill around 250 AD. As Saint
Denis is the patron saint of France, the symbolism is particularly
poignant and culturally significant. The Montmartre may have also been
a druidic holy place due to its vantage point as the highest point in
the area, giving it yet another layer of mysterious spiritual history. Apartment rentals
in Paris is the best way to soak it all in.
It
was at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th
century that the hill also became a center of decadent entertainment.
This may have been due to the fact that wine-making was popular among
the local inhabitants, and that liquor was free of Paris taxation,
being outside of Paris city limits. It is also true that when the
Parisian city planner Baron Haussmann and Napoleon III planned to make
Paris the most beautiful city in Europe, large areas of land near the
center of the city were given to Haussmann's financial backers and
friends, which drove many of Paris’ original inhabitants to outlying
districts such as La Villette, and to the Montmartre, which featured a
view of the city.
It was in the Montmartre's bohemian
transformation in which the popular Moulin Rouge cabaret came of fame,
as well as at Le Chat Noir (literally "Black Cat”), where many famous
performers regularly appeared, such as Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, La
Goulue, Mistinguett, Damia, Aristide Bruant, Georges Guibourg, Marcelle
Lender, Fréhel among many others. A long term apartment rentals in Paris lets you see
these sights to your heart's content.
In
modern times, the Montmartre is quite possibly best known as a mecca of
artistic expression, with a history unrivaled worldwide. The list of
artists who resided here at one time or another reads like a "Who's
Who" of contemporary art. Artists Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso
worked here, as did Vincent van Gogh and Claude Monet. And these are
but a few.
Théophile Steinlen's famous advertisement for the Le Chat
Noir cabaret was created here. Your Paris apartments Montmartre Paris
will take you within walking distance of clubs that still exhibit the
same authentic charm. Artists like Johan Jongkind and Camille Pissarro
came to inhabit Montmartre in the mid-19th century. By the end of the
era, Montmartre and Montparnasse (its bohemian equivalent on the Left
Bank), became the major artistic capitals of Paris. Between 1904–1909,
Amedeo Modigliani, Picasso, and other struggling artists lived and
worked in a commune here, in a building called the "Laundry Boat" (Le
Bateau-Lavoir).
Multiple similar collectives sprang up, such as Les
Nabis (which included Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec,
Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri Matisse, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, Suzanne
Valadon, Maurice Utrillo, Alfred Jarry, Pierre Brissaud, Gen Paul,
Jacques Villon, André Derain, Théophile Steinlen). Find your apartment
rentals in Paris and see through their eyes. African-American
"expatriates" such as Langston Hughes also worked in Montmartre, which
became a muse for some of his work.
Many renowned artists and
composers are buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre and the Cimetière
Saint-Vincent.
Which
brings us to music! Some of the world's most famous music also drew
breath here. Singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour's most renowned work,
In La Bohème, is about a painter remembering his youth spent in a
Montmartre that has faded away. And composers like Satie (who at one
time was a pianist at Le Chat Noir) also lived and worked here.
For
museums,
see Espace Dalí, which showcases some of Salvador Dalí's
surrealist works. And be especially sure to see the Musée de
Montmartre, where painter Maurice Utrillo once lived and worked.
We encourage you to take your time and enjoy your search. You
may wish to begin simply by browsing by arrondissement:
1st
district Paris apartments, 2nd,
3rd,
4th,
5th,
6th,
7th,
8th,
9th,
10th,
11th,
12th,
13th,
14th,
15th,
16th,
17th,
18th,
19th
or 20th.
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