royal tombs in Basilica of St Denis, Paris
The main tomb seen towards the back of this picture is the elaborate funerary monument to Henri II (died 1559) and Catherine de' Medici. This was designed by Primaticcio in the style of a classical temple. Most of the sculptures are the work of Germain Pilon.
In front of it are the effigies (left-right) of Philippe V "Le Long", Jeanne d'Evreux and Charles IV "Le Bel".
St Denis is a mediaeval abbey church about 10km north of Paris, and has been the burial place of almost every French monarch since the 10th century.
The original mausoleum for St Denis (martyred in about AD 250) was built on this site in the early 4th century. A larger abbey church was then built over the mausoleum in the mid 8th century. However the current basilica was begun in the early 12th century under Abbot Suger.
royal tombs in Basilica of St Denis, Paris
The main tomb seen towards the back of this picture is the elaborate funerary monument to Henri II (died 1559) and Catherine de' Medici. This was designed by Primaticcio in the style of a classical temple. Most of the sculptures are the work of Germain Pilon.
In front of it are the effigies (left-right) of Philippe V "Le Long", Jeanne d'Evreux and Charles IV "Le Bel".
St Denis is a mediaeval abbey church about 10km north of Paris, and has been the burial place of almost every French monarch since the 10th century.
The original mausoleum for St Denis (martyred in about AD 250) was built on this site in the early 4th century. A larger abbey church was then built over the mausoleum in the mid 8th century. However the current basilica was begun in the early 12th century under Abbot Suger.