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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 7, 2020 15:36:20 GMT
I finally decided that the time had finally come. I have been inside the basilica a number of times over the years, but I had never wanted to spring for the ticket price to see a bunch of old tombs in the crypt. I think that the first time that I turned back at the idea of paying, the cost of a ticket was 5 francs (0.76 euros). But today I shelled out 9.50 euros. Anyway, the basilica is a lovely place, even though it is lopsided. It had scaffolding on it for about the past 10 years while they cleaned and restored the statuary, but that is all finally finished and it is bright and shiny. Of course there is that annoying missing tower, which is a shame. One of the towers was dismantled in 1846 after a terrible storm and the risk that the whole thing would collapse. It had stood up since 1219, but you can't be too careful. (I am almost a bit surprised that they worried about such things in 1846.) 
 Ever since then, they have wanted to rebuild it, but apparently it costs money, so the project was abandoned every time until 1987. But the city of Saint Denis has always been a bit peeved that their basilica, which is just about as old as Notre Dame and quite splendid in its own right only gets 150,000 visits a year while Notre Dame was having 14 million visitors. But not everybody was in favour of the project since there is that silly idea that things that were a certain way in 1850 should never be changed again (are you listening, Notre Dame?). The commission of historical monuments was still voting against the idea of a reconstructed tower as late as 2016, but it was overruled by two successive ministers of culture, and work was supposed to start in 2019, except that it didn't. The cost of the project is estimated at 28 million euros -- we know that that means at least 50 million and maybe even 100 million, but shhhh! Don't tell anyone. I think it really will happen sooner or later but when?
You could certainly examine all of the sculptures on the façade for hours if you had nothing better to do.
Time to go inside, but I had to use the door on the left rather than the central one.
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Post by htmb on Sept 7, 2020 16:28:32 GMT
I’m so very happy to see the beginning of this report. In all the years I’ve been visiting Paris, I have never been any closer to the basilica than the nearby tram line. I hope to go one day, and expect this report will be a great planning resource!
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 7, 2020 16:34:09 GMT
First of all, everybody needs to be more observant. The door that I photographed was the door in the right side and not at all the central door (which was ugly for some reason).
Another thing to notice is how those sculpted figures on the front look brand new, which they probably are. I am impressed at the quality of the imitation, because I have seen plenty old cathedrals where the statues are so worn away that you can't even recognise them anymore.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 7, 2020 16:42:39 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 7, 2020 17:02:08 GMT
After walking around the main areas of the basilica (which I had already seen in the past), it was time to use my ticket. Online tickets are now obligatory for just about everywhere, even though that is a total fiction. All of the various ticket desks are still open as they always have been, and it was the same here. Unfortunately, my online ticket, which I bought this morning, was not valid for some unknown reason. Scanned one time, two times, three times... something wrong. This was of course not a real problem, so they let me in and just asked if they could keep my printout to examine the problem. As the one and only visitor at that time of day, I will admit that I might have been just slightly peeved if they had turned me away. |
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Post by lagatta on Sept 7, 2020 17:17:54 GMT
I visited that a couple of decades ago, and also the local historical museum, which is of course as working-class in subject matter as the Basilica is regal. I liked that area of St-Denis (I was also visiting the university there to check out the history programs). I know some areas of the city are rough, but it was just pleasantly "monde ordinaire" in the parts I saw.
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Post by whatagain on Sept 7, 2020 18:49:30 GMT
It is not berthe with big feet but berthe with big foot.
Maybe she only had one foot... or she had one malformed.
Is the heart of ghe Dauphin still on display somewhere ? I didnt like that.
Great pics as always, it reminded me if my last visit.
I paid for ghe crypt...
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 7, 2020 21:29:03 GMT
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 8, 2020 1:01:09 GMT
As you probably know, anything medieval is as meat and drink to me, so this is a real treat. Another thing to notice is how those sculpted figures on the front look brand new, which they probably are. I am impressed at the quality of the imitation, because I have seen plenty old cathedrals where the statues are so worn away that you can't even recognise them anymore. When I made my report on St. Trophime in Arles, Mossie commented on how crisp the exterior carvings were. That prompted me to go look up a photograph taken before that church was cleaned and renovated. To my surprise, the only difference in the "before" picture was that the statues were dirty, but in quite good condition. Looking at your first picture of St. Denis, I note that the sun is behind the church. Knowing you, I'm assuming you visited in the morning, which would mean the carvings face west. Is it possible that through the centuries most bad weather came from a different direction and didn't damage the carvings? n the centre of the crypt there was just a jumble of empty tombs, probably left over from when it was all destroyed during the Revolution. Do you suppose any of that statuary wound up in the Pierrefonds crypt? |
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 8, 2020 5:27:50 GMT
Do you suppose any of that statuary wound up in the Pierrefonds crypt? Quite a few of the things in the crypt at Pierrefonds are copies of things in the basilica in Saint Denis. |
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 8, 2020 5:33:36 GMT
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 8, 2020 5:40:58 GMT
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Post by onlyMark on Sept 8, 2020 6:42:03 GMT
Reply 3, 5th photo of gauntlets - apparently thumbs weren't an issue.
Reply 4, 10th photo - mullets were even in fashion then as well.
