Relation to the Kings

The original crypt located within the Basilica of St-Denis. On the main level are effigies to stand in for the tombs of those buried in the cathedral.

Dagobert I (603-639) was the last of the Merovingian kings, and the first Frankish king to be buried at St-Denis. He is considered the founder of the abbey.

Effigy of Henry I (1008-1060) front, and Louis VI (1080-1137) back. These are the kinds of 'tombs' known as effigies that are one display in the church. Often acting as pilgrimage sites for people to come and see, these tombs also consecrated the relationship between the French royals and St-Denis.

Suger, in an attempt to realign the French monarchy with the Royal Abbey, refurbished the Throne of Dagobert. Suger tried to show that through the throne acting as a relic within the cathedral, the royal family had a connection to the spiritual realm.

In this seal you can see the throne that Louis VII is sitting upon. Louis VII was the second king that Suger was advisor to. The throne is very similar in image to the Throne of Dagobert. The symbol of the throne, with the lion heads on the sides and the crossed base, came to be associated with the image of the French king. Through Suger restoring the throne, he was also restoring the image of the French monarchy.

Suger commissioned a stained-glass window known as the "First Crusade Window". This window is thought to act as propaganda for the coming Second Crusade. Suger and the Dionysian monks were trying to lend their favor and support to the monarchy in their military exploits. The window is secular in nature and again acts as a connector between the abbey and the king.