After the catastrophe of 1870, a number of Catholics vowed to build a church consecrated to the Heart of Christ on the hill of Montmartre. Abadie was inspired by Saint-Front cathedral in Périgueux in drawing up the Romano-Byzantine plans of the basilica. Work began in 1876 and was completed in 1914, after a national subscription. From the dome, there is a view down into the interior of the church, but above, the view from the external gallery over a radius of 30 km is quite exceptional!