We have visited a half a dozen churches in Paris and the area. We went to Christmas Eve Mass at Notre Dame, and we have toured St. Chapelle, Chartres, Sacre Coeur, St. Etienne du Mont, our parish church right around the corner and the original church founded to honor St. Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris.
But the one church you absolutely must see is the Basilica of St. Denis.
Located way out in the northern suburbs of Paris, the basilica is the second last stop on the Metro 13 line, just before the University of St. Denis. The neighborhood is definitely not St. Germain or the Latin Quarter. It is gritty, largely immigrant and not at all upscale.
St. Denis is the first Gothic cathedral ever built and is considered the Westminster of France, with more than 70 recumbent statues and tombs. A total of 42 kings, 32 queens, 63 princes and 10 great men were buried here. (Calling it Westminster is not quite accurate, as France’s greatest poets, writers and philosophers are interred in the Pantheon behind our apartment.)
The site of the church dates back to the late fifth century when St. Genevieve herself purchased the land to build a church. In 636, Dagobert had the remains of St. Denis, the other patron saint of Paris, moved to the chapel there. (Ironically, St. Denis’s remains were transferred back to St. Etienne du Mont during the Revolution, then returned in 1819 to the church dedicated to him.)
In the 12th century, Abbot Suger began rebuilding and enlarging the original church in the new Gothic style. It became the model for all the others to be built over the next couple of centuries.
Inside, St. Denis showcases all the quintessential Gothic features–soaring vaulted ceilings, huge stained glass windows (mostly not original anymore) and groupings of slender columns supporting the entire structure. The dozens of recumbent statues representing the kings of France from Clovis I to Louis XVIII are spread all over the ambulatory.
Most of the bodies in the tombs were removed during the Revolution and buried in a mass grave, so very few human remains actually remain in the tombs. Some relics of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were recovered and reportedly re-interred in the church.
The statuary styles range from medieval simplicity to classical Renaissance splendor. The helpful audio guide walks the visitor through the tombs, essentially relating the history of France from its founding to the Revolution. (The tour through the tombs is a separate, paid entrance but well worth the price.)
St. Denis does not have the high profile of the other famous churches in Paris, but it displays all the best elements of their architecture and history. It is not to be missed.