France - Paris, St Denis Basilica Cathedral

The misericords, which date from between 1508 and 1517, seem to have been brought at a later date form La chapelle du chateau de Gaillon. The complete stalls are each “organic” masterpieces, If there’s a flat surface it is decorated with either relief carvings, paintings or marquetry, even the guide channels for the main seat show pictures. The misericords are of particularly fine quality carving - overall the misericords and stalls are breathtaking!

www.misericords.co.uk/st_denis.html

Country: France
Site: Paris, St Denis Basilica Cathedral
Sequence:
Subject:
Date: 1508 and 1517

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Basilica of Saint-Denis

The Basilica of Saint-Denis (French: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, now formally known as the Basilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis,) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the city of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and architecturally as its choir, completed in 1144, was one of the first structures to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture.

The site originated as a Gallo-Roman cemetery in late Roman times. The archaeological remains still lie beneath the cathedral; the people buried there seem to have had a faith that was a mix of Christian and pre-Christian beliefs and practices. Around 475 St. Genevieve purchased some land and built Saint-Denys de la Chapelle. In 636 on the orders of Dagobert I the relics of Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, were reinterred in the basilica. The relics of St-Denis, which had been transferred to the parish church of the town in 1795, were brought back again to the abbey in 1819.

The basilica became a place of pilgrimage and the burial place of the French Kings with nearly every king from the 10th to the 18th centuries being buried there, as well as many from previous centuries. (It was not used for the coronations of kings, that function being reserved for the Cathedral of Reims; however, French Queens were commonly crowned there.) "Saint-Denis" soon became the abbey church of a growing monastic complex.

In the 12th century, the Abbot Suger rebuilt portions of the abbey church using innovative structural and decorative features. In doing so, he is said to have created the first truly Gothic building. The basilica's 13th-century nave is the prototype for the Rayonnant Gothic style, and provided an architectural model for many medieval cathedrals and abbeys of northern France, Germany, England and a great many other countries.

The abbey church became a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy. Although known as the "Basilica of St Denis", the cathedral has not been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Vatican.

The 86-metre (282-foot) tall spire, dismantled in the 19th century, is to be rebuilt. The project, initiated more than 30 years ago, was to have begun in May 2020, and is expected to take about 11 years at a cost of about €28 million.

Background

Saint Denis, a patron saint of France, became the first bishop of Paris. He was decapitated on the hill of Montmartre in the mid-third century with two of his followers, and is said to have subsequently carried his head to the site of the current church, indicating where he wanted to be buried. A martyrium was erected on the site of his grave, which became a famous place of pilgrimage during the fifth and sixth centuries.

More detail can be found here:-

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilica_of_St_Denis

Taken on: June 28, 2008

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St Denis Basilica Cathedral

Choir Stalls

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Sets appears in: • France - Paris, St Denis Basilica Cathedral • France - Paris - St Denis Basilica Cathedral - Choir Stalls

Camera: Panasonic DMC-TZ5, f/4.2, 1/30 sec, 8.5mm, ISO 640 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Panasonic DMC-TZ5
Aperture:	f/4.2
Exposure Time:	0.033 sec (1/30)
Focal Length:	8.5mm
ISO:	640
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Fired
Exposure Program:	Program AE
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
Light Source:	Flash
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	iPhoto 9.6.1
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