Superb statues.
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Post by lugg on Sept 8, 2020 11:49:11 GMT
Fascinating report K2 and fabulous photographs, I especially like the detailed ones and the reflected light images are lovely . . I have just spent some time working out the ages of people when they died and became intrigued about the cause of Isabelle of Aragon's death at such a young age. Apparently her life changed its course as her father had decreed in his will that should become a nun, but instead she became Queen. it seems that she died as a result of a fall from a horse when she was pregnant , her child died too. She died far from home so the medieval process of Mos Teutonicus was used to transfer her skeleton back to France for buriel.
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Post by htmb on Sept 8, 2020 13:15:13 GMT
Kerouac, your stained glass photographs are really impressive. Mine always seem to be washed out, but your colors are rich and vibrant.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 8, 2020 13:51:38 GMT
You have to really zoom in on them to get the colour back.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 8, 2020 16:50:45 GMT
I wander down memory lane…..the last shot is of the restaurant we enjoyed lunch at. I know exactly what I had. Simply because I had never had green beans (out of a tin) in such magnitude with my Entrecôte sauté` Chasseur and fries. I loved every mouthful because I was visiting somewhere new in"Paris".
My second visit was with my husband. We encountered the market first and bought a shitload of kitchen towels. So good we are still using them. This time same restaurant , same order for me, and a burger for monsieur. It bucketed down with rain so badly the muslims waiting to leave mosque were saturated running for cover.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 8, 2020 19:56:15 GMT
Tod, were you in Saint-Denis? Not many tourists get there; of course the Stade de France is a draw though, and le Marché aux puces de St-Ouen isn't far away.
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Post by tod2 on Sept 9, 2020 16:40:23 GMT
Lagatta, do you mean did we go the the BASILLICA? Yes twice. it is a bit of a walk if you go through the Market Day first.
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ssander
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At the Belleville Arts Open Doors in Paris in 2007
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Post by ssander on Sept 22, 2020 23:19:56 GMT
K...
Love your photos. This is my absolute favorite church in Paris. On a sunny day, with the light coming through the stained glass, it's the most mystical place in the city...better than Notre Dame or Sainte-Chapelle. And it's never jammed with tourists, a real hidden gem. Last time we were there, there were fewer five or six other people there the entire time.
You mentioned the cost. Last visit, there was some problem with their internet charge card system, so we got into the crypt free. (But we've always been happy to pay to see that great slice of history.)
And to see the tomb of Charles "The Hammer" Martel and Pepin the Short...wow! I'm not expert on French history, but I have read enough to love walking among those tombs.
My wife and I are stuck here in the US, all our 2020 travel plans in ruins. But I have vowed to her that -- assuming we have a vaccine by summer -- we're headed to Paris in the fall. (Last time there was May, 2019.)
SS
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ssander
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At the Belleville Arts Open Doors in Paris in 2007
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Post by ssander on Sept 22, 2020 23:27:26 GMT
My photo of the rose window from 2019.  |
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Post by tod2 on Sept 23, 2020 7:07:19 GMT
What a perfect photo ssander! I still think Saint-Chapelle beats them all, maybe by the narrowest of margins, but as we climbed those narrow stone twisty stairs and our heads bobbed up to floor level, the wonder of the Royal Chapel took our breath away.
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Post by bixaorellana on Sept 24, 2020 4:00:36 GMT
Finally getting back to this gorgeous thread. Absolutely love the light making the stained glass tint the columns. Also, your window photos are SO clear, crisp, and have such true color.
I see what you mean about how confusing the plaques are in pinpointing which plaque goes with which figure. Still, it's an impressive feat of identification considering what might have been lost during the revolution.
Re: French history ~ I remember this ditty from high school, although any history or further information about it is gone from my head forever --
Charles Martel defeated the Moors
at the Battle of Tours
in 732.
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ssander
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At the Belleville Arts Open Doors in Paris in 2007
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Post by ssander on Sept 24, 2020 12:38:16 GMT
Tod2
Your point is well taken...The windows in Saint-Chapelle are the best anywhere...but -- at least the times we've been there -- it's a madhouse. Saint-Denis is a real house of worship as well as a house of history. (...and I'm not even Catholic).
The only time Saint-Chapelle was not jammed, was once, as we approached it on the 96 bus, we saw no line in the street. We jumped off the bus immediately, and managed to get a more relaxed visit.
ss
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 24, 2020 14:50:50 GMT
The Sainte-Chapelle is too small to be considered in the same league as cathedrals and basilicas. As magnificent as it is, I wonder if as many people would visit it if it were not in the dead centre of Paris. Maybe they should move it to Saint Denis.  |
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Post by tod2 on Sept 25, 2020 6:53:56 GMT
Maybe! But I saw the unbelievable crowds lining up a few days ago, (23rd Sept. actually,) to visit St-Chapelle. In all the times I've been to Paris and walked past the Prefecture of Police, there is always a steady stream waiting to go in but I think the bag searching causes a bit of a slow line - However, I have never seen crowds waiting like now. I'm thinking it could, be so many in - and so many out, so as not to have too many people inside all at once.
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Post by kerouac2 on Sept 25, 2020 10:00:21 GMT
Obviously occupancy is limited everywhere now.
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