Inside Saint Peter
Talk about finding hidden treasures wide open in Paris. Saint-Pierre de Montmartre or Saint Peter Church of Montmartre as we call it, sits in the shadows of The Basilica of Sacre Coeur, unassuming and humble. On my Context Travel tour of Montmartre we learned the significance of this church and its historical value to Catholics worldwide. Peaceful and serene are the words that come to mind when describing the inside of this understated chapel.
Exterior of St. Peter
Architectural history
The pillars of the church date back to the times where the Druids of Gaul gathered to worship their gods and the Romans celebrated their affections for Mars and Mercury. St. Peter was built using some of the remains from the ancient worshippers and was completed in the 12th century. St. Denis was credited as being the founder of this church in the 3rd century, however its notoriety comes from the more recent historical writings that suggest Saint Ignatius Loyola took his vows at St. Peter. St. Ignatius Loyola was the founder of the Society of Jesus which to Catholics like me means he was the founder of the Jesuits or “Jebbies” as we call them.
Illuminated mosaic altar
Notable Jesuits
The Jesuits have been responsible for educating children and adults all over the world in schools, colleges, universities and seminaries. They are committed to social justice and ministries in hospitals. Their roots literally stem from the top of Montmartre. Some notable people educated by the Jesuits are: Descartes, Voltaire, Fidel Castro, Alfred Hitchcock, Bing Crosby, Vince Lombardi, Robert Altman, Chris Farley, Salma Hayek, and Denzel Washington.
The Basillica of Sacre Coeur may overshadow the Saint Peter Church of Montmartre, but it will never outshine the love of this church for millions of Catholics educated by the Jesuits. I suggest the next time you visit Sacre Coeur, you stop in to see this hidden gem at the top of the hill next to Sacre Coeur.
3 comments
I, too, have visited this hidden gem in Montmartre – lovely!
Very appropriate timing as we celebrated the feast of St. Denis yesterday. Well done!
I can’t wait to share the hidden gem about St. Denis that we found in Montmartre too!
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