For Cathedral Lovers

Is this the one?
https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-cathedral.html
There is so much wonderful content online for all types of interests - professional, history/ classics, art, languages, etc.

Agnes, yes. Dr. Cook is outstanding and his deep knowledge of the Bible is really helpful.

Thank you for sharing this!

I have been a fan of the Great Courses program since the 90s. What a tremendous business!

We first visited Paris in 1983 and I asked some local Parisians about visiting St. Denis. I was warned not to go in the area because it was somewhat dangerous. Also, a cab driver said that he would not go there.

We visited St. Denis twice, in March 2010 and December 2015. The neighborhood has many immigrants, many if not most were Arab and/or Muslim. We took the metro and didn't find the area threatening. St. Denis is so historic, beautiful and interesting. It's well worth the visit.

We did visit St Denis and did not find it anymore impressive than others-worth a quick visit maybe. But we walked a short distance and it was very seedy and we did not feel comfortable in that area, The metro stop is very near St Denis so it is easy for a quick look.

What Carol said. The Basilica Saint-Denis is absolutely incredible. We spent a lovely afternoon seeing it and walking the town. Be sure to see the crypt.

http://www.saint-denis-basilique.fr/en/

edit: here's my photos from Saint-Denis (it's just Smugmug and it won't eat your computer ;-) )

https://thecedarchest.smugmug.com/Paris-2014-Saint-Denis/

I took the metro to St. Denis in early June 2012. I walked past what appeared to be a wedding going on at or in front of one of the big buildings in the square in front of the basilica. Other than that, there wasn't a lot of street activity.

The area didn't feel scary or seedy to me. In fact, it seemed a little desolate and uninhabited. Looking at the map today, there are many more restaurants and stores than back then. What a positive difference 8 years can make.

Unedited from the website linked above, these are the reasons why I went:

"HISTORY OF THE MONUMENT

The final resting place of the kings and queens of France. Built on the grave of Saint Denis, a Bishop of Paris who died in 250 AD, the royal abbey of Saint-Denis was, from the death of King Dagobert in 639 AD until the 19th century, the burial place of 43 kings, 32 queens and 10 servants to the monarchy. The basilica was raised to the rank of cathedral in 1966.

A museum of sculpture. Featuring over 70 recumbent statues and monumental tombs from the Renaissance, the basilica contains within its walls the largest collection of funerary sculpture from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

The birth of Gothic art. The church, designed by Abbot Suger, kings' advisor from 1135 to 1144, was completed in the 13th century during the reign of Saint Louis. A major work of Gothic art, this church was the first to place a great importance on light, a symbol of divinity, in religious architecture."

And that's why I went. The beginning of soaring Gothic architecture, astonishing stained glass and significant history as the burial place for French kings and queens along with some of their servants from the 7th to the 19th century.

Dave, thanks for the photos. It looks quiet and uncrowded-at least until people read this thread!

I'm in the group who found St. Denis awesome, for all the reasons listed in the other positive posts. Like Lo, when I was there the first time, I found it quiet and nearly deserted. My fellow traveler and I were the only ones there that day. It was quite eerie in the silent presence of the Kings and Queens of France. For later visits, we enjoyed a slightly busier vibe but It never felt seedy or the least bit scary. On subsequent visits, there were more cafes and places to enjoy a drink outside and watch the parade of those out and about. It is an easy Metro ride from Paris.

Going to St. Denis was number 1 on my list of things to see/do in Paris when my wife and I went in September 2017. Why numero uno you may ask? Simple ... that's my first name (even spelled the correct way, with one N ... none of this 2 N stuff) so he's my patron saint ... to protect, guide and be my heavenly intercessor. Carried his head six miles from Montmartre (where he was killed) to the spot where his Basilica (the resting place of French kings) would later be built. His head preached the whole way there ... freaking awesome ... how could you not like a dude like that!

Took the metro there early one Sunday morning, walked around the immediate area, went to Mass, toured the Basilica ... never felt uncomfortable. Nice little coffee shop in front. Was a nice way to end our trip. And I bought a keychain with St. Denis holding his head that I use to carry my car keys, house keys, etc... Reminds me that someone's watching over me.

I forgot to mention that when we were there shortly before Christmas there was a market in front of the church selling oysters and other shellfish from Brittany. There were long tables set up and people were enjoying themselves. We had some oysters at a table shared with people from the area. The oysters were great and we had a good time!

Great post and pictures- I had forgotten I wanted to go there.

St-Denis was one of the highlights of my third trip to Paris, eleven years ago. I remember the neighborhood as busier and less attractive than most parts of central Paris, with more darker-skinned people, but it didn't seem unsafe. An easy Metro ride and short walk as I recall. And a great lesson in history and architecture. I'll have to check out the course.

I enjoyed St. Denis. French aristocracy were dying to get in there.

The neighborhood? Well, it's definitely recent immigrants but I never felt I was going to be attacked. I've been in neighborhoods in DC where I couldn't say that. Seattle too for that matter (not just recently).

Just a note on St. Denis and Reims. There have been a number of negatives about both places, but on our latest trip to France, in 2017, I made it a point to visit both the Cathedral of St. Denis, Paris, and the Cathedral in Reims. One is where the French kings were crowned, and the other is where they were interred. So many centuries of history are recalled when setting foot in these two churches. The breadth and depth of French history that these churches bookend can take your breath away. Granted, the area of St. Denis is not "lovely." It is a neighborhood with many immigrants. Having lived in the Los Angeles area for almost 60 years, I can say that I have always been tickled pink that I could avail myself of cuisine from everywhere in the world, and enjoy at least some of the culture and lifestyle of countries I may never get to visit. And Reims, well, we cannot expect cities in Europe to remain medieval just so we can take pictures of the narrow streets with timbered homes. If they modernize, we complain that the "mood" is spoiled. If they retain their old charm, we complain that they are too touristy and Disneyfied. Reims is a big city with a population that lives in the 21st century, as we do. Give them a break.

Yes, I love the charm and beauty of Europe and its churches, castles and towns, and I don't want Europe to look like New York, L.A. or Omaha, but people live there, and we can't expect them to live the life that only benefits our tourist's expectations and presumptions.
Reims can be a good place to visit, as can the St. Denis area. Open your minds and hearts to a bigger variety of experiences in Europe.

This NYT article put St Denis on my radar (I hate crowds!) :

Paris on Foot: 35 Miles, 6 Days and One Blistered Toe
A journey around the perimeter of Paris, exploring neighborhoods well off the tourist-beaten path, revealed a city at once familiar and yet startlingly new.

quote:
[I] emerged onto the vast parvis of the Basilique Cathédrale de Saint-Denis.

Inside, I explored the church’s magnificently creepy necropolis, which houses the crypts of France’s kings dating back to Dagobert I in the seventh century. I found being surrounded by the sarcophogi of hundreds of dead monarchs to be exponentially more interesting than my visits to Paris’s more renowned basilica, Sacré Coeur, which receives 10.5 million visitors a year in comparison to Saint-Denis’s mere 134,000. To wit: I was able to enjoy several uninterrupted minutes in the presence of a child-king’s shriveled heart, so close my breath was fogging the vitrine.

Just a note - my library doesn’t appear to have a Great Courses subscription but I am watching Great Tours England, Scotland and Wales from Amazon Prime right now. Available free till Aug. 1.

I bought the Cathedrals course on sale last week for about $35. Absolutely worth it.