Is this the Centre des monuments nationaux's own site?

No. This is an independent guide to visiting the Royal Necropolis, researched and written separately from the monument. Its own website is saint-denis-basilique.fr.

What's the difference between the nave and the Royal Necropolis?

The nave is the part of the working cathedral that anyone can enter without a ticket. The royal necropolis, with the royal tombs in the transept, the chevet with its ambulatory and the crypt, lies beyond it and requires an entrance ticket.

Who is buried at Saint-Denis?

By the monument's own count, 40 kings and 26 queens of France, plus around 60 princes and princesses and a dozen servants of the crown, from Dagobert in 639 to Louis XVIII in 1824. Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette lie in the crypt. Many of the bodies were thrown into trenches in 1793, so for much of the line the effigies survive where the remains do not.

Why is Saint-Denis called the birthplace of Gothic architecture?

Around 1140, Abbot Suger rebuilt the east end of the church using ribbed vaults, pointed arches and large stained-glass windows together in a way historians regard as the first Gothic design. It was dedicated in 1144, and the style spread from here across northern France and beyond.

Is the spire actually being rebuilt right now?

Yes. The north tower and spire, taken down in 1846–47 after storm damage, are being rebuilt in a project whose foundation stone was laid in March 2025 and which is expected to take about five years. A visitable workshop at the foot of the building, the Fabrique de la flèche, opened in October 2025 and is closed on Mondays.

How do I get to Saint-Denis from central Paris?

Métro line 13 to Basilique de Saint-Denis station, about 100 metres from the door and roughly 20 to 25 minutes from the centre of the city. That station has no lift; the alternative is the RER D to Saint-Denis, then tram T1 or a 15-minute walk.

How long should I allow for a visit?

Most visitors allow around an hour to ninety minutes for the choir, the royal tombs, the crypt and the spire workshop, moving through at their own pace.

Does anyone get in without paying?

Under the monument's own rules, visitors under 18 are admitted to the royal necropolis without charge, as are 18-to-25-year-olds who are European Union nationals or long-term non-EU residents of France, on proof of identity. Group visits are excluded from both.

← Saint-Denis Royal Tombs Guide

Visiting the Saint-Denis royal necropolis

By Élise Fournier · Updated June 2026 · Writes about the monuments just north of Paris that most Eiffel-Tower itineraries skip past entirely.

What the choir, the tombs, the crypt and the spire workshop actually involve, and how long to set aside for each.

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Choosing when to go

Weekday mornings outside French school holidays are the calmest. The necropolis opens later on Sundays, closes on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December, and shuts at times for services; the monument's own website lists these closures in advance. The spire workshop is closed on Mondays.

Suger's choir

The architectural reason to come: ribbed vaults and pointed arches opening the walls into stained glass, dedicated in 1144 and regarded as the first Gothic design.

The royal tombs

Medieval recumbent effigies through the transept, the taller Renaissance monuments of Louis XII, François I and Henri II, and the crypt below holding Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette.

Getting there

Métro line 13 stops at Basilique de Saint-Denis, about 100 metres from the door. That station has no lift, so the RER D to Saint-Denis followed by tram T1 or a 15-minute walk is the alternative.

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