Montmartre Return to Paris Nearby: [ Notre Dame | Luxembourg Gardens | Races | Cluny Museum | Rodin Museum| D'Orsay Museum | Les Gobelins | Marais |Montmartre ] ONCE a suburb of Paris, now continuous with of the city itself, the hill of Montmartre is rich in the gypsum from which plaster of Paris is made. It is named the "Mount of Martyrs" in commemoration of the martyrdom of Saint Denis, first bishop of Paris, and his deacons Saints Rusticus and Eleutherius in the third century. From before the Revolution, Montmartre was infamous for its dangerous taverns. To counteract the neighborhood's reputation for loose living, the great basilica of Notre-Dame du Sacré-Coeur was built in 1891 The cafes, dance halls, and studios of Montmartre have been immortalized by painters from Toulouse-Lautrec to Picasso. In 1882, when Lautrec went to work at Léon Bonnat's atelier (studio) at the bottom of the hill, Montmartre retained its bad reputation and licentious character. The butte was still a haven for the poorest, most marginal members of society. All along the wide boulevards at the foot of the hill, a series of dubious nightclubs sprang up, and as their reputation for wildness and bohemianism spread, they began to attract visitors from the rest of Paris Students at the ateliers were encouraged to sketch models in their everyday environments. Lautrec used this as an excuse to begin visiting the bars and dance halls with friends, his sketchbook at the ready. Although he told his family he went out of professional necessity, he quickly developed the habit of going out every night for long evenings of barhopping . In the process, he became dependent on alcohol. He could be found nightly in the most notorious nightspots, prominently seated, often at an habitual table in the front row, drinking and sketching, joking with friends and occasionally being joined at his table by one or more of the dancers. Because of his conspicuous appearance and the frequency of his visits, he quickly became a recognized part of the passing show at such places as the Moulin Rouge , the Moulin de la Galette, the Elysée Montmartre, the Chat Noir, and Aristide Bruant Mirliton cabaret. Montmartre retains its own separate village atmosphere. Often the home to artists. The village was a source of the plaster of paris and they say there is more of Montmartre in Paris than Paris in Montmartre. Bateau Lavoir, a wooden house, which burned down in the seventies, and where Cubism originated with such painters as Juan Gris, Picasso, Braque and Van Dongen.