Paris 8: Saint Denis – The Tomb of French Kings

For me, Saint Denis is truly a hidden gem of Paris because of little interest by visitors, but it has a rich history of being the cemetery of most of the French kings and a magical beauty inside.

Saint Denis is located quite far from the center of Paris. Besides, its appearance looks very humble among gorgeous cathedrals in Paris. For that reason, Saint Denis does not receive much attention from visitors, except for those who have a deep understanding of royal history.

However, hidden within that silence is the resting place of most of the French kings and their royal family, including King Louis XIV – the Sun King.

Inside the cathedral is a large and bright space. The interior design is similar to many other cathedrals with a prayer area in the middle, two side corridors and colorful rose windows decorated around. Only me and a group of several visitors inside at that time.

Unlike China with massive tomb in a large area for each Chinese emperor, I found that the tombs of French kings here, including a king of luxury and splendor like King Louis XIV, very modest. All of the French kings rested in the same cathedral with an area maybe as same as the size of a shrine in a huge majestic tomb with rivers, lakes, and mountains of a single Chinese emperor. Perhaps it is because the concept of the resting place of the kings of the two civilizations is very different.

I was extremely impressive with the magical beauty created by the rose windows of Saint Denis. The light shines through the windows and bounces off the ground and the wall in a variety of colors. This is the cathedral with the most beautiful rose window and colorful light I have ever visited.

Statue of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette, who were executed during French Revolution. Unlike other kings, after the death, King Louis XVI and his Queen were buried in the civil cemetery like other victims of the revolution. When his Bourbon family restored their reign in 20 years later, the new King ordered to search for the remains of King Louis XVI and his Queen and brough to Saint Denis. They were buried in the crypt of the cathedral.

Other tombs of the kings of France.

In the crypt of Saint Denis, there is a statue of King Louis XVIII which is placed in front of a colored window with the lily symbol of the French royal family. It looks simple but also very majestic.

Tomb of King Louis XIV, the Sun King and owner of Versailles Palace. Looks very simple compared to his super luxurious palace.

Tomb of King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVIII. These looks very simple too.

During the French Revolution, due to the close association with the royal family, Saint Denis was the target of destruction by angry people. During this time, the remains of French kings were taken out from their tombs and thrown into a large pit nearby. After the return of the royal family 20 years later, the remains of the French king were gathered in the cathedral but could not be distinguished any individuals in the mass grave. That's why when I asked the museum employee about the location of King Louis XIV's remains, she replied that "he was mixed with others".

A scary story is that when I came to the crypt below the cathedral, I stepped inside a small room with two black marble plates with a lot of names. The atmosphere in that room was very cold and I was in that room alone for a while to oversee. At first, I thought these plates are boards listing names of Kings and royal member buried here. However, after doing some google, I realized that all of remains in the mass grave outside the cathedral were gathered and put behind these black plates!! If I knew that information before, I would not stand in the room for long…

I left the crypt and finished my tour. The bright midday sun made the rose windows and reflections even more magical.