Sacré-Cœur Basilica

Sacré-Cœur is gorgeous, controversial, and impossible to ignore — it sits on the highest point in Paris like a giant meringue, visible from practically everywhere in the city. But its origins are darker than its white travertine walls suggest.

It was built as an act of national penance after France's humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the bloody Paris Commune that followed. The National Assembly declared it a project of "public utility" in 1873, and its placement on Montmartre was loaded with meaning — this was the hilltop where the Commune had begun, where Parisian rebels had seized government cannons. Building a church here was, in part, a political act: the conservative establishment literally planting a symbol of order on the site of revolution.

The white stone is Château-Landon travertine, chosen because it actually gets whiter when it rains — the calcium in the stone reacts with rainwater to produce a self-cleaning bleaching effect. After 150 years, the basilica is brighter than the day it was built. Inside, the ceiling holds one of the largest mosaics in the world at 475 square meters, depicting Christ with outstretched arms.

The view from the dome is the best panorama in Paris — better than the Eiffel Tower, because you can actually see the Eiffel Tower. On a clear day, you can see 40 kilometers in every direction. And there's been a continuous prayer vigil inside the basilica since 1885, meaning someone has been praying here, without interruption, for nearly 140 years — through two world wars, occupations, and everything else.