The main monastery of medieval France.

Story

In the 1st century, there was a Roman settlement on this site called Catulliacum. According to legend, the first bishop of Paris, Saint Dionysius of Paris (often identified with Dionysius the Areopagite), came here from Montmartre with his severed head in his hands.

Particularly noteworthy are the tombs of Louis son of Saint Louis, Louis XII and his wife Anne of Brittany, Henry II and his wife Catherine de' Medici (by Germain Pilon), Du Guesclin, Francis I and the mosaic tomb of Fredegund († 597). The royal standard, the oriflamme, was kept in Saint-Denis.

Saint-Denis was sacked and closed during the French Revolution, the remains of those buried were thrown into a ditch. In 1814, during the restoration, the bones of the kings and members of their family were collected in the abbey's ossuary. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, executed during the revolution, as well as princes and princesses who died in exile, were reburied in the crypt of the building. In 1820, the Duke of Berry, killed by Louvel, was buried here, and in 1824, Louis XVIII. With the July Revolution of 1830, burials in the abbey ceased; The granite slab prepared for himself by Charles X, who went into exile in 1830, remained unused.

In the building of the old abbey, the Institute for the daughters and sisters of the Knights of the Legion of Honor, founded in the city by Napoleon in Ecouen, is located. The abbey was restored by the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc. It is now a national monument.

On June 9, 2004, the heart of Louis XVII, a minor king of France, son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, recognized by the governments of many European states and the United States, but who did not actually ascend to the throne, was buried in the church. The previous funeral of the king of France in Saint-Denis took place in 1824 year, it was his uncle (and formal successor) Louis XVIII, to the accompaniment of a specially created “Requiem in memory of Louis XVI for male choir and wind instruments, on the death of Louis XVIII” by the composer Nicolas-Charles Box ( Requiem à la mémoire de Louis XVI pour chœur d’hommes et instruments à vent, dédié à Louis XVIII).

Tombs

Kings

Almost all the kings of France are buried in the basilica, as well as several other monarchs. The remains of kings who died before the abbey's erection were transferred from the ruined abbey of Saint-Geneviève. Some of them:

• Arnegunda (c.515-c.573)
• Fredegonda (wife of Chilperic I) (?-597)
• Pepin the Short (714-768) and his wife Bertrada of Laon (726-783)
• Carloman I king of the Franks (c.751-771)
• Charles II the Bald (823-877) (the tomb sculpture was melted down) and his wife, Irmentrude of Orleans (823-869)
• Robert II the Pious (972-1031) and his wife Constance of Arles (c. 986-1032)
• Henry I (1008-1060)
• Louis VI (1081-1137)
• Louis VII (1120-1180) and his wife Constance of Castile (1141-1160)
• Philip II Augustus (1180-1223)
• Charles I of Anjou (1226-1285), King of the Two Sicilies (1266-85) (heart buried)
• Philip III the Bold (1245-1285)
• Philip IV (1268-1315) and his mother Isabella of Aragon (1247-1271)
• Levon VI (1342-1393), last king of Cilician Armenia
• Louis XII (1462-1515)
• Francis I (1494-1547)
• Henry II (1519-1559) and his wife Catherine de Medici (1519-1589)
• Francis II (1544-1560)
• Charles IX (1550-1574) (no sculpture)
• Henry III (1551-1589), also King of Poland (1574) (heart buried)
• Henry IV (1553-1610)
• Louis XIII (1601-1643)
• Louis XIV (1638-1715)
• Louis XV (1710-1774)
• Louis XVI (1754-1793) and his wife Marie Antoinette (1755-1793)
• Louis XVII (1785-1795) (heart only: body buried in a common grave)
• Louis XVIII (1755-1824)

