110-568: The Île-de-France ( / ˌ iː l d ə ˈ f r ɒ̃ s / ; French: [il də fʁɑ̃s] ; lit. ' Island of France ' ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France , with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centred on the capital Paris , it is located in the north-central part of the country and often called the Paris Region (French: Région parisienne , pronounced [ʁeʒjɔ̃ paʁizjɛn] ). Île-de-France
220-471: A necropolis containing the tombs of the kings of France , including nearly every king from the 10th century to Louis XVIII in the 19th century. Henry IV of France came to Saint-Denis formally to renounce his Protestant faith and become a Catholic . The queens of France were crowned at Saint-Denis, and the regalia , including the sword used for crowning the kings and the royal sceptre, were kept at Saint-Denis between coronations. The site originated as
330-466: A Gallo-Roman cemetery in late Roman times. The archaeological remains still lie beneath the cathedral; the graves indicate a mixture of Christian and pre-Christian burial practices. Around the year 475 AD, St. Genevieve purchased some land and built Saint-Denys de la Chapelle . In 636, on the orders of Dagobert I , the relics of Saint Denis , a patron saint of France, were reinterred in the basilica. The relics of St-Denis, which had been transferred to
440-485: A carved figure of the kneeling Abbot, was inscribed the more modest plea; Receive, stern Judge, the prayers of your Suger, Let me be mercifully numbered among your sheep. Suger's western extension was completed in 1140 and the three new chapels in the narthex were consecrated on 9 June of that year, but the Romanesque nave between was yet unchanged. He wrote about the new narthex at the west end and proposed chapels at
550-601: A cathedral on the formation of the Diocese of Saint-Denis by Pope Paul VI in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis , currently (since 2009) Pascal Delannoy . Although known as the "Basilica of St Denis", the cathedral has not been granted the title of Minor Basilica by the Vatican . The 86-metre (282-foot) tall spire, dismantled in the 19th century, is to be rebuilt. The project, initiated more than 30 years ago,
660-555: A coalition of socialists and ecologists. The socialists had governed the region for the preceding 17 years. Since 2016 the regional council has 121 members from the Union of the Right, 66 from the Union of the Left and 22 from the far-right National Front. As of 1 January 2017, the population density of the region was 1010.9 inhabitants per square kilometer. The densest department
770-507: A higher proportion of immigrants with an advanced level of education, than the rest of France. The population of immigrants is more widely distributed throughout the region than it was in the early 2000s, but the concentrations remain high in certain areas, particularly Paris and the department of Seine-Saint-Denis. The proportion of residents born outside of Metropolitan France rose between the 1999 (19.7%) and 2019 censuses (24.9%). The Petite Couronne (literally "Little Crown", or inner ring)
880-443: A magnificent frontal and surrounded the throne of the altar with golden axes in a circle. He placed golden apples there, round and jeweled. He made a pulpit and a gate of silver and a roof for the throne of the altar on silver axes. He made a covering in the place before the tomb and fabricated an outside altar at the feet of the holy martyr. So much industry did he lavish there, at the king's request, and poured out so much that scarcely
990-404: A new shrine to house the saint's remains, which was created by his chief councillor, Eligius , a goldsmith by training. An early vita of Saint Eligius describes the shrine: :Above all, Eligius fabricated a mausoleum for the holy martyr Denis in the city of Paris with a wonderful marble ciborium over it marvelously decorated with gold and gems. He composed a crest [at the top of a tomb] and
1100-578: A perfect complexion underneath. A mis-shapen patch on a marble column was said to be the leper's former skin, which stuck there when Christ discarded it. Having been consecrated by Christ, the fabric of the building was itself regarded as sacred. Most of what is now known about the Carolingian church at St Denis resulted from a lengthy series of excavations begun under the American art historian Sumner McKnight Crosby in 1937. The structure altogether
1210-622: A reference to the Île de la Cité , where the French royal palace and cathedral were located. Alternatively, the name may refer to the lands that were under the direct rule of the Capetian kings during the Middle Ages ; thus, the lands were an "island" in a sea of various feudal territories ruled by vassals of the king. The Île-de-France was inhabited by the Parisii , a sub-tribe of
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#17328020571831320-791: A series of column statues, representing the kings and queens of the Old Testament. These were removed in 1771 and were mostly destroyed during the French Revolution, though a number of the heads can be seen in the Musée de Cluny in Paris. The bronze doors of the central portal are modern, but are a faithful reproduction of the original doors, which depicted the Passion of Christ and the Resurrection . One other original feature
