Montmartre facts for kids

Montmartre seen from the centre Georges Pompidou

Montmartre is a hill 130 metres high and is also the name of the district which surrounds the hill. It is situated in the north of Paris and famous for its nightlife.

Many artists had studios or worked around the community of Montmartre such as Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent van Gogh.

Name origin

Montmartre means 'mountain of the martyr'; it owes its name to the martyrdom of Saint Denis, who was killed on the hill around 250 AD. Saint Denis was the Bishop of Paris and is the patron saint of France.

The hill's religious symbolism is thought to be even older, as it has been suggested as a likely druidic holy place because it is the highest point in the area.

Related pages

• Bohemianism

Images for kids

• 

  Montmartre, including the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur

• 

  A Garden in Montmartre by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1880s)

• 

  Saint-Pierre de Montmartre (originally 1133, much of it destroyed in 1790 and rebuilt in the 19th century) seen from the dome of the Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur

• 

  The Moulin de la Galette, painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1887 (Carnegie Museum of Art)

• 

  The Chapel of the Martyrs of Montmartre Abbey in the 17th century

• 

  The Bal du moulin de la Galette by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1876) showed a Sunday afternoon dance in Montmartre.

• 

  Construction of the Sacré-Cœur, 10 March 1882

• 

  Théophile Steinlen's advertisement for the tour of Le Chat Noir cabaret

• 

  The view from the butte looking towards Centre Georges Pompidou

• 

  The Montmartre "petit train" doing its rounds near the Moulin Rouge cabaret

• 

  The stairs of the Rue Foyatier

• 

  Vineyard in the Rue Saint-Vincent; the day of the Feast of gardens, 15 days after harvest

• 

  The artist's home and studio Le Bateau-Lavoir, c.1910. The building, at No. 13 Rue Ravignan at Place Emile Goudeau, was later burned in a fire and rebuilt.

• 

  Wall of Love on Montmartre: "I love you" in 250 languages, by calligraphist Fédéric Baron and artist Claire Kito (2000)

See also

In Spanish: Montmartre para niños