Built on a hill 130 metres high just north of central Paris, Montmartre literally means “mountain of the martyr.” It is also one of Paris’ most bohemian and artist-filled areas, the setting of the blockbuster Amelie and a spiritual and artistic district every visitor must see. Detailed information follows.
Located on a hill 130 metres high in the 18th arrondissement, the Montmartre is part of the Right Bank, most famous for the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré Cœur (Sacred Heart) on its summit and as a nightclub district. Another, older church on the hill is Saint Pierre de Montmartre, which claims to be the location at which the Jesuit order of priests was founded. Many famous artists have had studios or worked in the community of Montmartre. To name just a few: Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet and Vincent van Gogh.
The Montmartre gets its name from the martyrdom of Saint Denis, decapitated on the hill around 250 AD. The symbolism is especially profound as Saint Denis was the Bishop of Paris and is the patron saint of France.
However, it has been suggested that the hill's religious symbolism is even older, as the Montmartre may have also been a druidic holy place due to its vantage point as the highest point in the area. Apartments in Paris provide the best views of the city and these charming neighborhoods.
When Napoleon III and the great Parisian city planner Baron Haussmann planned to make Paris the most beautiful city in Europe, one of the first steps undertaken was to grant large tracts of land near the center of the city to Haussmann's financial supporters and friends. This had the result of driving many of Paris’ original inhabitants to the edges of the city — to the districts such as Clichy, La Villette, and the Montmartre, hill with a view of the city.
As Montmartre was outside the city limits (and thus free of Paris taxation), and wine-making was popular among the local populace, at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century the hill quickly became a popular drinking area, and a center of decadent entertainment. A short term apartment Paris provides an experience of living here like a local. In the popular Moulin Rouge cabaret, and at Le Chat Noir (“The Black Cat”), singers, artists and performers regularly appeared including such luminaries as Yvette Guilbert, Jane Avril, Damia, Aristide Bruant, Marcelle Lender, Georges Guibourg, Mistinguett, Fréhel, La Goulue and others.
In the more spiritual realm, The Basilica of the Sacré Cœur is still one of the Montmartre’s most treasured and most-visited icons. Built on Montmartre from 1876 to 1912, its white dome is one of the most highly visible landmarks in the area. Artists still set up their easels each day below it, amidst the colorful umbrellas and shady tables of Place du Tertre.
But perhaps today the Montmartre is best known as a center of artistic expression, with a history unrivaled by almost any other place in the world. Théophile Steinlen's famous advertisement for the tour of the Le Chat Noir cabaret is recognized worldwide. Look for your Paris apartment rental Montmartre on Paristay. In the mid-1800s, artists like Johan Jongkind and Camille Pissarro came to inhabit Montmartre. By the end of the century, Montmartre and Montparnasse (its Left Bank counterpart), became the principal artistic centers of Paris. Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and other impoverished artists lived and worked in a commune in the Montmartre during the years 1904–1909, in a building called Le Bateau-Lavoir.
Other artist collectives such as Les Nabis were formed, with members including Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Maurice Utrillo, Alfred Jarry, Pierre Brissaud, Gen Paul, Jacques Villon, Raymond Duchamp-Villon, André Derain, Suzanne Valadon, Théophile Steinlen. Browse through our amazing selection of furnished apartments paris to find one that’s nearby! African-American "expatriates" such as Langston Hughes also worked in Montmartre, drawing some of their inspiration from the area.
But the artistic inhabitants were not limited to the visual arts. Composers like Satie (who was a pianist at Le Chat Noir), also lived in the area. In La Bohème (1965), singer-songwriter Charles Aznavour most famous work, a painter recalls his youthful years in a Montmartre that no longer exists.
Painter Maurice Utrillo lived and worked in a second-floor studio that is now The Musée de Montmartre. Not far away, Espace Dalí showcases some of surrealist artist Salvador Dalí's works. Many renowned artists are buried in the Cimetière de Montmartre and the Cimetière Saint-Vincent.
And last but not least (in terms of recent cultural fascination), the movie Amelie was set in this quaint, picturesque, historic district.
Montmartre is an officially designated historic area, with limited development allowed in order to maintain its historic character. A railway, the Funiculaire de Montmartre, operated by RATP, ascends the hill from the south while the Montmartre Bus circles the hill.
