The Final Day in France

The third and final day that Alex and I were in Paris, we packed in another full day, trying to get as much in as possible. After waking up we caught the metro line up to Saint-Denis and the basilica there. This basilica is famous as the final resting place for most of the French monarchs and sits on the sight where the patron saint of France (Saint Denis) was laid to rest. After a full morning of touring the abbey and the church, we returned to the center of the city for one last Parisian meal. After lunch, we went to the National Residence of the Invalids-- a large complex that was originally built to house and care for veterans of Frances wars, but now serves as home to the French Military Museum and the mausoleum of Napoleon Bonaparte. After touring this museum complex for the afternoon, we had to rush to catch our bus back to the airport, picking up some baguettes as a quick and cheap substitute for dinner. Safely making it back to Ireland and the O'Deas, I saw Alex off the next morning as he flew on from Dublin. It was a great trip to France, Paris is quite the city and I really enjoyed seeing some of the highlights there for a few days. 

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The Basilica of Saint Denis

The basilica and abbey at Saint-Denis has served the royalty of France as a mass mausoleum since the time of Dagobert I, when this Merovingian king of the Franks was buried there in 639 A.D. Since that time, the vast majority of French monarchs and their spouses have been interred at Saint-Denis.

Tomb of Dagobert I

The monarchs interred at Saint Denis are held in beautiful cadaver-tombs, with their effigies represented on the stone lids of these sarcophagi. 

King Louis the Sixteenth and his queen, Mary Antoinette, were not initially buried at Saint Denis after their execution by the French revolutionaries, but their remains were eventually gathered and re-interred in the basilica with the rest of the monarchs.

Louis XVI and Mary Antoinette

The history of Saint Denis, however, goes back further than the royal necropolis there. Denis, the patron saint of France, supposedly chose this spot for his own burial site. As the legend goes, he was the Bishop of Paris around 250 A.D. Angering the pagans in Paris at the time, he was seized and beheaded on the hill of Montmartre. After his decapitation, however, his body reached down and picked up his head. He carried it in his hands to the site that would become Saint Denis, where he finally collapsed and died. The head and heart of this patron saint are said to be held in the high alter of the church, while his body lies below its foundation. 

The High Altar of Saint Denis

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The Residence of the Invalids and the National Military Museum

The National Military Museum of France, located in the old veterans' hospital and resident complex, displays many artifacts and weaponry from France's glorious military tradition, dating from the Middle Ages, through the Bourbon Era, the Napoleonic Wars, French Imperialism, and the World Wars. It was very neat, I really enjoyed it, and saw some very great stuff in there, including many of Napoleon's personal effects.

Above: Several of Napoleon's uniforms from his various campaigns, Napoleon's 

swords, and his own telescope. The grey coat and hat in the center were worn

by Napoleon during his great defeat at Waterloo. 

Chapel altar (right)

Tomb of Ferdinand Foch (left)

The Chapel at Invalids is also the final resting place of many of France's most famous generals, including Ferdinand Foch of World War One fame, Turenne the Sun King's lead man, and Vauban, the famous defense strategist. The chapel also houses the Bonaparte brothers, Joseph and Jerome. Their more famous brother's tomb is located in the center of the building.

Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte