A walk in the heart of the village of Montmartre, the most famous and typical place of Paris
Montmartre has been a sacred place for over a thousand years. In Gallo-Roman times, there were already two temples on the hill, one of which was dedicated to Mars: "Mons Martis" (Mount of Mars). This could explain the origin of the name Montmartre, but another explanation could be the Mount of Martyrs: legend has it that around the year 250, Saint Denis was beheaded there with his companions Rusticus and Eleutherus. After being beheaded, Saint Denis got up, picked up his head and walked to his grave. Following the defeat of 1870, a public subscription was opened in 1876 to finance the construction of the Basilica of the National Vow of the Sacred Heart. At the beginning of the 19th century, many artists, poets, but especially painters such as Maurice Utrillo, Pierre Auguste Renoir, Picasso... left their mark on the district.