Other royals and nobles

• Nicolas Henri, Duke of Orléans (1607-1611), son of Henry IV
• Gaston d'Orléans (1608-1660), son of Henry IV
  • Marie de Bourbon, Duchess of Montpensier (1605-1627), his first wife
  • Margaret of Lorraine (1615-1672), Duchess of Orléans, his second wife
  • Anne de Montpensier (1627-1693), known as Grand Mademoiselle, his daughter from his first marriage
  • Margaret Louise of Orléans (1645-1721), Grand Duchess of Tuscany
  • Jean-Gaston d'Orléans (1650-1652), Duke of Valois
  • Marie-Anne d'Orléans (1652-1656), bore the title Mademoiselle de Chartres
• Henrietta Maria of France (1609-1669), queen consort of Charles I, King of Scotland and England
• Philippe I of Orléans (1640-1701), brother of Louis XIV
  • Henrietta Stuart (1644-1670), his first wife
  • Elizabeth Charlotte of the Palatinate (1652-1722), his second wife
• Maria Theresa of Spain (1638-1683), queen consort, wife of Louis XIV, and their children:
  • Louis the Great Dauphin (1661-1711)
    • Maria Anna of Bavaria (1660-1690), Dauphine of France, his wife
  • Maria Anna (1664)
  • Maria Teresa (1667-1672)
  • Philip-Charles (1668-1671), Duke of Anjou
  • Louis-François (1672), Duke of Anjou
• Philip II of Orléans (1674-1723), regent of France
• Louis (Duke of Burgundy) (1682-1712), son of Louis the Great Dauphin
  • Marie Adelaide of Savoy (1685-1712), Duchess of Burgundy, his wife, and their children:
  • Louis I of France (1704-1705), Duke of Breton
  • Louis II of France (1707-1712), Duke of Breton
• Charles, Duke of Berry and Alençon (1686-1714), son of Louis the Great Dauphin
  • Marie Louise Elisabeth d'Orléans (1693-1714), Duchess of Berry, his wife, and their children who died in infancy:
  • daughter (not baptized) (1711), Duchess of Alençon
  • Charles (1713), Duke of Alençon
  • Marie Louise Elisabeth (1714), Duchess of Alençon
• Maria Leszczynska (1703-1768), queen consort, wife of Louis XV, and their children:
  • Marie Louise Elisabeth of France (1727-1759), Duchess of Parma
  • Henrietta of France (1727-1752), twin sister of her predecessor
  • Marie Louise (1728-1733)
  • Louis Ferdinand (Dauphin of France) (1729-1765)
    • Maria Teresa Rafaela of Spain (1726-1746), his first wife
    • Maria Josepha of Saxony (1731-1767), his second wife
  • Philip (1730-1733), Duke of Anjou
  • Maria Adelaide of France (1732-1800)
  • Victoria of France (1733-1799)
  • Sophia of France (1734-1782)
  • Marie Louise of France (1737-1787)
• Louis Joseph (Dauphine of France) (1781-1789), first son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette
• Sophia Beatrice (1786-1787), second daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Sources

• Panofsky E.

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Excerpt characterizing the Abbey of Saint-Denis

