Basilica of Saint-Denis
The Basilica of Saint-Denis (French: Basilique de Saint-Denis) is an abbey church located in Saint-Denis, France. As the first Gothic building, the basilica provided an architectural model for cathedrals and abbeys of northern France, England and other countries.
History
The basilica began as a church housing the relics of its patron saint in 475, built on top of the remains of a cemetery. It was also the burial site of the French monarchs for many centuries, leading it to be referred as the "royal necropolis of France".
In 1135, the construction was redesigned and expanded by the abbot Suger, an influential counselor to the kings and the foremost historian of his time. His restauration of the basilica, which was inspired by the architecture he had witnessed in the Saint-Denis Temple, transformed it into the first Gothic church, though Suger did not live to see the project completed.
In 1793, anti-royalist revolutionaries desecrated the royal necropolis under orders of the National Convention. They destroyed graves, unearthed valuables and tossed the bodies of the kings into the streets; citizens of the time were traumatized to see figures who had been considered divine violated to such a degree.
In August 1794, Arno Dorian traversed the catacombs beneath the basilica, in order to locate a mysterious artifact sought by tomb raiders in the employ of Napoleon Bonaparte.