Basilique de Saint-Denis

The Basilique de Saint-Denis (Basilica of Saint Denis) is a large catholic church in the city of Saint-Denis, north of Paris. A church was present on the site starting from the 5th century. In 636, the relics of Saint Denis, a patron saint of France and famous cephalophore, were reinterred in the basilica. It then became the burial place of the French Kings with nearly every king from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there. The church was rebuilt in pretty much its current form in the 12th century.

Above, tomb of Henri II and Catherine de Médicis. While the church is freely accessible,  getting near the tombs requires buying a ticket.

Above, statue of Saint Denis, after his decapitation.

Above, feet in the tomb of François 1er.

Above, tomb of François 1er.

Above, memorial to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette. Their tombs is in the Bourbon crypt.

Above, tomb of Henri II.

Above, tomb of Louis XII.

Above, tomb of Clovis.

Above, tomb of Dagobert.

Above, crypt with the tombs of Bourbon kings.

Above, archaeological crypt. Those tombs are the oldest in the church. They were discovered in the 19th century and are thought to date from the end of Roman times.

Above, tomb of Louis XIV (of Versailles fame).

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