The Karagins' house was the most pleasant and hospitable house in Moscow that winter. In addition to parties and dinners, every day a large company gathered at the Karagins, especially men, who dined at 12 o'clock in the morning and stayed until 3 o'clock. There was no ball, party, or theater that Julie missed. Her toilets were always the most fashionable. But, despite this, Julie seemed disappointed in everything, telling everyone that she did not believe in friendship, nor in love, nor in any joys of life, and expected peace only there. She adopted the tone of a girl who had suffered great disappointment, a girl as if she had lost a loved one or had been cruelly deceived by him. Although nothing of the sort happened to her, they looked at her as if she were one, and she herself even believed that she had suffered a lot in life. This melancholy, which did not prevent her from having fun, did not prevent the young people who visited her from having a pleasant time. Each guest, coming to them, paid his debt to the melancholy mood of the hostess and then engaged in small talk, dancing, mental games, and Burime tournaments, which were in fashion with the Karagins. Only some young people, including Boris, delved deeper into Julie’s melancholic mood, and with these young people she had longer and more private conversations about the vanity of everything worldly, and to them she opened her albums covered with sad images, sayings and poems.
Julie was especially kind to Boris: she regretted his early disappointment in life, offered him those consolations of friendship that she could offer, having suffered so much in life, and opened her album to him. Boris drew two trees in her album and wrote: Arbres rustiques, vos sombres rameaux secouent sur moi les tenebres et la melancolie. [Rural trees, your dark branches shake off darkness and melancholy on me.]
Elsewhere he drew a picture of a tomb and wrote:
"La mort est secourable et la mort est tranquille
“Ah! contre les douleurs il n"y a pas d"autre asile".
[Death is salutary and death is calm;
ABOUT! against suffering there is no other refuge.]
Julie said it was lovely.
“II y a quelque chose de si ravissant dans le sourire de la melancolie, [There is something infinitely charming in the smile of melancholy," she said to Boris word for word, copying this passage from the book.
– C"est un rayon de lumiere dans l"ombre, une nuance entre la douleur et le desespoir, qui montre la consolation possible. [This is a ray of light in the shadows, a shade between sadness and despair, which indicates the possibility of consolation.] - To this Boris wrote her poetry:
"Aliment de poison d"une ame trop sensible,
"Toi, sans qui le bonheur me serait impossible,
"Tendre melancolie, ah, viens me consoler,
“Viens calmer les tourments de ma sombre retraite
"Et mele une douceur secrete
"A ces pleurs, que je sens couler."
[Poisonous food for an overly sensitive soul,
You, without whom happiness would be impossible for me,
Tender melancholy, oh, come and comfort me,
Come, soothe the torment of my dark solitude
And add secret sweetness
To these tears that I feel flowing.]
Julie played Boris the saddest nocturnes on the harp. Boris read Poor Liza aloud to her and more than once interrupted his reading from the excitement that took his breath away. Meeting in a large society, Julie and Boris looked at each other as the only indifferent people in the world who understood each other.
Anna Mikhailovna, who often went to the Karagins, making up her mother’s party, meanwhile made correct inquiries about what was given for Julie (both Penza estates and Nizhny Novgorod forests were given). Anna Mikhailovna, with devotion to the will of Providence and tenderness, looked at the refined sadness that connected her son with the rich Julie.
“Toujours charmante et melancolique, cette chere Julieie,” she said to her daughter. - Boris says that he rests his soul in your house. “He has suffered so many disappointments and is so sensitive,” she told her mother.
“Oh, my friend, how attached I have become to Julie lately,” she said to her son, “I can’t describe to you!” And who can not love her? This is such an unearthly creature! Ah, Boris, Boris! “She fell silent for a minute. “And how I feel sorry for her maman,” she continued, “today she showed me reports and letters from Penza (they have a huge estate) and she is poor, all alone: ​​she is so deceived!
Boris smiled slightly as he listened to his mother. He meekly laughed at her simple-minded cunning, but listened and sometimes asked her carefully about the Penza and Nizhny Novgorod estates.
Julie had long been expecting a proposal from her melancholic admirer and was ready to accept it; but some secret feeling of disgust for her, for her passionate desire to get married, for her unnaturalness, and a feeling of horror at renouncing the possibility of true love still stopped Boris. His vacation was already over. He spent whole days and every single day with the Karagins, and every day, reasoning with himself, Boris told himself that he would propose tomorrow. But in the presence of Julie, looking at her red face and chin, almost always covered with powder, at her moist eyes and at the expression of her face, which always expressed a readiness to immediately move from melancholy to the unnatural delight of marital happiness, Boris could not utter a decisive word: despite the fact that for a long time in his imagination he considered himself the owner of Penza and Nizhny Novgorod estates and distributed the use of income from them. Julie saw Boris's indecisiveness and sometimes the thought occurred to her that she was disgusting to him; but immediately the woman’s self-delusion came to her as a consolation, and she told herself that he was shy only out of love. Her melancholy, however, began to turn into irritability, and not long before Boris left, she undertook a decisive plan. At the same time that Boris's vacation was ending, Anatol Kuragin appeared in Moscow and, of course, in the Karagins' living room, and Julie, unexpectedly leaving her melancholy, became very cheerful and attentive to Kuragin.
“Mon cher,” Anna Mikhailovna said to her son, “je sais de bonne source que le Prince Basile envoie son fils a Moscou pour lui faire epouser Julieie.” [My dear, I know from reliable sources that Prince Vasily sends his son to Moscow in order to marry him to Julie.] I love Julie so much that I would feel sorry for her. What do you think, my friend? - said Anna Mikhailovna.
The thought of being a fool and wasting this whole month of difficult melancholy service under Julie and seeing all the income from the Penza estates already allocated and properly used in his imagination in the hands of another - especially in the hands of the stupid Anatole, offended Boris. He went to the Karagins with the firm intention of proposing. Julie greeted him with a cheerful and carefree look, casually talked about how much fun she had at yesterday's ball, and asked when he was leaving. Despite the fact that Boris came with the intention of talking about his love and therefore intended to be gentle, he irritably began to talk about women's inconstancy: how women can easily move from sadness to joy and that their mood depends only on who looks after them. Julie was offended and said that it was true that a woman needs variety, that everyone will get tired of the same thing.
“For this, I would advise you...” Boris began, wanting to tell her a caustic word; but at that very moment the offensive thought came to him that he could leave Moscow without achieving his goal and losing his work for nothing (which had never happened to him). He stopped in the middle of his speech, lowered his eyes so as not to see her unpleasantly irritated and indecisive face and said: “I didn’t come here at all to quarrel with you.” On the contrary...” He glanced at her to make sure he could continue. All her irritation suddenly disappeared, and her restless, pleading eyes were fixed on him with greedy expectation. “I can always arrange it so that I rarely see her,” thought Boris. “And the work has begun and must be done!” He blushed, looked up at her and told her: “You know my feelings for you!” There was no need to say any more: Julie’s face shone with triumph and self-satisfaction; but she forced Boris to tell her everything that is said in such cases, to say that he loves her, and has never loved any woman more than her. She knew that she could demand this for the Penza estates and Nizhny Novgorod forests and she received what she demanded.
The bride and groom, no longer remembering the trees that showered them with darkness and melancholy, made plans for the future arrangement of a brilliant house in St. Petersburg, made visits and prepared everything for a brilliant wedding.

