THE SACRÉ-CŒUR FRIGHTENS, SAINTE-ANNE HEALS

SAINTE-ANNE HIDES INSTEAD OF LOOMING AND ITS DECOR IS TENDER, NOT AGGRESSIVE 

Sacré-Cœur, 1870

Crossroad, rues de Tolbiac and Bobillot

Sainte-Anne, 1900

Granted, the intimacy of the site is involuntary...

• The church was planned for the hilltop in 1865...

Postcard of the summit toward 1900 / zoom

 

If built then, would have seemed much more domineering. But war with Prussia and building the Sacré-Cœur delayed the project.

• Then the expansion of quarries obliged its being it on flat ground...

The quarries in 1908 / zoom

• Which is why it is so hard to see:

 

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But the gentleness of the decor is deliberate: Aside from the Byzantine inspiration, the main link with the Sacré-Cœur is a holy figure that is much larger than those of traditional churches...

But Mary is small in comparison with the Jesus of the Sacré-Cœur and instead of dominating the faithful, morphs into a decor where aggressive primary colors yield to serene pastels:

For a series of photos from Trip Advisor, please click.

Sainte-Anne is not built 

as revenge for one insurrection

or to discourage another. 

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Next,

The "chocolate facade"