Paris, Day 3

Day 3 in Paris we visited the Basilica of Saint Denis who is one of the patrons of France. It's one of my favorite churches in Paris. It's actually just outside of Paris proper, on the second-to-last stop on one of the metro lines. 

Riding the Metro* for the fist time.

Basilique de Saint Denis

What is special about the Basilica of Saint Denis? (From the website:)

"The final resting place of the kings and queens of France. Built on the grave of Saint Denis, a Bishop of Paris who died in 250 AD, the royal abbey of Saint-Denis was, from the death of King Dagobert in 639 AD until the 19th century, the burial place of 43 kings, 32 queens and 10 servants to the monarchy. The basilica was raised to the rank of cathedral in 1966.

A museum of sculpture. Featuring over 70 recumbent statues and monumental tombs from the Renaissance, the basilica contains within its walls the largest collection of funerary sculpture from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

The birth of Gothic art.The church, designed by Abbot Suger, kings' advisor from 1135 to 1144, was completed in the 13th century during the reign of Saint Louis. A major work of Gothic art, this church was the first to place a great importance on light, a symbol of divinity, in religious architecture.

In the 9th century, 600 years after the death of the saint, the abbot of Saint-Denis, Hilduin, established what can be called the legend of Saint Denis. According to this account he was beheaded on the Butte Montmartre, the Mount of Martyrs, from where he carried his head in his hands right up to the current location of the basilica. This text helped to considerably increase the prestige of the Dionysian abbey. The episode of the cephalophore contributes notably to the spiritual edification of Christians by the pastoral sense it can take."

"The coloured glass, a very rare commodity in the Middle Ages, is magnified. Saint Bernard compared it to the Virgin Mary. Light passes through it without destroying it, just as the Virgin gave life to Jesus while remaining pure. This comparison demonstrates the interest in stained-glass windows. Its role in theological education aimed at a largely illiterate population combines with the spiritual wonderment created by thousands of small patches of coloured light. Together, the stained-glass windows contrive to give the building the image of a fabulous city that likens it to the heavenly Jerusalem."

Saint Denis became the burial place for the kings of France. This is a picture of the crypt.

More royal sarcophagi

Next stop: Ile de la Cite!*

Parisian vistas along the Seine, approaching Ile de la Cite.

La Sainte Chapelle

"A gem of Gothic style. Built in seven years, an impressive feat, the Sainte Chapelle was intended to house precious Christian relics, including Christ's crown of thorns, acquired by Saint Louis. 

Religious and political influence. Having these sacred relics in his possession made the already powerful monarch head of western Christianity.

Stunning stained glass. Arranged across 15 windows, each 15 metres high, the stained glass panes depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris."

Notre Dame de Paris. It is surrounded by a barrier, so it's not possible to even get very close to it, let alone visit it.

Crepe* shop on wheels near Notre Dame. Most of the kids decided to buy themselves a crepe.

Nutella and Banana crepe. 

Beurre et sucre crepe.

Nutella and bananas again.

And more nutella and bananas!

*(Please excuse me, on my laptop keyboard, I do not know how to readily add accents to French words that ought to have them.)