Tombs at St. Denis

Today's outing with Liz from the Isle of Skye, our current guest, was to the Basilica of St. Denis, which houses the tombs (or at least the tomb images) of France's royalty since around the 8th century. It is a huge cathedral, with the main part of the nave (in the rear of this image) open for worship, and the entire area around the transept and the chorus containing the tombs (entry with a fee).

The funeral images (gisants in French) in the immediate foreground are the oldest; the two closest are of Pépin le Bref (714-768) and (to his left) his wife Berthe (723-783). There is an extensive crypt directly below, with marvelous capitals. Pépin appears to have been the first true monarch of France--his Wiki article (in English!) is interesting and extensive.

Such a sprawling edifice is impossible to fully capture in one image--I hope this at least suggest the fascination of it. Unfortunately it was absolutely frigid inside (perhaps 6°C outside), though mostly sunny. Try it large.