Visir Paris off the beaten path
Basilica of St Denis

A Merovingian aristocratic necropolis

Pair of fragmented Documentation on pieces found in the necropolis comes, for the most part, from research carried out by Édouard Salin and Michel Fleury.

The bodies of the Merovingian aristocrats were laid in costly stone sarcophagus, decorated with crosses, a testimony of the success of christianism in the Merovingian era. The deceased - mainly women - were buried clad in lavish costumes decorated with golden embroidered braid trim, jewellery and gold and silver costume accessories. The jewels of Saint-Denis are particularly representative of the fervour of Frankish aristocracy for red garnets. Recent laboratory work has revealed that these precious stones came from India and Ceylon.

Nordic wildlife style, introduced into the Merovingian era during the 6th century, was also well represented in Saint-Denis. It was found on weapons or jewels reserved for the Frankish elite. Within the sacred universe of a basilica such as Saint-Denis, this iconography corresponded more to social expression, indeed political, of this minority of Germanic descent than to a survival of pagan beliefs.

Buckle-plate with zoomorphic motifs

Buckle-plate with zoomorphic motifs (towards 600) ; tomb 9 excavations by M.Fleury. Preserved in the National Antiquities museum © J.G.Berizzi - RMN.



Book your guided tour

Paris's famous covered and secret passages
Paris's famous covered and secret passages
Wednesday 25th June 2025 (and 19 other dates)
50 €

Street art cruise on the Canal de l'Ourcq
Street art cruise on the Canal de l'Ourcq
Friday 4th July 2025
25 €

100% electric cruise on the Canal Saint-Martin departing from Quai de Valmy
100% electric cruise on the Canal Saint-Martin departing from Quai de Valmy
Sunday 22nd June 2025 (and 20 other dates)
23 €

 
Site par ID-Alizés