DENNIS JENDERS
Sacré-Cœur, Paris · 2024
I traveled north to see the outer arrondissements, and the hill at Montmartre is where I ended up. Sacré-Cœur sits at the top, so first you climb to it and then you climb it. I lost count of the steps. I stopped a few times to catch my breath on stairs worn smooth at the edges by everyone who came before me. It is one of the highest points in the city, and the view earns the climb.
Up top, I stopped looking at the architecture and started shooting through it, the city framed in every gap in the stone. Then the long way down, into the cool and the quiet, the stained glass and the tall open spaces. At the foot of it all, love locks crowded on a fence and a carousel turning while families spread out on the steps. I climbed it alone and came down into all of that.
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The Climb
The spiral staircase up through Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, stone worn smooth at the edges by generations of climbers. Made in Paris, 2024. The start of the climb to one of the highest points in the city.
The Watcher
A gargoyle on the roof of Sacré-Cœur looking out over Montmartre and the city beyond. Black and white, Paris, 2024. From the dome walk, one of the highest vantages in the city.
From the Roof
The roof of Sacré-Cœur, a winged figure at the edge and the curved stair falling away toward the city. Made in Paris, 2024.
Roofline
The tiled roof of Sacré-Cœur in raking light, a small turret standing against the city. Black and white, Paris, 2024.
Cupola and the City
A carved cupola on Sacré-Cœur framed through the colonnade, the city stretched out below. Made in Paris, 2024. Part of an ongoing series about looking through architecture rather than at it.
Between the Columns
The dome walk at Sacré-Cœur, a cupola caught in the light between shadowed columns.
Eiffel Through the Stone
The Eiffel Tower seen from the roof of Sacré-Cœur, framed through the basilica’s stone, the whole city stretched between them. Made in Paris during the 2024 Games. Part of an ongoing series about looking through architecture rather than at it.
The Dome Above
The great dome of Sacré-Cœur seen from below on the descent, stone carving against an overcast sky.
The Light Inside
Inside the dome of Sacré-Cœur in Montmartre, where the light comes down through the high windows and does the work no camera improves on.
Love Locks
Love locks crowded on a fence below Sacré-Cœur, one stamped with the tower and the city’s name.
The Carousel
The carousel at the foot of Montmartre, caught mid-turn.
Joy on the Carousel
A child mid-laugh on the Montmartre carousel. Story frame for the gallery.
