Basilique Saint-Denis
Rue de la Légion d'Honneur, 93200 Saint-Denis, France
Seine-Saint-Denis
Île-de-France
Built on the tomb of Saint Denis, missionary bishop who died around 250, a first church was probably born in the 5th century. From the death of King Dagobert in 639, and until the 19th century, the abbey church of Saint-Denis hosts the tomb of 43 kings, 32 queens and about ten servants of the monarchy. It is gradually becoming the most important ensemble in Europe of funerary sculptures made from the 12th to the 16th century. While walking through the basilica cathedral Saint-Denis and its crypt, you will meet the most famous kings and queens of France. They bear witness to the power of the greatest French dynasties, from the Merovingians to the Capetians, via the Carolingians. Discover the effigies of Dagobert, Pépin le Bref, Anne of Brittany, François I, Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, or the tomb of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis! The basilica of the 12th-13th centuries, as we know it today, is 108 metres long and its vaults are 29 metres high. Its immense transept is illuminated
Tags
Édifice religieux, Monument historique
Access
By transport: Metro line 13, station Basilique de Saint-Denis (no elevator), 100 meters from the monument. RER D, stop Saint-Denis, then Tramway T1 (5 minutes) or 15 minutes on foot. RER B (then Bus 153 or 253). By car: 9 km from the center of Paris: access via Porte de La Chapelle, then A1, exit Saint-Denis - city center. At the door of Paris, Saint-Denis, follow the green sign "Saint-Denis Centre" on the right. Then head towards the Indigo parking called 'Basilique', located 100 meters from the monument. The city center of Saint-Denis is pedestrian.
©Pascal Lemaître / Dist. Centre des monuments nationaux
