Basilica of St Denis: How to visit & what to see

Welcome to my guide to the Basilica of St Denis, where Gothic architecture was first created, and over 70 French kings and queens are buried.

St Denis Basilica is one of the most famous churches in Paris but doesn’t attract the vast crowds of Notre Dame (before the fire), Sainte-Chapelle or Sacré Coeur in the centre of Paris, but it belongs in the same bracket as any of the great cathedrals of France – Chartres, Reims, Amiens and more.

This is where the glories of Gothic architecture were first realised, and went on to have immeasurable influence over the next few hundred years.

In my guide to Saint-Denis Basilica I show you the architectural treasures and the best of the many royal tombs in the church and crypt. I also cover the practicalities of getting there – an short, easy Metro ride from the centre of Paris – as well as tickets, tours and what to see nearby. Enjoy!

The Basilica of St Denis is one of the three greatest Gothic churches of Paris, along with the Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris and La Sainte Chapelle.

It is architecturally one of the most important churches in Europe and the world, as it is the birthplace of the pointed arch and what became known as Gothic architecture – an enormous artistic revolution in early medieval terms.

The Basilica Church of Saint Denis is also one of the most beautiful Gothic churches in France and Europe, with gorgeous rose windows as well as the first pointed arches ever built in a European church.

St Denis Basilica Paris is also the necropolis of French kings and queens, with many princes and princesses and notable French nobles interred there.

The site of the present Basilica of St Denis was initially used as a cemetery during the latter years of the Roman Empire, with burials showing pagan and Christian elements.

St Denis was martyred in the 3^rd century in Montmartre, and according to tradition picked up his severed head and walked around 4 miles (6 km) to the site of the Basilica, where he wished to be buried.

The relics of St Denis were reinterred at the basilica church on the present site in 636 AD, on the orders of Frankish King Dagobert I. St Denis is also one of the patron saints of France, and Dagobert himself chose to be buried in the same church as the saint when he died three years later.  Other Frankish royal figures had already done the same, and more would follow.

The church continued to be a popular pilgrimage site, and in the first half of the 12^th century Abbot Suger set about rebuilding a church fit to hold the relics of St Denis. The west front was completed first, followed by the choir between 1140-44. Suger died in 1151.

The nave and transepts were rebuilt in the late 13^th century,  the church interior transformed from the dark, sombre, bulky Romanesque to the airy, light new Rayonnant Gothic style also used in contemporary French Gothic cathedrals and churches.

The Basilica of St Denis also began to be re-purposed as a Royal Necropolis in the 13^th century, with the bones of 16 monarchs – eight Carolingians and eight Capetians – moved to the church.

French monarchs and nobles continued to be buried in the Basilica for the following few centuries. The church was ransacked wince in the Middle Ages, and Revolutionaries wrought significant damage on the  building in 1792, when the monastery was dissolved. The lead was removed from the roof to make ammunition, and many of the Basilica’s treasures were melted down.

Napoleon Bonaparte had the Basilica of St Denis reconsecrated in 1806, and at one point intended it as his own burial place (he was interred in the Dome des Invalides instead).

In 1966 the Basilica was raised to Cathedral status, so it has since then been the seat of a Bishop. It is often called the Basilica Cathedral of St Denis.

Abbot Suger set out to create something very different to the Romanesque. In his own words, ‘Bright is the noble edifice which is pervaded by the new light.’  

The west front was built first, notable for its rose window and beautifully carved portals. However the real revolution came with the construction of the choir between 1140 and 1144. Here the pillars are at the lower levels are slender, the arches pointed, allowing more light to flood into the lower levels of the chancel and choir.  This is the first instance of a fully realized Gothic building in the world.

As you look up, notice the stained glass windows on the upper two levels – the triforium (gallery or middle level) and the clerestory. As Suger intended, the building is flooded with light, which is even more impressive with sunlight streaming through the windows.

The choir was altered less than a century after completion by King Louis IX (Saint Louis), so it’s more in the Rayonnant style employed at Sainte-Chapelle. The large rose windows in the north and south transepts also date from this period, and are one of the most impressive features of the Basilica.

The nave was also completed long after the death of Abbot Suger, again in the 13^th century.  Again, the combination of slender pillars and windows on three levels gives it an airy, light feel.

To appreciate the difference between Romanesque and Gothic architecture, I’d recommend a brief walk in the Latin Quarter to see two churches no more than two minutes’ walk apart. The church of St Julien le Pauvre is one of the oldest churches in Paris, a humble Romanesque beauty with stout pillars, rounded arches and small clerestory (upper level) windows.

