2015.05.05 Basilica Cathedral of Saint Denis (St-Denis, France)

Saint Denis, after whom the basilica was named, is one of two patron saints of Paris. Legend has it that after his beheading by the Romans, he rose, picked up his head, and walked all the way to the site where the basilica now stands before falling dead for good. 

If you can believe it, there's actually debate about the actual distance St. Denis traveled post-decapitation. Most pegged it at ten kilometers, which is pretty impressive even without the whole "missing head" issue.  

And in case you were interested, there's a specific term to describe saints carrying their heads: cephalophores. 

You're welcome. 

A renovation was going on so there were a lot of scaffolding both inside and outside the basilica. But whatever the restorers are doing, I hope they keep it up because the visible parts of the front facade looked really good. 

Nice and pearly white. Very saintly. 

This basilica is the first and only church I've seen with a clock instead of the typical rose window.

Other then the on-going renovations, plans are also in place to reconstruct the north tower, which was disassembled in the 1800s after suffering severe damage from repeated storms. 

That is a lot of work, which I hope to see completed within my lifetime.

Story of St Denis' Martydom over the south portal

The basilica is also known as the "royal necropolis of France" as it is a centuries-old tradition for the kings of France (and sometimes their family) to be buried or re-interred here. And all except three monarchs have followed this tradition.

Stained glass window portraits of the kings (and some queens) of France.

Really impressive. As I was walking through the nave, I could feel their eyes upon me (but not in a spooky way). 

Because of the renovations, I had assumed that the section with the kings' tombs were closed and had nearly left before stumbling upon the side door, which was fortunate because I would have kicked myself so hard otherwise. 

And there I was wondering how come no one checked my museum pass at the basilica entrance.

Tomb of Francois I and Claude of France

One of the first royal tombs I encountered. I really hope that, as part of the renovations, a viewing platform will be erected because try as I might, I could only glimpse their feet. Sure, they're nice-looking feet but faces would have been nicer.

While you would think that given their status in life, the final resting place of French royalty would be grande and admiration-worthy. While it is true of the marble tombs and the overlying effigies, their placements in the basilica could really use some work. 

The tombs were positioned all around the basilica's altar in no particular order - kings and queens from early medieval period lying next to descendants from centuries later - very surprisingly, as I had expected each royal couple/family to have their own dedicated space. And because not all the tombs are uniform in their dimension and grandeur, everything just looked somewhat chaotic. 

With all the glorious chateaux and palaces and the perfectly manicured lawns and orange trees, the French kings really could have spent a little more effort on their final resting place. 

A trend I noticed on the tombs: animals as feet-warmers. Mostly lions, with the occasional dogs. Very bizarre. 

Statues of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette

Every now and then, an unidentified princess or queen.

More tombs...

The more unusual tombs - huge departure from the usual white marble effigies.

Patterns, patterns, patterns.

A selection of the stained glass windows - the one with the flowers was my favourite. Very Art Nouveau.

Tomb of Henri II and Catherine de Medici

My knowledge of French history is nominal at best but this royal couple showed up on my radar a few years back when I read the fascinating biography on Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henri II. 

Their affair was unusual even by modern standards, as Diane was 20 years older than Henri and had been present at his birth, even possibly helped with the delivery (the grossness factor just went through the roof). The relationship lasted until Henri's untimely death. 

Immediately after the king's death, the too-oft scorned queen Catherine de Medici banished Diane from court and took power, ruling through her sons. She would become mother-in-law to another famous queen - Mary, Queen of Scots.

The detailing on the effigies were amazing 

(I know that adjective is used a lot on this trip and there's nothing to say except supercalifragilisticexpialidocious)

I mean, look at the veins on those hands!

Then it was Crypt time.

The echo effect in the crypt just made the groups of schoolchildren sound even more rambunctious.

These empty vaults would be perfect for the tombs upstairs.

The Bourbon Vault

Louis XVII, son of Marie Antoinette, who died in prison after severe neglect and abuse by his guards.

Les Mesdames Elisabeth, Adelaide and Victoire - Daughters of Louis XV

Tombs of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and a few others from the Bourbon Dynasty

 

Selection of Interesting Stone Reliefs

Inspiration for the troll doll?

Monks holding hands in (secret) brotherly love

Cocoons/Venus flytraps (?) and beehives

There is definitely a story here. I just wish I knew what it was.

And my personal favourite. I mean, look at the expression of the priest wielding the stick about to smack the demon in the middle. He is totally posing for the shot.

Stone relief of St Denis (here depicted pre-decapitation)

Scale model of the basilica and surrounding area in the middle ages

Buttresses

After St Denis, I wanted to squeeze in a couple more museum visits. But because it was a Tuesday, both the museums I had wanted to see were closed.

So I just ended up strolling along the Seine, taking in the view and enjoying the lovely weather while I waited for the rest of the group to arrive at the boat restaurant. I even managed to do a little light reading. Very Parisian non?

Unlucky for us, the Seine's water level was at an all-time high so the boat could not take its usual scenic route past the Louvre towards Notre-Dame. Instead, we made several loops around one of the French replicas of the Statue of Liberty on the Ile-aux-Cygnes. The top deck also had to be closed for safety reasons (increased proximity to the bottom of bridges due to the high waters). Plus, the waters were really rough that night so my motion sickness decided to kick in. The whole experience was really only salvaged by the good company I had with me.

You are not mistaken, that is a T-Rex skeleton in the foreground, looking up at the Eiffel Tower.

Dinner: Bateaux-Mouches