The Solo Scale:

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Do you have an interest in French history? Maybe French royals? If you said yes to either, a visit to Saint-Denis should be in your Paris plans. To reach Saint-Denis, you’re in luck. Then again, Paris has such a vast network of subways and buses that you can reach just about anywhere easily. To get to Saint-Denis, you’ll be taking the RER B to La Plaine Stade de France.

Now, two warnings to keep in mind for your visit:

First, RER B can be notorious for pickpockets because it’s also the same metro that goes to the airport. Keep your belongings close at hand and be mindful of your space. Second, you may have noticed that the stop is the Stadium. If there’s a game being played or one that just finished, the square near the church will be packed. It might be pretty dirty with litter as well. Steel yourself for the possibility that there’ll be a lot of people upon your exit from the metro.

Once you enter with your ticket (or Paris Museum Pass, as it’s an included option!), you now have free reign to explore.

What will you find?

43 kings, 32 queens, 60 princes and princesses, a dozen servants of the monarchy are buried in the old abbey of Saint-Denis since Dagobert in 639 until Louis XVIII in 1824.

The Recumbents of the Basilique

Not only will you find recumbents and graves, but you’ll also be walking through a piece of the Revolution. During this time, Revolutionaries dug up royal graves and exhumed the bodies. The anti-royal sentiment led to the bodies of France’s royals ending up in a common grave. Not even a hundred years later though, Louis XVIII had them reburied in a crypt and identified with a placard on the wall.

Apart from the crypt and the reliquaries, Saint-Denis is very much a church like you might find in any major European city. For me, the most unique part of being there is the sheer volume of aristocracy surrounding you. It’s probably one of the highest kings and queens per capita locations in Europe.

While this isn’t a full day visit, it’s a great spot when you’re in Paris, especially if you already have the Paris Museum Pass (and I strongly recommend it). For more information about your visit, you can visit the website here.

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