1430-566: A single ornament was left in Gaul , and it is the greatest wonder of all to this very day. During his second coronation at Saint-Denis, King Pepin the Short made a vow to rebuild the old abbey. The first church mentioned in the chronicles was begun in 754 and completed under Charlemagne , who was present at its consecration in 775. By 832 the Abbey had been granted a remunerative whaling concession on
1540-414: A vast museum of French sculpture. In the 1860s Emperor Napoleon III asked Viollet-le-Duc to construct an imperial section in the crypt for him and his dynasty, but he was deposed and went into exile before it was begun. In 1895, when the chapter created by Napoleon was dissolved, the church lost its cathedral rank and reverted to being a parish church. It did not become a cathedral again until 1966, with
1650-518: Is Paris itself, with 21,066 inhabitants per square kilometer. The least dense département is Seine-et-Marne with 239 residents per square kilometer. As of 2015 according to the official government statistics agency INSEE, 15.9 percent of residents of the region had an income below the poverty level; for residents of the city of Paris, this proportion was 16.2 percent. Poverty was highest in the departments of Seine-Saint-Denis (29 percent), Val-d'Oise (17.1 percent), and Val-de-Marne (16.8 percent). It
1760-764: Is a recent designation, given to the overseas departments that have similar powers to those of the regions of metropolitan France . As integral parts of the French Republic , they are represented in the National Assembly , Senate and Economic and Social Council , elect a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) and use the euro as their currency. Although these territories have had these political powers since 1982, when France's decentralisation policy dictated that they be given elected regional councils along with other regional powers,
1870-540: Is a table of former regions and which new region they became part of. (Occitania) Regions lack separate legislative authority and therefore cannot write their own statutory law. They levy their own taxes and, in return, receive a decreasing part of their budget from the central government, which gives them a portion of the taxes it levies. They also have considerable budgets managed by a regional council (conseil régional) made up of representatives voted into office in regional elections. A region's primary responsibility
1980-424: Is composed of eight departments centred on its innermost department and capital, Paris. Around the department and municipality of Paris, urbanisation fills a first concentric ring of three departments commonly known as the petite couronne ("small ring"); it extends into a second outer ring of four departments known as the grande couronne ("large ring"). The former department of Seine , abolished in 1968, included
2090-437: Is densely populated and retains a prime economic position on the national stage, and it covers 12,012 square kilometres (4,638 square miles), about 2% of metropolitan French territory . Its 2017 population was nearly one-fifth of the national total. The region is made up of eight administrative departments : Paris, Essonne , Hauts-de-Seine , Seine-Saint-Denis , Seine-et-Marne , Val-de-Marne , Val-d'Oise and Yvelines . It
2200-504: Is divided into three sections, each with its own entrance, representing the Holy Trinity . A crenellated parapet runs across the west front and connects the towers (still unfinished in 1140), illustrating that the church front was the symbolic entrance to the celestial Jerusalem. This new façade, 34 metres (112 ft) wide and 20 metres (66 ft) deep, has three portals, the central one larger than those on either side, reflecting
2310-514: Is formed by the three departments bordering Paris, forming a geographical crown around it. These departments, until 1968 part of the disbanded Seine department, are Hauts-de-Seine , Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne . The most populated towns of the Petite Couronne are Boulogne-Billancourt , Montreuil , Saint-Denis , Nanterre and Créteil . The Métropole du Grand Paris is an administrative structure that comprises Paris and
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#17328020571832420-568: Is one of the world's top tourist destinations, with a record 23.6 million hotel arrivals in 2017, and an estimated 50 million visitors in all types of accommodation. The largest number of visitors came from the United States, followed by England, Germany and China. The top tourist attraction in the region in 2017 was Disneyland Paris , which received 14.8 million visitors in 2017, followed by the Cathedral of Notre-Dame (est. 12 million) and
2530-580: Is to build and furnish high schools. In March 2004, the French central government unveiled a controversial plan to transfer regulation of certain categories of non-teaching school staff to the regional authorities. Critics of this plan contended that tax revenue was insufficient to pay for the resulting costs, and that such measures would increase regional inequalities. In addition, regions have considerable discretionary power over infrastructural spending, e.g., education, public transit, universities and research, and assistance to business owners. This has meant that
2640-494: The Basilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis , a northern suburb of Paris. The building is of singular importance historically and architecturally as its choir , completed in 1144, is widely considered the first structure to employ all of the elements of Gothic architecture . The basilica became a place of pilgrimage and
