Why do we call Paris Paname? Why are there no baby pigeons in Paris? Why is Notre-Dame ground zero for all roads in France? These are just some of the questions we’ve been asking ourselves about the capital, and the Paris Secret editorial team has the answers! Today, our curiosity takes us to Montmartre, and more precisely to its most beautiful landmark, to ask the following question: why does the Sacré-Coeur look whiter and whiter as the years go by?
The secret of Sacré-Cœur’s eternal whiteness
Now that the Sacré-Coeur Basilica has been listed as a Historic Monument, along with the Square Louise Michel, let’s take a look at a question that’s been on our minds for a while… If, like us, you never tire of admiring the monument’s incredible façade, you’ll no doubt have wondered about its almost eternal whiteness…
Yes, while most of Paris’s monuments tend to darken with the passage of time, the Sacré-Coeur gives us the impression that it becomes more beautiful as time goes by. But behind this feeling lies a scientific explanation… At the end of the 19th century, when the possibilities for the construction of the edifice were being studied, architect Paul Abadie put forward the rich idea of using stone from Château-Landon. Apart from logistical reasons, this material has some remarkable characteristics…
Not only is the stone exceptionally resistant, it is also non-spongy, so water cannot seep through. So rain doesn’t endanger the building – in fact, quite the opposite! In contact with water, Château-Landon stone secretes a liquid called cullet, which runs down the walls of the Sacré-Coeur after each rain shower, before drying in the sun. This is the secret of the basilica’s eternal youth, and the reason why it has undergone only minor renovations over the years!