Last modified: 2025-09-06 by olivier touzeau
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One etymology of Montmartre suggests that this place name is related to a mons Martis—"mountain of Mars"—because, in Gallo-Roman times, a temple dedicated to Mars adjoined a temple dedicated to Mercury on the site of the current Saint-Pierre church. Another etymology would be mons Martyrum, the "mountain of Martyrs": a victim of anti-Christian persecution, Saint Denis was beheaded there along with two other coreligionists, Rustique and Eleutherius.
The Saint-Pierre church in Montmartre was founded in the 6th century, but it is not mentioned for the first time until 850 in the Liber miraculorum S. Dionysii (Collection of the miracles of Saint Denis).
During the siege of Paris in 885, the Normans sacked the village. In 1133-1134, King Louis VI and Queen Adelaide of Savoy founded the Royal Abbey of the Ladies of Montmartre, located at the top of the hill near the Church of Saint-Pierre, the "upper abbey." In the 15th century, around forty houses at the summit of the hill were occupied by a population of winegrowers, plowmen, and millers, alongside the abbey. The village, far from the main communication routes and served by difficult paths, undoubtedly lived in isolation. Vines occupied the slopes to the north, towards the hamlet of Clignancourt. The village is surrounded by gardens where peach and cherry trees grow. The summit of the hill was occupied, from the 16th century onwards, by mills. There were thirteen of them in the 19th century; two, disused, remain today. In the 18th century, the southern, eastern, and western slopes were riddled with gypsum quarries.
In 1534, Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, and five companions who had come to worship at the martyrium decided to found an order, the Society of Jesus, approved by the Pope in 1540. In 1622, a priory was founded around the Martyrium, then new buildings were erected around a cloister, and in 1686, the Benedictine community of the Ladies of Montmartre was transferred to this new abbey. The old church, dedicated to Saint Peter, became the village parish church next to the Place du Tertre.
In the 18th century, country houses, "follies," occupied the slopes to the north, towards Clignancourt, and to the south, towards Paris. In the mid-18th century, the Clignancourt porcelain factory was founded, a hamlet dependent on Montmartre, for which alabaster from the Montmartre quarries was used. On the eve of the Revolution, Montmartre had approximately 400 inhabitants. When the French communes and departments were formed (decree of the National Assembly of November 12, 1789), Montmartre became a commune of the Seine department in March 1790. The commune of Montmartre was smaller than the abbey's landholding: the Porcherons district and the Faubourg Montmartre, within the walls of the Farmers General, were incorporated into Paris. The abbey "below" was sold to masons and quarrymen in 1794. The buildings were demolished and the ground dug up to mine gypsum. In the 1840s, the abbey's land was filled in and divided into lots, and new streets were opened. The "barriers" of the Paris city walls, the boulevards de Clichy and Rochechouart, attracted cabarets, open-air dance halls, and dance halls, where Parisians came to be entertained while consuming cheaper drinks than inside Paris. The balls at the Élysée-Montmartre and the Boule Noire date back to 1807 and 1822.
The commune of Montmartre experienced very strong demographic growth from 1830 to 1860: its population reached 40,000 inhabitants in 1860 when it was incorporated into Paris. The commune of Montmartre, like others around Paris, was abolished by the law of 1859, and its territory was divided between Paris (Butte Montmartre) and Saint-Ouen.
It was in Montmartre that the Paris Commune began in 1871, following the desire of Adolphe Thiers and his government to reclaim the National Guard cannons that were then stationed in the neighborhood. Following the arrest and execution of two generals, one of whom commanded a brigade tasked with retrieving them, several neighborhoods, including Montmartre, erupted in revolt. This marked the beginning of the Commune, which lasted from March 18, 1871, until Bloody Week at the end of May 1871. In 1900, while the Sacré-Cœur Basilica was being built (1876–1914), the summit of the hill remained sparsely built upon. To the west, the "maquis" was a vacant lot home to ragpickers and marginalized people. The opening of Avenue Junot in 1910 would eventually wipe it out. At the end of the 19th century, Montmartre became the residence of painters, poets, and singers: Picasso, Braque, Max Jacob, Apollinaire, Marcel Aymé, Carco, Aristide Bruant, and others.
Montmartre has become a symbol of rural, self-sufficient living within the megalopolis. Known for its narrow, steep streets lined with long staircases, this popular tourist area in northern Paris is home to the capital's highest point.
Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
First Commune libre de Montmartre
The Free Commune of Montmartre is an association, declared in 1921, a parody of a commune, created in the interwar period by Montmartre artists to maintain a village feel and a festive atmosphere in this neighborhood. The Free Commune of Montmartre has a rural guard of honor. It also has archaic firefighters and a military guard composed of grenadiers. Representative authorities also include a fire captain and a justice of the peace. La Vache enragée, "the only daily newspaper published only on Wednesdays," is the official newspaper of the Free Commune of Montmartre.
An election was held, and several fanciful lists competed, including a Cubist list with Pablo Picasso, Max Jacob, Archipenko, Ossip Zadkine, and Jean Cocteau; a Dadaist list with Francis Picabia, Paul Dermée, André Breton, and Tristan Tzara; a Sauvagist list with Henri Chassin; an abstentionist list that presented no candidate; and an "anti-grattecialist" (anti-skyscrapers) list including Jules Depaquit, Francisque Poulbot, Julien Pavil, Roger Toziny, Fredé du Lapin Agile, and Suzanne Valadon. The latter list won. Jules Depaquit became the first mayor of the Free Commune of Montmartre. Depaquit, dressed in a tight-fitting frock coat, a red and green scarf, his head wearing a top hat and his feet clad in clogs, presided with the utmost dignity over the ceremonies held in the Montmartre area.
Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
Commune libre du Vieux Montmartre
![[Emblem]](../images/f/fr-75)vm.gif)
Shield of the Free Commune of Old Montmartre - Image located by Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
In 1924, Lemoine, "Father La bille", owner of the À la Mère Catherine restaurant, founded a second free commune with Pierre Labric, the Free Commune of Old Montmartre (Commune libre du Vieux Montmartre. In 1933, this "Free Commune of Old Montmartre" decided to bring the project of planting vines to fruition, with the support of Francisque Poulbot and the Republic of Montmartre. Vines were reborn on the hill. In 1934, the first "modern" grape harvest took place in the presence of the President of the French Republic, Albert Lebrun, and under the patronage of famous actors Fernandel and Mistinguett.
Photo here of the embassy plate with the shield of the Free Commune of Old Montmartre. Flag unknown.
Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
Commune libre de la Butte Montmartre
![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-75-bm.gif)
Flag of the Commune Libre de la Butte Montmartre - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
In 1932, the free commune of Butte Montmartre was created by Georges
Giriel, who was its only mayor until 1972.
The flag was vertically divided yellow and green, with a mill: photo.
Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
Current Commune libre de Montmartre
![[Banner]](../images/f/fr-75-cm.gif)
Banner of the Commune Libre de Montmartre - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
In the 1980s, the two free communes (Commune libre de Montmartre and Commune libre du Vieux Montmartre) reconciled to work and participate together in the Festivals and Harvests with all the other associations. The Free Commune of Old Montmartre gradually ceased all activity. An extraordinary general meeting of the "Free Commune of Old Montmartre," held on January 11, 2018, decided to dissolve the association and transfer its tangible and intangible assets to the "Free Commune of Montmartre."
Red and green remained the colors of the free commune: according to
Jean Mousnier (5th mayor of the Free Commune of Old Montmartre in 1979
and 4th mayor of the Free Commune of Montmartre in 1990) the colors
are “the red of the Commune of 1871 and the green of hope.”
Sources: official website (here and here), article (in French) on Wikipedia.
The banner of the Commune is light yellow with a representation in red
and green of the mill, and emblems of the arts on each wing, the date
of foundation 1920, and the motto: "Pour ce qui est contre... contre
ce qui est pour" (For what is against... against what is for): photo (2022), photo (2025).
Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-75-rm.gif)
![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-75_rm.gif)
Flag and banner of the République de Montmartre - Images by Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
The Republic of Montmartre is a philanthropic association, born one winter evening in 1920, at the initiative of cartoonist Joë Bridge. In front of an audience including Adolphe Willette, Jean-Louis Forain, Francisque Poulbot, Maurice Neumont, Louis Morin, Maurice Millière, Raoul Guérin, and Jules Depaquit, he proposed, in the face of the invasion of limitless modernism, the creation of an association aimed at maintaining the spirit and mutual aid of the artists' Montmartre, in addition to the festive spirit already promoted in recent months by the Free Commune of Montmartre, and at protecting the village from the excesses of developers. The "Republic of Montmartre" was founded.
"The Butte is no longer the Butte, so let's create the Republic of Montmartre!" said Bridge. On May 7, 1921, this republic was officially founded "for laughs," in order to "Do good with joy," the motto of this new Republic. Four illustrious painters and illustrators were its founders: Poulbot, Forain, Neumont, and Willette, who became its first President. Every self-respecting Republic must have a national anthem; this was achieved in 1923. Lucien Boyer, a singer-songwriter, composed the anthem of the Republic to music by Borel-Clerc. Its refrain, "Mont'là-d'ssus, mont'là-d'ssus! and you'll see Montmartre..." became famous throughout France.