2750-613: The Basilica of Sacre-Coeur at Montmartre (est. 11.1 million visitors). Notable historic monuments in the Region outside of Paris include the Palace of Versailles (7,700,000 visitors), the Palace of Fontainebleau (500,000 visitors), the chateau of Vaux-le-Vicomte (300,000 visitors), and the Château de Malmaison , Napoleon's former country house; and the Basilica of Saint-Denis , where
2860-699: The Bourse de Paris , now known as Euronext Paris , occupies a historical building in the center of Paris and is ranked fourth among global stock markets, after New York, Tokyo and London. Other major sectors of the regional economy include energy companies ( Orano , Engie , Électricité de France and Total S.A. ). The two major French automobile manufacturers, Renault , in Flins-sur-Seine , and Groupe PSA , in Poissy , do much of their assembly work outside France but still have research centre and large plants in
2970-594: The Celtic Senones , from around the middle of the 3rd-century BC. One of the area's major north–south trade routes crossed the Seine on the île de la Cité ; the meeting place of land and water trade routes gradually became an important trading centre. The Parisii traded with many river towns (some as far away as the Iberian Peninsula) and minted their own coins for that purpose. The Romans conquered
3080-479: The Cotentin Peninsula . According to one of the Abbey's many foundation myths a leper, who was sleeping in the nearly completed church the night before its planned consecration, witnessed a blaze of light from which Christ, accompanied by St Denis and a host of angels, emerged to conduct the consecration ceremony himself. Before leaving, Christ healed the leper, tearing off his diseased skin to reveal
3190-585: The Seine-et-Oise department until it was disbanded in 1968. The city of Versailles is part of the area. Île-de-France is twinned with: 48°30′N 2°30′E / 48.500°N 2.500°E / 48.500; 2.500 Regions of France France is divided into eighteen administrative regions ( French : régions , singular région [ʁeʒjɔ̃] ), of which thirteen are located in metropolitan France (in Europe), while
3300-423: The economy of France in 2019. The regional economy has gradually shifted toward high-value-added service industries (finance, IT services etc.) and high-tech manufacturing (electronics, optics, aerospace etc.). In 2014, industry represented just under five percent of active enterprises in the region, and 10.2 percent of salaried workers. Commerce and services account for 84 percent of the business establishments in
3410-406: The rib vault with pointed arches, and exterior buttresses which made it possible to have larger windows and to eliminate interior walls. It was the first time that these features had all been drawn together; and the new style evolved radically from the previous Romanesque architecture by the lightness of the structure and the unusually large size of the stained glass windows. The new architecture
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3520-554: The French Legion of Honour , which still is in operation. Due to its connections to the French monarchy and proximity to Paris, the abbey of Saint-Denis was a prime target of revolutionary vandalism. On Friday, 14 September 1792, the monks celebrated their last services in the abbey church; the monastery was dissolved the next day. The church was used to store grain and flour. In 1793, the National Convention ,
3630-543: The French territories of the South Pacific, who are not legally immigrants). In 2013, roughly 2,206,000 residents of the Île-de-France were immigrants, born outside of France. This amounted to 18.5% of the population of the region, twice the national average. Four out of ten immigrants living in France reside in the region. The immigrant population of the Île-de-France has a higher proportion of non-Europeans, as well as
3740-593: The Kings of France were interred before the French Revolution . The Regional Council is the legislative body of the region. Its seat is in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine , at 2 rue Simone-Veil. On 15 December 2015, a list of candidates of the Union of the Right, a coalition of centrist and right-wing parties, led by Valérie Pécresse , narrowly won the regional election, defeating the Union of the Left,
3850-635: The Spire"), chaired by Patrick Braouezec , has since been established to support the reconstruction, with the aim of raising the necessary funds by opening the reconstruction works to the general public, along the model of the Guédelon Castle . In March 2018, the culture ministry signed an accord with the association, officially launching the reconstruction project, with works expected to commence in May 2020. A year later, French scholars were still divided on
3960-514: The abbot Hilduin built a second crypt, to the west of the first, and a small new chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary was constructed next to the apse. The new crypt was extensively rebuilt under Suger in the 12th century. Abbot Suger (c. 1081 – 1151), the patron of the rebuilding of the Abbey church, had begun his career in the church at the age of ten, and rose to become the Abbot in 1122. He
