St. Denis
 

Going to and from Brugge on tour, we passed through St. Denis and the guide mentioned that most of the kings and queens of France were buried in the Cathedral there. I've not heard this mentioned on this board or on tour before, and wondered if Fodorites think a visit to the Cathedral is worth the trip to the outskirts of Paris. Are there other interesting things to see in the area?

It is definitely worth the trip. ANd it is not that far. The church and tombs are fascinating, there is a brief video to watch before entering the church. St Denis is a nice small area to walk around. The church is very close to the metro stop so you can't get lost

There's very little else of interest to a visitor BUT the Basilica (though it's recently changed its status to a cathedral) in what's now a humdrum, going on tatty, suburb.

I think it's worth a trip from the other side of the earth - but that's because I'm interested in Gothic architecture (St Denis can be argued to be the first major northern European Gothic church). People who aren't that excited might regard it as just another 13th century big monumental church (of which there's hundreds in Europe) with a bunch of tombs.

Not a particularly attractive building for people not addicted to the period, the tombs are pretty well only of kings and their families from 490-1780 (none of the other national heroes you get in, say, Westminster Abbey) and there was no showbizzy explanatory hoopla when I was last there.

If that's the kind of thing you like, you'll like it. If it's not - there are loads of other things to do in the Ile de France.

Well worth a visit.The Basilica is a first off and should be seen.There are several museums well worth a visit especially if you have any interest in silver.

If you are prepared to give the area more than a cursory glance it will repay a walk around.There is a very nice park to the rear of the Basilica which tends not to be crowed with tourists -if they know it even exists.

One or two good retaurants and cheaper than most other areas,a very good choclate maker not far from the Basicala.The area is improving all the time and in many visits we have never had any problems.

Half an hour walk from the Basicala -Stade de France.Is it the best rugby stadium in Europe? Not sure, but the tour is worth while and it is a good experience.

Easy and plesant access by RER,the metro tends to be very warm and at peak times crowed.

Enjoy the visit

It's been mentioned on this board before, although it's not on the top of the list of most first-timers. But a lot of tourists aren't particularly interested in history and don't know anything about it. They only want to go up in the Eiffel Tower.

Some of the windows were damaged and are replaced, but other than that, that church does have some stained glass windows of importance in the history of that craft, as well as some of the best funerary sculpture around, of course. I do disagree that there is nothing else of interst in St Denis, as I found the art and history museum in the Carmelite convent to be excellent.

I would also recommend taking the metro rather than the RER as the metro station is about right next to the basilica, at least you will have no trouble finding it (it's about a block). I don't really know exactly where the RER station is, I'll admit, for Saint Denis, but I think it's about 1 km to the west of the basilica and you'd have to get directions or a map, I suppose -- I know there is also an RER stop at the stadium but that isn't very nearby. However, you only need a regular metro ticket to go by metro, of course, and you need a special ticket to go by RER as St Denis is in RER zone 3, not 2. So most people who buy a regular carnet of tickets or have a zone 1-2 Navigo pass or Mobilis pass cannot go to the St Denis RER station on that ticket/pass. You have to pay extra.

Yes it's definitely worth it- I loved both the basilica and walking around the neighborhood of St Denis. It doesn't take very long to get there on the metro- take line 13 in the direction of St Denis-Universite, and get off at the second last stop "Basilique de St Denis".

Here's the website:

http://saint-denis.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

and here's my photos from last year:

http://apres.shutterfly.com/8

Thanks for the link to the photos, Apres_Londee. Very nice.

AA

it is one of the single most important buildings in France, not only for being the tomb of kings and queens, back to Clovis and onward through Marie Antoinette, but because Abbot Suger, the driving force behind the creation of St Denis, intended it to be the showcase of a defining French aesthetic -- and it was and is and remains so to this day, informing all French art. It is not an exaggeration to say Notre Dame pales in comparison, lacking the grandeur and monumental ambition of St Denis. It is astonishing in the harmony of its smallest details.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_St_Denis

I would hardly describe it as the outskirts of Paris. It's at the end of the urban metro line.

I recommend a visit on a sunny day, when the stained glass windows are at their full glory.

Thanks Anselm!

I'd also recommend going to St Denis on a Saturday if you are in Paris in the spring. The chances are good you'll run into a wedding party in the main town square in front of the basilica and the hotel de ville.

Definitely most worthwhile. I went several years ago when "Paris Walks" gave a tour. The walk was fantastic, as Oriel Caine described things you would never know, just going there on your own - about the cathedral itself and the kings buried there. I checked recently and they don't seem to have it on their itinerary anymore. If they do, I highly recommend!

