Week 6: Sacré-Cœur

This week we were in my favourite part of Paris – I’ll give you some clues; it’s in the 18^th arrondissement, it’s on the Right Bank of the River Seine and its name means “Mountain of the Martyr” (due to Saint Denis – former Bishop of Paris and patron Saint of France- being martyred here in 250AD) Got it yet? No? Really? Even with all those clues? Well maybe you’ll get it if I say that it became famous as an artistic district in the 19^th century with many of the best-known artists of the modern era (such as Dali, Modigliani, Picasso, Monet, van Gogh) having had studios here.  You got it! It is Montmartre!

Red Scarf - Joy of a Roommate's 

Necklace - New Look

Dress - Second-hand (donated by lovely colleague), originally from Monsoon

Towards the end of the 19^th century, Paris was very briefly ruled by the Paris Commune, a government made up of left-wing socialists and one which is often hailed as the first working-class assumption of power during the Industrial Revolution. While it makes sense that this liberal, artistic quartier would be the place where the Commune’s first insurrection took place, it is far harder to couple this view with that of Montmartre as the "mountain of the martyr". This is where this week’s shoot location comes in: the basilica of Sacré-Cœur.

Upper Arm Bracelet - Asos

Earrings - H+M

Situated at the highest point of the city, Sacré-Cœur was built, not only as a symbol of moral order, but also to act as a penance for the "crimes" of the Commune (one of which was murdering Georges Darboy, the then Archbishop of Paris). It was designed by architect Paul Abadie in 1875 – though he would be long-dead by the time of its consecration in 1919. The front of the basilica displays equestrian statues of two French saints; King Saint Louis IX and Joan of Arc, and the mosaic inside the dome "Christ in Majesty" is one of the largest in the world. As the mosaic shows, and as the name suggests, the basilica is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and it was this image that I decided to use for this week's outfit inspiration.

Belt - Belonged to my Ma

Yellow Scarf - Small Turkish shop in Edinburgh Grassmarket

The Sacred Heart has been one of the most common Christian images since the 17^th century and is supposed to symbolise Jesus’ love for the world. The image is a flaming heart, shining with "divine light", encircled by thorns, pierced by a lance wound and bleeding. I thought I’d leave the lance-piercing and bleeding bit out, but apart from that I decided to take these features and use each one as an individual part of the outfit. The heart can be seen in the cuff and the necklace, the thorns are represented by the spiked bracelet and ring and the studded belt, and the red and yellow scarves are to show the “divine light” or flames. Because the Sacred Heart image is often used as a tattoo, I decided to make the look a bit punky and I chose the blue dress to mirror the background colour of the mosaic.

Cuff - Claire's Accessories (no judging), Ring - H+M 

Another exciting development was that this week’s photo-shoot took place at night. Delightful boyfriend and I headed over to Montmartre in the afternoon only to realise that clement weather brings tourists out in full force and – let’s be honest – what nicer place is there to spend a sunny winter afternoon than Montmartre?  Take my story as a cautionary tale folks and if you are going to visit Sacré-Cœur (which you absolutely should) try to head there in the morning. Anyway, my photographer of the week and I decided to do what all professionals do and decided the situation was a sign from the universe that we should spend the next couple of hours eating nice food and waiting for the tourists to clear off. Doing the shoot at night made the experience far more pleasant and the basilica looks wonderfully dramatic but the picture quality seems to have suffered a tad. Still – a useful lesson to have learnt, and I hope you all enjoy the shoot anyhow.