St-Denis, Wednesday, 25 November

St-Denis is on the end of Metro line 13, just outside the 18eme Arondissment and very easy to get to. It is 20 minutes by direct line from the Place de Clichy. It is a "bedroom" suburb of Paris and many of those who work in Paris live in St-Denis. It is also a university area, so the traffic to and fro on the Metro is extremely heavy and there are many delays and much frustration.

For more than twelve centuries, it was the burial place of France's kings. St-Denis itself is an area of mixed population and mixed architecture. Some of the buildings in the older sections of the town are very traditional while in the newer areas, largely inhabited by migrants, there are some awful examples of "modern" architecture. That from the 1970s and 80s is particularly hideous. The main attraction here, however, is the Basilique de St-Denis where, with rare exceptions, all of France's kings and queens, from Dagobert (r. 629-39) to Louis XVIII (r. 1814-24) are buried.

The Basilica, with its single tower, was begun around 1136 and is the earliest example of the Gothic style. It served as a model for a number of 12th century French Cathedrals, including the one at Chartres. Much of what is seen there is the rebuilding begun under Napoleon as the Basilica was devastated during the revolution and the reign of terror. The oldest tombs date from the early 13th century. Those in the crypt are decorated with life-sized figures of the deceased. Some of the funerary sculpture is quite remarkable and constitutes one of Europe's most important collections.

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette at Prayer

The Basilica is named after the patron saint of France, St Denis (also known as Dionysius of Paris) who introduced Christianity to Paris and was beheaded by the Romans - in Montmartre - for his pains. The story goes that he took his head under his arm and walked to where the Basilica is now located. He makes an appearance on the wonderful carved west portal of Notre Dame. Just look for the saint with his head under his arm!

One thing we noticed both when we stopped for lunch at a local brassierie and when we walked through an older section of the town, was the difference in prices between St-Denis and Paris. At lunch the price was about half of what we would pay in Paris and there was a significant difference in the cost of clothing and other goods with St-Denis running from one-half to about two-thirds the price for equivalent goods in the city.