The Basilique de St-Denis, Paris part 2

Some of the sovereign's robes of the coronation of Charles X and regalia specially made for this event including the Crown of Charles X and the Crown of Queen Marie Thérèse of Savoy are displayed in one of the chapels of the nave of the Basilica of Saint Denis. The Crown of the Dauphin Louis Antoine Duke of Angoulême which subsists as well counts too among the six only surviving French crowns.

Today I'm taking you on a tour of The Basilique de St-Denis also known as the The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis. I have been here many times and try to visit it every time I'm in Paris. It is a large medieval Gothic abbey church in the commune of Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris. Founded in the 7th century by Dagobert I on the burial place of Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, the church became a place of pilgrimage and the burial place of the French Kings and family, nearly every king from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there, as well as many from the previous centuries. (It was not used for the coronations of kings, this role being designated to the Cathedral of Reims; however, queens were commonly crowned there.)

Louis XVIII, in his coronation robes, by Antoine Jean Gros

Some of the sovereign's robes of the coronation of Charles X and regalia specially made for this event including the Crown of Charles X and the Crown of Queen Marie Thérèse of Savoy are displayed in one of the chapels of the nave of the Basilica of Saint Denis. The Crown of the Dauphin Louis Antoine Duke of Angoulême which subsists as well counts too among the six only surviving French crowns.

The bodies of the beheaded King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette of Austria, and his sister Madame Élisabeth were not initially buried in Saint-Denis, but rather in the churchyard of the Madeleine, Madam Tussaud then known as Marie Grosholtz had been secretly told to make a death mask of the Queen and did so in the churchyard. Grosholtz had lived at Versailles and had taught Marie Antoinette's sister-in-law Madam Elisabeth how to make wax models. Madame Tussaud would latter write that "The sight of Marie Antoinette's eyes staring at her haunted her for the rest of her life. Marie Antoinette's body was left on the ground for a few days before she was buried near her husband, Her body covered with quicklime.

A Royalist bought the land and planted weeping willow trees above the Royal graves. During the early Romantic period and the return of the bourbons Louis XVlll order the remains of Louis XVI & Marie Antoinette exhumed on the 22 years after the execution of Louis XVI. The few remains, a few bones that were presumably the king's and a clump of grayish matter containing a lady's garter discovered where Marie Antoinette was said to be buried. A large funeral procession carried the coffins to the crypt of the Saint Denis basilca the century's old necropolis for the French Royals.

The Funeral Procession of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette 21st January 1815

Funeral procession of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, in which their bodies were transferred to the royal crypt at Saint Denis, during the Restoration of the 1800s.

 

Memorial to the king and queen. Drawing of a funeral urn with the profile of Louis XVI in the base at the left, Marie Antoinette at the right, the Dauphin in the willow tree at the right margin, and his sister Madame Royale at the left of the king's head. Made for sympathetic royalists by a contemporary artist.

Marie Antoinette, Queen of France from a portrait by Dufroe

France welcoming back the French Royal family. Note Marie Antoinette's daughter Madame Royale to the left of the painting

Queen depicted as Erato, the Muse of lyric (especially love) poetry. The painting, by Ludwig Guttenbrunn, is dated 1788

The gold threads are absolutely stunning to behold as there shine has held up almost 200 years as well as the Royal purple silk velvet

Gold thread Bourbon Lily and fleour-de-lis. The French fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily and remember all this magnificent work was done by hand.

The French  fleur-de-lis is a stylized lily

Louis XVIII crown

The Basilica of St Denis is an architectural landmark as it was the first major structure of which a substantial part was designed and built in the Gothic style. Both stylistically and structurally it heralded the change from Romanesque architecture to Gothic architecture. Before the term "Gothic" came into common use, it was known as the "French Style" (Opus Francigenum). The basilica's 13th century nave is also the prototype for the Rayonnant Gothic style, and provided an architectural model for cathedrals and abbeys of northern France, England and other countries.

The choir stalls include both carved tableau such as these

Amazing Gothic Marquetry wood inlay in choir stall in St. Denis

Part of the choir stall depicts the Biblical figure Moses with horns on his head, based on a description in the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible used at that time. The wood panel carving depicts Moses with horns on his head. This was the normal medieval Western depiction of Moses, based on the description of Moses' face as "cornuta" ("horned") in the wrong Latin Vulgate translation of Exodus. The Douay-Rheims Bible translates the Vulgate as, "And when Moses came down from the mount Sinai, he held the two tables of the testimony, and he knew not that his face was horned from the conversation of the Lord." The Greek in the Septuagint translates as, "Moses knew not that the appearance of the skin of his face was glorified." The Hebrew Masoretic text also uses words equivalent to "radiant", suggesting an effect like a halo. Horns were symbolic of authority in ancient Near Eastern culture, and the medieval depiction had the advantage of giving Moses a convenient attribute by which he could easily be recognized in crowded pictures.

Tomb of Louis XII and Anne de Bretagne

Although much was lost during the revolution, there are still many noteworthy features like these choir stalls.

The north transept rose shows the Creation. The basilica retains stained glass of many periods (although most of the panels from Suger's time have been removed for long-term conservation and replaced with photographic transparencies), including exceptional modern glass, and a set of twelve misericords.

The basilica retains stained glass of many periods (although most of the panels from Suger's time have been removed for long-term conservation and replaced with photographic transparencies), including exceptional modern glass, and a set of twelve misericords.

Tympanum and lintel of the central portal, showing Last Judgement iconography (c.1135, restored 1839)

Detail of Tympanum and lintel of the central portal, showing Last Judgement iconography (c.1135, restored 1839) Christ enthroned, displaying his wounds with the dead emerging from their tombs below.

The portals themselves were sealed by gilded bronze doors, ornamented with scenes from Christ's Passion

Christ enthroned, displaying his wounds with the dead emerging from their tombs below.

The portals themselves were sealed by gilded bronze doors, ornamented with scenes from Christ's Passion

Scenes from the martyrdom of St Denis were carved above the south (right hand) portal,

vast window openings filled with brilliant stained glass (all destroyed in the Revolution) and interrupted only by the most slender of bar tracery

The portals themselves were sealed by gilded bronze doors, ornamented with scenes from Christ's Passion

Among the many influential features of the new façade were the tall, thin statues of Old Testament prophets and kings attached to columns (jamb figures) flanking the portals

Scenes from the martyrdom of St Denis were carved above the south (right hand) portal,

Scenes from the martyrdom of St Denis were carved above the south (right hand) portal,

Among the many influential features of the new façade were the tall, thin statues of Old Testament prophets and kings attached to columns (jamb figures) flanking the portals

Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) - Basilique - Extérieur, façade ouest