St. Denis 

 
Saint Denis is the patron saint of France and possibly, the first bishop of Paris. Originally, a simple shrine was set up at his burial place.

King Dagobert I of the Franks, reigned from 628 - 637, and founded the Saint Denis Abbey, attached to a Benedictine monastery.

The cathedral’s construction began in 1136 by Abbot Suger and wasn’t completed until the end of the 13th century.  The structure was built in the Gothic style and still stands today.

The Saint Denis Abbey was the burial site of the French kings for centuries and has been referred to as the "royal necropolis of France."  All but three French monarchs from the 10th century through 1789 have their remains here.

The church was reopened by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806, but the noble remains were left in their mass graves.  Succeeding Napoleon's first exile to Elba, the Bourbons temporarily returned to power.  They ordered a search for the bodies of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.  The bodies were found on January 21, 1815 and brought to St. Denis to be buried in the crypt.