Although artistic by nature, the Republic of Montmartre quickly turned, under Poulbot's influence, towards philanthropic efforts in favor of underprivileged children. The culmination of these charitable actions was, in 1923, Poulbot's creation of the République de Montmartre dispensary, located in the henhouse of Father Arthur, owner of La Pomponnette, at 42 rue Lepic. However, the dispensary closed its doors in 1936 due to lack of public utility recognition. Lucien Pinoteau, Poulbot's accomplice and future President, founded the charitable society "L'Œuvre des Gosses de la Butte Montmartre" in 1936, which would become "L'Œuvre des P'tits Poulbots" in 1939. Its purpose was to provide assistance to the most needy families and children.
At the same time, the République de Montmartre worked to preserve the site and, thanks to Francisque Poulbot, Pierre Labric, Mayor of the Free Commune, and Victor Perrot, President of the "Le Vieux Montmartre" Society, would be at the forefront of the revival of the Montmartre vineyards. To oppose a real estate project, Poulbot and his architect friend Romain Delahalle created in its place and in an emergency a playground for the children of the Butte, nicely named "Square de la Liberté", inaugurated with great pomp by the Montmartre population. From this ephemeral square was born the idea, so obvious today, of planting vines there. The winemaking tradition of Montmartre, initiated by the Romans and developed by the Abbesses of Montmartre, thus found its roots on these acres of terroir located at the corner of the rue des Saules and rue Saint-Vincent, between the Lapin Agile and the former residence of Aristide Bruant. The first harvest at the "Clos Montmartre" took place in 1934. Today, the République de Montmartre continues its support for children, brings together numerous artists during its visual arts and book biennials, hosts numerous embassies and twinning partnerships both in France and abroad, and celebrates the vineyards each year alongside the Free Commune of Montmartre.
Its members distinguish themselves by wearing red scarves, black capes and hats, the famous attire that contributed to the image of Aristide Bruant, immortalized by Lautrec.
Source: official website (history of the Republic here), article (in French) on Wikipedia.
The flag is diagonally divided from the upper hoist to the lower fly,
blue over yellow, with the French colours per bend, the logo of the
republic in the center and the attire of its members below, a black
cape and hat with a red scarf. Photos of the flag:
- this article in L'Alsace newspaper - flag observed with several other city flags in 2019 in Eguisheim (Haut-Rhin) when for the 59th Eguisheim Winegrowers' Festival, Mayor Claude Centlivre
wanted to fly the flags of the "friendly" towns around the renovated
old wine press (source: ).
- article in Le Dauphiné - twinning ceremony with Les Gets (Savoie) in 2021
The banner of the Republic, with similar design and elements, is more often seen: photo (2012); photo (2021); photo (2025).
Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
![[Flag]](../images/f/fr-75!mv.gif)
Flag proposal for Montmartre village - Image by Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025
"Why not give Montmartre (18th arrondissement) a flag? The original
idea was born from a dream of Hervé Valade-Chassing, artist and editor
of the quarterly "Paris-Montmartre": "I dreamed I was walking down a
street on the Butte and there were lots of flags in the windows." This
was all it took for this thirty-year-old, who has lived in the 18th
arrondissement for about ten years, to make this observation: "Montmartre lacks an official flag, having been without one since the
repression against the Commune in 1870." Although the Republic of
Montmartre has had its own emblem adorned with the silhouette of
Aristide Bruant since the 1920s.
After two years of work on the heraldry, Hervé Valade-Chassing
designed a three-part coat of arms intended to "embody the identity of
the residents" of the neighborhood and "its history." At the top left,
on an azure background, three open hands symbolize the sense of
welcome and kindness of the Montmartre people. As for the golden sun,
it represents the three churches of the Butte (Saint-Pierre,
Saint-Jean and the Sacré-Cœur). At the top right, a vine reminds us
that wine is still produced on the Rue Saint-Vincent side. At the
bottom, on a yellow background, a stylized mill, a reminder of a time
when around twenty mills stood on the Butte. On either side of the
coat of arms surmounted by a red rooster, an allegory of the courage
and pride of the Montmartre people, and the Latin inscription "Vicus
dignam tot diademata" ("Village worthy of so many crowns"), are two
cancan dancers. Beneath their silhouettes is the motto: "Higher,
stronger" which resonates like "the cry of Montmartre," explains Hervé
Valade-Chassing."
Source: article in Le Parisien (2013), article in Paris unplugged (2013).
But in the end, few flags were purchased and the project fizzled out.
Olivier Touzeau, 3 June 2025