Anvers: origin of the name and station history
Served by: metro line 2.
Why this name?
On the southern slope of the Montmartre hill, on the border of the 9th and 18th arrondissements, the line 2 station lies under boulevard Marguerite-de-Rochechouart, at place d'Anvers. Its name comes from the square and the square d'Anvers, themselves named after the Belgian city, in reference to the French victory at the siege of the Antwerp citadel in 1832. It is the last underground station of line 2 towards Nation, before the elevated section. Its only entrance is decorated with a Guimard edicule listed as a historic monument.
Anecdote
The enamelled lava plaque bearing the word « Métropolitain » is signed by the architect Hector Guimard. Between 1990 and 1991, a tunnel extension of the Montmartre funicular to the station was considered, then dropped because its cost was judged too high; the funicular can still be reached on foot via rue de Steinkerque. During an April Fool's joke, the RATP turned half of the name plates upside down, playing on « Anvers » and « envers » (the reverse side).
Audio guide
The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre
The construction of this church, a political and cultural monument, followed the post-war period of 1870. Started in 1875, the project was completed in 1914 after many setbacks and controversies; the work continued until 1923.
The basilica responds to a wish of French Catholics, made during a pilgrimage to Paray-le-Monial after the defeat of 1870-1871 and the Commune. In 1873, the National Assembly declared it a public utility. A national subscription brings in around 40 million francs.
The architect Paul Abadie was inspired by the domes of the Saint-Front Cathedral in Périgueux, which he had just restored, for an eclectic style known as Roman-Byzantine. The stones come from the quarries of Château-Landon: this limestone explains the white colour of the building, which is self-cleaning in the rain.
The Savoyarde, a 19-ton bell donated in 1895 by the Catholics of the dioceses of Savoy, dominates the mound. Inside, worshippers take turns night and day for perpetual worship. With more than ten million visitors a year, the Sacré-Coeur is the second most visited monument in France, behind Notre-Dame de Paris.
Around Anvers
- Basilique du Sacré-Cœur, 450 m away — A Romano-Byzantine basilica crowning Paris from the Butte Montmartre, offering one of the finest panoramas over the capital.
- Square Louise Michel, 280 m away — A sloped garden at the foot of the Sacré-Cœur, where the Montmartre funicular runs up to the basilica.
- Halle Saint-Pierre, 220 m away — A former 19th-century covered market turned museum devoted to outsider and naive art.