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Charlemagne
Basilica of Saint Denis
Guided Tour
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Brief history of the basilica
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Legend: France's patron saint‑ Denis was sent to convert the
inhabitants
of
Paris to
christianity but he was beheaded by the Romans on the hill at
Montmartre.
After he was decapitated he picked up his head and carried it 4
miles. Later
King Dagobert founded an abbey on the site of his tomb in the 7th
century. |
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Abbot
Suger is the one who rebuilt the basilica. He was running the
country whilst the king Louis VII was off fighting in the
crusades. The basilica (church) was constructed around what was
already
there‑ including the chapel that had been built over the saint's
grave in the 5"' century. |
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Why
is it so famous?
Almost every French king since 996 A.D. has been buried there. The
dead have been honoured with sculptures made out of marble. Inside
we can see these sculptures which were made from the 12" to
16" centuries. These became more and more
extravagant as time went on‑ they should look out for the tomb of
Henry II and Catherine de Medicis. There is nothing in these tombs
however, as they were ransacked and the bones thrown away during
the French
revolution by the mob. |
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The design as it is the first example of a church with gothic
elements. The students should look out for the following
(i) The design is based on biblical command `let there be light'
and inside there is a preoccupation with light, more unified space
and larger openings. Inside it is much brighter than your typical
medieval cathedral. The design allowed for the use of stained
glass windows with colours red and blue.
(ii) the rose window which was the first of its kind
(iii) use of structural innovations
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cross rib vaults and flying
buttresses to create space.
Stress that Suger's church transformed western architecture :
gothic elements can best be seen in the chancel and ambulatory
with its famous stained glass windows. |
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The
Open Door Web Site