Count Ilya Andreich arrived in Moscow at the end of January with Natasha and Sonya. The Countess was still unwell and could not travel, but it was impossible to wait for her recovery: Prince Andrei was expected to go to Moscow every day; in addition, it was necessary to purchase a dowry, it was necessary to sell the property near Moscow, and it was necessary to take advantage of the presence of the old prince in Moscow to introduce him to his future daughter-in-law. The Rostov house in Moscow was not heated; in addition, they arrived for a short time, the countess was not with them, and therefore Ilya Andreich decided to stay in Moscow with Marya Dmitrievna Akhrosimova, who had long offered her hospitality to the count.
Late in the evening, four of the Rostovs' carts drove into Marya Dmitrievna's yard in the old Konyushennaya. Marya Dmitrievna lived alone. She has already married off her daughter. Her sons were all in the service.
She still held herself straight, she also spoke directly, loudly and decisively to everyone her opinion, and with her whole being she seemed to reproach other people for all sorts of weaknesses, passions and hobbies, which she did not recognize as possible. From early morning in the kutsaveyka, she did housework, then went: on holidays to mass and from mass to prisons and prisons, where she had business that she did not tell anyone about, and on weekdays, after getting dressed, she received petitioners of different classes at home who came to her every day, and then had lunch; There were always about three or four guests at the hearty and tasty dinner; after dinner I made a round of Boston; At night she forced herself to read newspapers and new books, and she knitted. She rarely made exceptions for trips, and if she did, she went only to the most important people in the city.
She had not yet gone to bed when the Rostovs arrived, and the door on the block in the hall squealed, letting in the Rostovs and their servants who were coming in from the cold. Marya Dmitrievna, with glasses down on her nose, throwing her head back, stood in the doorway of the hall and looked at those entering with a stern, angry look. One would have thought that she was embittered against the visitors and would now throw them out, if at this time she had not given careful orders to people on how to accommodate the guests and their things.

Most tourists who are carried away by running around Paris, for some reason, ignore the little distance from the city center Abbey of Saint Denis, but completely in vain, because French kings were buried here since ancient times and the tombstones, which have been perfectly preserved to this day, are, in my opinion, worthy of attention.

The Basilica of Saint-Denis is considered a masterpiece of French Gothic architecture and one of the most “strong” places in France - it is powerful, spiritually strong and incredibly beautiful.

You can get to the basilica by metro line 13 and get off at the stop of the same name. It only takes about 5 minutes to walk from the metro exit to the cathedral. Entrance here is free only up to the altar, where you can only look at the tombs of the kings from behind a fence. In order to admire the decoration of the tombs up close, you will have to pay. The entrance, where the ticket office and necropolis are located, is on the right side of the cathedral. Entrance is open to everyone from 10.00 to 18.15 hours.

It is noteworthy that Joan of Arc was seriously wounded in these parts during the Battle of Paris. On the facade of the basilica there is a memorial plaque in her honor.

