In December 1870, following the defeat of the war against the Prussians and the tragic events of the Commune, Alexandre Legentil and Hubert Rohault de Fleury decided to build a sanctuary in honor of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for the salvation of France and the deliverance of Pope Pius IX. Indeed, the Catholic Church decided to follow this idea to "expiate" the faults of France, which had turned away from God.
