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Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paray-le-Monial

Coordinates: 46°26′59″N 4°7′17″E / 46.44972°N 4.12139°E / 46.44972; 4.12139
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Basilica of Paray-le-Monial

The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Paray-le-Monial (French: Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, pronounced [sakʁe kœʁ]), commonly known as Basilica of Paray-le-Monial, is a Romanesque Catholic church dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Paray-le-Monial, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, France.[1]

History

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The basilica is a popular landmark and one of the most visited religious site in the country. The Sacred Heart became a popular worldwide devotion in large part due to the visions of Margaret Mary Alacoque, who lived and died at the monastery next to the basilica.[2]

The church was built in the 12th century by Hugues de Semur, the most important of the Abbots of Cluny, on the site of a 10th-century monastery founded by count Lambert of Chalon. It was a small-scale version of the Abbey of Cluny. It was completed in the 14th century, although some sections were added in the 18th century or renovated in the 19th century. As a priory, it was under the authority of Cluny and was a popular pilgrimage site. It is the best conserved example of Cluniac architecture in Burgundy.[3]

Description

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View of the basilica from above
View of the nave.

The church has a rather short nave and two aisles, crossed by a single-nave transept. The choir includes a semicircular apse with an ambulatory, and three radial chapels. The edifice has an overall length of 63.5 meters, including the vestibule and the eastern chapel, and a width of 22.35 m. The nave (which is 22 m tall) and the aisles are covered by ogival barrel vaults, with, internally, the use of different height levels which was typical of Romanesque architecture. It has pre-Gothic pillars, a blind tribune and a clerestory with small windows. The capitals of the columns are generally decorated with vegetable motifs, although some feature depictions of animals or other figures. The choir houses a 14th-century fresco, rediscovered in 1935.

The exterior has a sober appearance, with massive walls. The few decorations include the portal of the transept's left arm, with flower and geometrical motifs. The crossing is surmounted by a tower with an elevation of 56 m; two smaller towers are also at the sides of the main facade.

The complex include other buildings, such as an 18th-century cloister.

References

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  1. ^ Base Mérimée: Eglise Notre-Dame, Ministère français de la Culture. (in French)
  2. ^ Raymond Anthony Jonas, France and the cult of the Sacred Heart: an epic tale for modern times, (University of California) 2000, ch. "Building the Church of the National Vow".
  3. ^ "Basilica & romanesque art - Office de Tourisme de Paray-le-Monial".

Sources

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  • Castelfranchi Vegas, L.; A. Conti (1993). L'arte medioevale in Italia e nell'Occidente europeo (in Italian).
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46°26′59″N 4°7′17″E / 46.44972°N 4.12139°E / 46.44972; 4.12139

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