Saint Denis Basilica

1. Saint Denis Basilica

PRESENTATION BELONGS TO TOLYA
LYUBIMTSEV ISA 1 43 !!!!

2. History

Saint Dionysus
In 475, a basilica was built at the burial site of
Dionysus of Paris, and in 630, when King Dagober
wished to be buried there, the basilica was rebuilt
and became the main temple of the monastery. In
1137—1144 a monastery church was built - the first
building in the Gothic style, which had an impact on
the development of Gothic architecture in France.
Since this the basilica the basilica has become almost
like that we know it today At the beginning of the XIII
century. Louis IX the Holy ordered to transfer the
ashes of his predecessors to the basilica and create
tombstones for them. From this moment the church
served as the tomb of the French kings.
25 French kings, 10 queens and 84 princes and
princesses were buried here. Part of the western
facade, two towers and a porch belong to the
construction of Suger

3.

Saint-Denis Basilica was
plundered and closed during the French Revolution. In 1814 the
basilica was restored and the remains of kings and their families
were again buried there. Since 1815, the Institute for the
daughters and sisters of the Knights of the Legion of Honor has
been located in the building of the old abbey since 1815.
Unfortunately, in 1846, the north tower was destroyed, which
spoiled the symmetry of the facade. With the July Revolution of
1830, burials in the basilic ceased.
Saint Denis Basilica is important not only because
almost all French kings were buried in this place, but also
because of its architectural properties and the fact of the basilica
had become the starting point for the formation of the Gothic
style of architecture.

4.

• The gothic architecture of the
church of Saint-Denis has become
not just an improved example of
the Romanesque style. This was
the first attempt to develop a
new direction in architecture
based on a critical study of the
past. The prerequisites for the
emergence of a new style were
architectural innovations of the
30s of the XII century. But, it was
in the abbey of Saint-Denis, which
played a special role in the fate of
the French kings, and was headed
by the educated and energetic
abbot Sugherii, who was able to
gain the practice necessary for
the further formation and
development of the Gothic style.

5. The plan

• Suger did not rebuild the entire church at once. At first, he took up the
renovation of the western (monumental western facade of the church,
perpendicular to the main nave). Despite the fact that in the 18th19th centuries this part of the building was badly damaged (the north
tower had to be demolished after an unsuccessful reconstruction
attempt), the spirit of a new undertaking undertaken in the 30s of the
12th century is still alive in its outlines. In plan, the westwalk has a
depth of two spans and a width of three spans. Three new portals
made it easier for parishioners to access the old church, and masked
several chapels located on the upper tiers, the outer walls of which
previously too protruded beyond the plane of the wall.
The plan

6.

This updated facade, the narthex (an annex in
front of the temple entrance) of which is
equipped with groups of massive columns and a
new type of vault with intersecting ribs, gives the
impression from the outside that its architectural
design, for the man of that time, had significant
symbolism.
Thanks to the battlements crowning the facade,
the rhythm and plastic of which are emphasized
by powerful buttresses, the entire building looks
like a triumphal gate, or an impregnable castle. It
reflected the secular power of the abbot of SaintDenis and the ambitions of the monarchy, which
was gaining strength.

7.

Suger together used the Burgundy lancet
arch and the Norman rib arch. The choir
of the renovated church equally shocked
the imagination of both a simple
parishioner and an abbot. Also the
basilica has a rich stained glass decoration

8. Tomb of Charles I of Anjou.

Tomb of Levon
VI de Lusignan
Tomb of Karl
Martell.
Tomb of Henry II and his
wife Catherine de Medici