Thanks for your insights. I will try to fit in a visit on my next trip.

I am a huge fan of St. Denis. First heard of this Gothic cathedral when I had to teach the novel A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver to my 7th grade students. It is the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine as told by four different narrators passing the time sitting on a cloud in heaven! Fast read to get you in the mood for your trip. The book also mentions a wedding gift given to Eleanor and her first husband King Louis from Abbot Suger (who dreamed up St. Denis) which you can still find in the Louvre today.

I've been twice in the last 15 years (via metro from Paris center) and would highly recommend the visit. Yes, indeed, burial place of kings and queens and their stone sarcophagi dot the cathedral floor. It is like walking through the stone pages of French history. Creep down in to the crypt as well.

Area felt a little rough around the edges. I wouldn't feel comfortable walking around at night. Tourist information building is a block away in front of the cathedral.

Have a great trip!

I just went for the first time in May and it was awesome! If you are at all in to the history of France, it is a wonderful way to see the tombs of many of the people you will have studies. Charlemagne, Clovis, MArie ANtoinette, Francois, Ctherine de Medici, to name a few! It took me about 4 hours to get there, have a good look, grab a bite of lunch and get back. SO plan accordingly. IN addition I was alone and that makes things move faster. It is absolutely worth the time and effort though. I did take the RER, had not figures out that there was a metro station, so that is nice to know and might have knocked some time off, though the walk was not bad.

I too, have been there. I can't add much to what has been said before, but it is well worth the time to go, and it's not at all far from the stop on the #13 Metro line. I happened to visit in the middle of a driving rainstorm, so one day I'll have to go back for the windows..

Rick

Nice pics Apres...makes me add StD to my 'next time' list

Wonderful shots, apres! I love the rainy day ones!

Thanks Michel and avalon (I really need to start labeling and organizing, I'm terrible about that)

I would definitely add St Denis to your list Michel! Another great thing about it is, not that many tourist go there- there were maybe a handful of other people in the basilica. What a contrast to Notre Dame, which was pretty much a zoo.

It is a fascinating place, not only for being the first gothic church in France built initially by famous Abbot Suger but for all the history contained in the tombs of most of French kings.
However I understand that during the French Revolution the remains of many of the kings were were dumped into large pits nearby. So much for the bureocrats of the day. Have a great time.

Yes, yes, go! Most tourists pass this by, but it's a wonderful addition to a visit to Paris.

Here's a few photos and notes from 2005:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/patrick...7604796188694/

The building is old, as are many of its contents, but the layout and presentation is strongly marked by the early nineteenth century restoration of the monarchy, which wanted to make its political point here. If you want to brush up on your French monarchs, this is one place to go, but it's not really a must-see to put above lots of other places (if, say, you're interested in the mediaeval, then Sainte Chapelle and the Cluny Museum come a lot higher in the priority list).

The Basilica is a short walk from the metro station through a modern shopping centre which has a few standard café/brasserie places. I didn't explore the wider area, which looked to be a fairly ordinary sort of suburb.

"I understand that during the French Revolution the remains of many of the kings were were dumped into large pits nearby."

Graziella, that is indeed what happened, and the church itself was badly damaged.

The church was restored by Viollet-le-Duc, who had a hand in restoring medieval buildings all over France. (And not very accurately, some would say.)

The royal remains were later removed form those pits and placed in an ossuary in the crypt of St. Denis. You can find it by going down the stairs on the north side of the choir. There is a low doorway near the foot of the stairs and a narrow passage that leads to the wall of the ossuary. I went there looking for Henri IV (he was the king that promised a chicken in every pot) and found his name, and many others, carved on the wall. It is a bit creepy.

Anselm

I agree that the windows are prettier than Notre Dame's. There was a rather spirited debate about St. Denis not too long ago on this forum but we had the place to ourselves.

DH and I took the metro to see it. There was a huge market going on and there was a tourist info place in sight as we left metro station.

Help me with the name of the glass company museum folks-that's nearby also.

Hi,
We went to St Denis not only for the cathedral but for the market almost next door. Outside was like a swap meet. Inside the covered part of the market were not only the usual fresh fruits and vegetables, but piles of spices. We bought curry, paprika, and cumin and packed them in containers to take home. They were some of the best spices I have ever bought. It is a very colorful market.

The crypt in the cathedral and all of the sculptures on the burials were all interesting and a bit overwhelming. (I had read a history of France before the trip so it was especially fun for me to see the faces of the kings and queens).