Saint-Denis

Saint-Denis Basilica, prime masterpiece of Gothic art, sheltering the reliquary of Saint Denis, who was buried in the Gallo-Roman graveyard, became the necropolis of the kings of France and was one of the richest abbeys in the area.

Nowadays over 70 recumbent statues make up a collection that is unique in Europe, a precious testimony to funerary art and a pleasant approach to French history with the different dynasties of French monarchy represented.

From the death of King Dagobert, in 639, until the 19th century, the abbey of Saint-Denis welcomed the burial of 40 kings, 26 queens and a dozen servants of the monarchy. It gradually became the most important collection in Europe of funerary sculptures made from the 12th to the 16th century. This role as a royal necropolis earned it the nickname “the cemetery of kings ” by a 13th century chronicler. Today, the monument houses no less than 70 recumbents and tombs.

As you walk through the Basilique cathédrale Saint-Denis and its crypt, you will come across the most famous kings and queens of France. They testify to the power of the greatest French dynasties, from the Merovingians to the Capetians, through the Carolingians.

Private tour of the basilica, the crypt and the merovingian cemetery