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.

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