The abbey is named after Saint Dionysius, who was the first bishop of Paris. Now he is one of the patrons of Paris. The basilica is located in the suburbs of Paris on the very spot where, according to legend, Saint Dionysius came with his severed head, which he carried in his hands. So he paid during the time of persecution of Christians for being a bishop. They decided to execute him, but during the execution the incredible happened: Saint Denis picked up his severed head and carried it down the hill. On the very spot where his dead body fell, an abbey was founded in the 5th century.

Like most places of worship, Saint-Denis was heavily damaged during the revolution. At this time, the graves of the kings were opened, and their ashes were thrown out of the cathedral, but they decided to leave the tombstones. At the beginning of 1814, the coffins were returned to the cathedral crypt and then the burials of noble people continued. In 2004, the tradition was continued: the heart of the heir to the French throne, Louis VII, was buried in the crypt.

The basilica contains the burial places of almost all the kings of France (except three), as well as several other monarchs. All tombstones are real works of art. Here you can see both simple graves of the first rulers and luxurious Renaissance and Baroque burials.

The abundance of sculptures, stone carvings, magnificent stained glass windows, shining gold altars - all this makes an incredible impression.

Walking through the abbey, I had the feeling that I was in the necropolis of the Egyptian pharaohs.

This rich tombstone belongs to Louis XII and Anne of Brittany.

These Valois-era tombstones are a true masterpiece of medieval sculpture.

These are personal belongings of the royals.

I was amazed by the height of this structure. This is the tomb of Queen Claudia and Francis I and their children. It was placed here 11 years after the death of the king in 1547.

This is the tomb of Henry II and his wife Catherine de Medici.

It was very interesting and informative. I think anyone who is at least a little interested in history and art will really enjoy a tour of the abbey.

The Abbey of Saint-Denis is located in the commune of the same name north of Paris, Ile-de-France region, just 9 kilometers from the capital. During the heyday of the abbey, it was secluded and far from the bustle of the capital, but now the metropolis is moving closer and closer to this holy place. According to the original idea of ​​​​the construction, it was assumed that the abbey would become a Benedictine monastery, which happened, but later the monastery began to be used as a tomb for French kings. Today, the Basilica of Saint-Denis is open to everyone who wants to take a look at it from the inside, and millions of tourists visit this holy place every year.

History of the Cathedral of Saint Denis

French historians and modern theologians attribute importance to the very place where the abbey was built. Already in the 1st century AD, a small Roman settlement was located on the site of the basilica. According to legend, it was here that the first Parisian Bishop Dionysius came from Montmartre after his execution, carrying a severed head in his hands. However, only in 475, with the blessing of Blessed Genevieve, the first basilica was built at the burial site of the saint, and subsequently, during the reign of King Dagobert I, a Benedictine monastery was added to the basilica.

After 2 centuries, Seni-Denis becomes one of the main monasteries of the French kingdom. During the reign of Abbot Suger in the 12th century, large-scale construction began on the territory of the monastery: a rich monastic infrastructure was erected, a church was built, the first building of the abbey, made in the Gothic style. Already in the 13th century, King Louis IX of France the Saint ordered that all the remains of his predecessor monarchs be transferred to the abbey and tombstones be installed for them. Louis himself was also later buried in Saint-Denis. Since then, all royalty have been buried in the abbey, and the monastery itself has received the nickname “royal necropolis of France.”

Unfortunately, during the French Revolution, due to the rejection of everything associated with the monarchy, the abbey was plundered and the tombs of the royal families were destroyed. The revolutionaries destroyed the tombstones, and the remains of the burials were thrown into the square and into the adjacent ditch.

During the Napoleonic wars, by order of the emperor, a kind of French institute for noble maidens was located in Saint-Denis. It was not until 1869 that the abbey was restored by the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc and was turned into a national treasure.

Decoration of the monastery

The restored Abbey of Saint-Denis looks almost the same as Abbot Suger made it back in the 12th century. The main basilica was built in the early Gothic style, which later determined the development of this architectural style in medieval France and had a great influence on architecture in general. In addition, later components of the architectural ensemble are made in the romanticism style. The tombs themselves are made of solid stone and take up a large amount of space from the altar to the entrance.

The total number of pre-revolutionary burials in the abbey is 119, of which 25 belong to the kings of France, 10 to queens, and 84 to princes and princesses.

The entire western facade with towers and porches, built again under Suger, is noteworthy. The tombs made by the famous Germain Pilon are especially interesting. In addition, the tombs of Louis X, Louis XII with his wife Anne of Brittany, Francis I and, perhaps, the most beautiful monument - the mosaic tombstone of Fredegunda, seem to be luxurious and unusual burials. An interesting fact is that in addition to royalty, a large number of other noble persons are buried in the abbey, which include numerous counts, dukes and barons who radically influenced the fate of France. The basilica today is an active Catholic church, owned and headed by the Diocese of Saint-Denis.

Help for tourists

Today, the Abbey of Saint-Denis is open to everyone who wants to visit this holy place, rich in history, and there are millions of people who come every year. The town of Saint-Denis itself has a developed urban infrastructure, which is why tourists do not experience any inconvenience when visiting the abbey. It is worth noting that the walls of the basilica are still being replenished with new remains of royalty.

In 2004, the abbey held a solemn burial of the heart of the young son of the last king and queen of France, Louis, who never ascended to the throne. That is why everyone who wants to see Paris must spend one day of their trip to look at this ancient monument of proud and unbroken France!

Abbey of Saint Denis(Abbaye de Saint-Denis) is an abbey of the Benedictine Order, founded in honor of Saint Dionysius, the first bishop of Paris, one of the oldest abbeys in all of France. The abbey is located in the suburb of the same name Saint-Denis, 10 km north of Paris. The walls of the monastery stand on the site of a small Roman village. The history of Saint-Denis goes back to the distant Middle Ages. According to legend, in the middle of the 1st century, Saint Dionysius, the first bishop of Paris, went preaching throughout the territory of the former Roman Empire as a successor to the work of the apostles. During those troubled times, the first Christians were subjected to severe persecution. Saint Dionysius did not escape this fate.

How to get to the Abbey of Saint Denis: nearest metro station St – Denis – Basilique

After the execution, the beheaded Dionysius stood up, took the severed head in his hands, walked several kilometers and fell dead. The first stone of the monastery was laid at the place where he fell. The founding date of the abbey is considered to be 630.

During the Dagobert dynasty, the monastery passed into the hands of the Benedictine order. At the beginning of the 2nd century, Saint-Denis was under the patronage of Abbot Suger, who enjoyed enormous influence at court and was a childhood friend of King Louis VI. Thanks to Suger, the first Gothic temple was built.

During construction, round arches were replaced by pointed ones, and the windows began to be decorated with stained glass. Subsequently, Saint-Denis gradually turns into the tomb of French monarchs. Saint Louis was the first to bury his predecessors here.

Entire royal dynasties, kings, princes, and princesses rest in Saint-Denis. Walking through the abbey, you get the feeling that you are in the necropolis of the Egyptian pharaohs. During the French Revolution, the monastery was subjected to barbaric plunder. Only in 1814 did the restoration of the temple begin. The remains of the monarchs were reburied in the crypt of the abbey.

Since 1815 On the territory of Saint-Denis there is a gymnasium for the sisters and daughters of the Knights of the Legion of Honor. At the end of the 19th century, Saint-Denis was restored by the outstanding French architect Viollet-de-Luc. It is believed that the abbey became the first Gothic building in medieval France, and after it the Gothic style spread throughout the country.

The Benedictine Abbey of Saint-Denis in the north is the main monastery of medieval France.

History of the Basilica of Saint Denis:

In the 1st century, there was a Roman settlement on this site called Catulliacum. According to legend, the first bishop of Paris, Saint Dionysius of Paris (often identified with Dionysius the Areopagite), came here with his severed head in his hands.

In 475, with the blessing of Saint Genevieve, the first basilica was built over the tomb of the saint. Under King Dagobert I, a Benedictine monastery was founded here, and in 630 the basilica was rebuilt and became the main temple of the monastery.

Burials of kings in Saint-Denis:

The abbey reached its greatest prosperity during the time of Abbot Suger, with whose participation in 1137-1144. A monastery church was built - the first building in the Gothic style, which influenced the development of Gothic in France. At the beginning of the 13th century, Saint Louis IX ordered the ashes of his predecessors to be transferred to the basilica and tombstones created for them. From that moment on, the church served tomb of the French kings. The abbey, where almost all the kings of France, as well as members of their families, are buried, is often called the “royal necropolis of France.”

25 French kings (since Dagobert I, † 638), 10 queens and 84 princes and princesses are buried here. Part of the western facade, two towers and the porch belong to the construction of Suger, minister of Louis VII (1140). Gallery with 37 windows, 10 m high, 13th century. The interior of the temple and the statue of St. Dionysius is of later origin. Many of the ancient tombs were destroyed in October 1793; some were transported to Paris, but returned to their places by Viollet-le-Duc.

