French Royalists

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I was fascinated listening to this story about a group of people in France hell bent on returning to a monarchy:www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=123012611&m=123012633

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That is such a minor lunatic fringe that nothing that they do even makes it to the French news. However, I cannot applaud the reporting of NPR if they call the city of Saint Denis a "gritty immigrant suburb." "Working class suburb" or "industrial suburb" would have been more accurate for this city of over 100,000.

The basilica of Saint Denis is lucky to still be there since much of the city was destroyed by American bombs in 1944.

[lagatta]

I couldn't listen to the report, but that is a bit ludicrous - St-Denis is large enough that its neighbourhoods are quite varied. It does have some "gritty" HLMs and crappy areas, but one could certainly do worse than living near the basilica in the town centre - though as kerouac reminds me métro line 13 is very overburdened - there is also an RER train that passes by the huge Stade de France, and other than the stadium, St-Denis also has a university. Not all French universities are very welcome to "adult students" - St-Denis distinguishes itself in that regard. It also has a beautiful covered market. fr.topic-topos.com/halle-du-marche-de-saint-denis-saint-denis

Are the royalists holding some kind of ceremony at Basilique St-Denis, where the kings were crowned?

St-Denis is just far enough north from old central Paris for a nice long ceremonial procession.

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Are the royalists holding some kind of ceremony at Basilique St-Denis, where the kings were crowned?

Pépin le Bref was the only king to be crowned in Saint Denis (in 754). The kings of France were crowned in Reims.

[lagatta]

Thanks for the correction - bad memory. Buried there, not crowned. Of course crowned in Reims.

Still, a nice day's walk from central Paris.

[bjd]

Isn't it sometime at the end of January that monarchists commemorate the execution of Louis XVI? It's true that they are such a small group that you never hear anything about them. Maybe that's what made the NPR do a story.

Here is a photo of the basilica in St Denis


When I went there a couple of years ago, I didn't see the covered market but there was a really colourful market just near the subway exit.