Contrast this with the church of Saint Severin Paris, just across the Rue du Petit Pont. In comparison it’s much lighter and airier, the Gothic interior bathed in light from the clerestory windows.

The St Denis Basilica is to Paris what Westminster Abbey is to London – the mausoleum of many of its monarchs. Until the 11^th century, some kings opted to be buried elsewhere, including at the church of Saint Germain des Pres, but the remains of all but three French monarchs (between the reign of Clovis and 1793) were held at Saint-Denis Basilica.

The remains of the earliest kings, the Merovingians, are located either side of the choir. These include the first King of the Franks, Clovis I, his successor Childebert I  and Dagobert I, founder and patron of the Abbey of St Denis in the 7^th century.

Many of the royal tombs are concentrated around the central crossing of the Basilica. The Merovingians’ successors, the Carolingians, are buried close to the steps down to the Crypt, and the Capetians, who reigned from the late 10^th to the late 14^th centuries, are buried in many tombs around the north aisle.

One of the most remarkable royal tombs in Saint-Denis is that of Isabella of Aragon, Queen Consort to Philip the Bold. She died tragically in 1271 at the age of 22 or 23, falling from a horse while crossing a river in Calabria (southern Italy) while pregnant. Her effigy is unusually realistic for its time, and was left intact by Revolutionaries in 1793 because of the rare inscription around her monument.

One of the most elaborate memorials in the Basilica is the Carrara marble monument to Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne (Anne of Brittany).  Recumbent figures of the couple lie in the tomb, while their kneeling figures on the level above are a reminder of the afterlife they believed was to follow.

The tomb of Henri II (Henry II) and Catherine de Medici was initially built in the Valois Rotunda, a mausoleum just outside the Basilica but demolished in the 18^th century. Catherine ruled as regent for thirty years following the death of Henri at a tournament in 1559. She rejected the original figure of her, preferring the second version in which she looks asleep, rather than dead!

The Basilica is located in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris 5 km (3 miles) north of the Boulevard Périphérique, the ring road surrounding central Paris.

The Basilica’s address is 1 rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 93200 Saint-Denis.

The Basilica of St Denis is a 5-minute walk from the Basilique de Saint-Denis Metro stop on the Saint-Denis Université branch of line 13.

Line 13 has two branches as you travel northbound. Assuming that you’re travelling from the centre of Paris, trains for both branches will depart from the same platform.  Just make sure you board a train heading for Saint-Denis Université and NOT Asnières Gennevilliers Les Courtilles.

From the station, turn left, go under the bridge through the street market and turn left when you reach Place Victor Hugo. And there you are.

Between April and September, the Basilica is open Mondays to Saturdays from 10.00 am to 6.15 pm, with last entry 30 minutes before closing time.

On Sundays during the same months, it is open from 12.00 pm to 6.15 pm, with last entry at 5.45 pm.

From October to March, the church is open 10.00 am to 5.15 pm Mondays to Saturdays, and from 12.00 pm to 5.15 pm on Sundays.

Unlike at many other churches in Paris, you can only visit the Basilica of Saint Denis with a ticket, which currently costs €9.50 for an adult. I visited the Basilica using my Paris Museum Pass, which is a great way of saving money if you’re planning to visit a lot of Paris attractions.

There’s no need to reserve a time slot in advance, as the Basilica is not one of the busier places to visit in Paris.

There’s not much else to see in Saint Denis Paris. An old friend of mine hails from the suburb, and he confirms this. Apart from the Basilica, the only reason most people visit Saint-Denis is for a football or rugby match at the Stade de France, the national stadium of France. You can also join a behind the scenes tour at the stadium – there is usually a daily tour in English at 2pm.

It makes sense to tie in your visit to the Basilica of St Denis with a trip to see somewhere else in the north of Paris. This could be the hilltop village of Montmartre, the flea market at Porte de Clignancourt or the Parc de la Villette.

David Angel is a British photographer, writer and historian. He is a European travel expert with over 30 years’ experience exploring Europe. He has a degree in History from Manchester University, and his work is regularly featured in global media including the BBC, Condé Nast Traveler, The Guardian, The Times, and The Sunday Times.  David is fluent in French and Welsh, and can also converse in Italian, German, Portuguese, Spanish, Czech and Polish.

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