Particularly noteworthy are the tombs of Louis, son of Saint Louis, Louis XII and his wife Anne of Brittany, Henry II and his wife Catherine de Medici (by Germain Pilon), Du Guesclin, Francis I and the mosaic tombstone of Fredegunda († 597).

The royal standard, the oriflamme, was kept in Saint-Denis.

Saint-Denis was sacked and closed during the French Revolution, the remains of those buried were thrown into a moat.

Basilica of Saint Denis in the Revolution:

After the fall of the constitutional monarchy on August 10, 1792, the provisional government decided to melt down some metal products for defense needs. Forty-seven abbey burials were dismantled for this purpose, including the gilded bronze tomb of Charles VIII, decorated with enamel. Some of them were preserved at the request of the Commission of Fine Arts at the Convention. In 1793, the Convention initiated the destruction of monuments of feudalism, including noble burials in all buildings of the republic.

The fate of the royal tombs of Saint-Denis was decided during the days of the Terror at a meeting of the National Convention on July 31, 1793 - at the suggestion of Barère, in honor of the storming of the Tuileries on August 10, 1792, it was decided to destroy the “unclean dust” of the tyrants under the pretext of reusing lead coffins. The National Assembly, having heard the report of the Committee of Public Safety, by its second decree of August 1, 1793, decided: “The graves and mausoleums of former kings, especially in the Church of Saint-Denis, in temples and other places throughout the Republic, will be destroyed before August 10.”

Although the exhumation was delayed, dismantling took place from August 6 to 10 (a total of 51 burials, statues, tombstones, columns, altars, stained glass windows, etc.) were dismantled. At the request of the Commission of Fine Arts, part of what was dismantled was preserved and later became part of the exhibition of the Museum of French Monuments, created in 1795, the rest was destroyed.

Not all remains were found, such as those of Cardinal Retz, who died in 1679, or the chief treasurer Alphonse de Brienne. The destruction of the tombstones revealed several bodies in a state of rotting, some crumbling to dust (including the foul-smelling corpse of Louis XV, who died of smallpox, and the "ink-black" corpse of Louis XIV). The body of Henry IV was so well preserved that it was displayed for several days to passers-by in front of the cathedral, standing upright. Some corpses were divided into parts: those who destroyed the graves kept part of the remains either for souvenirs or for the purpose of further sale. For example, Alexandre Lenoir, who collected an impressive collection of them and speculated on royal relics. More than 170 bodies (46 kings, 32 queens, 63 princes of the blood, 10 dignitaries of the kingdom and about two dozen abbots of Saint-Denis) were subsequently dumped in two mass graves (one for the Valois and the "first dynasties", the other for the Bourbons) , dug at the porch from the side of the monks’ cemetery, adjacent to the cathedral from the north. After the relics were collected by landmark collectors, the remains were covered with quicklime, then dirt, and compacted with a horse-drawn roller.

In 1814, during the restoration, the bones of the kings and members of their family were collected from the abbey's vosuary. Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, executed during the revolution, as well as princes and princesses who died in exile, were reburied in the crypt of the building. In 1820, the Duke of Berry, killed by Louvel, was buried here, and in 1824, Louis XVIII. With the July Revolution of 1830, burials in the abbey ceased; The granite slab prepared for himself by Charles X, who went into exile in 1830, remained unused.

Since 1815, the building of the old abbey has housed the Institute for Daughters and Sisters of Knights of the Legion of Honor, founded in 1801 by Napoleon in Écouen. In 1869 the abbey was restored by the famous architect Viollet-le-Duc. It is now a national monument.

On June 9, 2004, the heart of Louis XVII, a minor recognized by the governments of many European states and the United States, but who did not actually ascend to the throne, the king of France, the son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, was buried in the church. The previous funeral of the King of France in Saint-Denis took place in 1824, it was his uncle (and formal successor) Louis XVIII, to the accompaniment of a specially created Requiem in Memory of Louis XVI for male choir and wind instruments, on the death of Louis XVIII by the composer Nicolas-Charles Box » ( Requiem à la mémoire de Louis XVI pour chœur d’hommes et instruments à vent, dédié à Louis XVIII).