4070-541: The area in 52 BC and began their settlement on Paris's Left Bank . It became a prosperous city with a forum, baths, temples, theatres, and an amphitheatre. Christianity was introduced in the middle of the 3rd century AD by Saint Denis , the first Bishop of Paris. According to legend, when Denis refused to renounce his faith before Roman authorities, he was beheaded on the hill that became known as Mons Martyrum (Latin "Hill of Martyrs"), later " Montmartre ". The legend further states that Denis walked headless from this hill to
4180-465: The bones of 16 former kings and queens were relocated to new tombs arranged around the crossing, eight Carolingian monarchs to the south and eight Capetians to the north. These tombs, featuring lifelike carved recumbent effigies or gisants lying on raised bases, were badly damaged during the French revolution though all but two were subsequently restored by Viollet le Duc in 1860. The dark Romanesque nave, with its thick walls and small window-openings,
4290-416: The bright/and bright is the noble edifice which is pervaded by the new light." Following Suger's example, large stained glass windows filling the interior with mystical light became a prominent feature of Gothic architecture. Two different architects, or master masons, were involved in the 12th century rebuilding. Both remain anonymous but their work can be distinguished on stylistic grounds. The first, who
4400-464: The chevet, to support the upper walls, and to make possible the enormous windows installed there. The masons used the same engineering concept that was used at the Abbey of Saint-Martin-des-Champs to support the large chapel windows . At the same time, the transept was enlarged and given large rose windows in the new rayonnant style, divided into multiple lancet windows topped by trilobe windows and other geometric forms inscribed in circles. The walls of
4510-503: The church itself was left standing, it was profaned, its treasury confiscated and its reliquaries and liturgical furniture melted down for their metallic value. Some objects, including a chalice and aquamanile donated to the abbey in Suger's time, were successfully hidden and survive to this day. The jamb figures of the façade representing Old Testament royalty, mistakenly identified as images of royal French kings and queens, were removed from
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4620-403: The church was filled with light. He described "A circular string of chapels, by virtue of which the whole church would shine with the wonderful and uninterrupted light of most luminous windows, pervading the interior beauty." One of these chapels was dedicated to Saint Osmanna , and held her relics. Suger's masons drew on elements which evolved or had been introduced to Romanesque architecture:
4730-491: The church, due to the decrepit state of the old structure and its inability to cope with the crowds of pilgrims visiting the shrine of St Denis. In the 12th century, thanks largely to Suger, the Basilica became a principal sanctuary of French Royalty, rivalling Reims Cathedral , where the kings were crowned. The Abbey also kept the regalia of the coronation, including the robes, crowns and sceptre. Beginning in 1124, and until
4840-446: The city proper and parts of the petite couronne . The petite couronne consists of the departments of Hauts-de-Seine , Seine-Saint-Denis and Val-de-Marne ; the grande couronne consists of those of Seine-et-Marne , Yvelines , Essonne and Val-d'Oise . Politically, the region is divided into 8 departments, 25 arrondissements, 155 cantons and 1,276 communes, out of the total of 35,416 in metropolitan France . The outer parts of
4950-593: The construction of chapel adjoining the north transept to serve as a tomb for the monarchs of the Valois Dynasty (later demolished). A plan of c. 1700 by Félibien shows the Valois Chapel , a large mortuary chapel in the form of a domed colonnaded " rotunda ", adjoining the north transept of the basilica and containing the tomb of the Valois . and the display of the skeleton of a baleine whale in
5060-456: The creation of the new diocese of Saint-Denis. The formal title is now the "Baslilique-cathédrale de Saint-Denis". In December 2016, 170 years after the north tower's dismantlement and following several false starts, the Ministry of Culture again proposed its reconstruction after concluding it was technically feasible—albeit without public funding. An association, Suivez la flèche ("Follow
5170-471: The designation overseas regions dates only to the 2003 constitutional change; indeed, the new wording of the constitution aims to give no precedence to either appellation overseas department or overseas region , although the second is still virtually unused by French media. The following have overseas region status: General: Basilica of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (French: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis , now formally known as
5280-421: The district was reconstituted with increased administrative and political powers and renamed the Île-de-France region. Île-de-France is in the north of France, neighboring Hauts-de-France to the north, Grand Est to the east, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté to the southeast, Centre-Val-de-Loire to the southwest, and Normandy to the west. Île-de-France has a land area of 12,011 km (4,637 sq mi). It
5390-504: The door, which represent kings, probably those of the Old Testament, while the tympanum over the door illustrates the martyrdom of Saint-Denis and his companions Eleuthere and Rusticus. This portal was among the last works commissioned by Suger; he died in 1151, before it was completed. The original sculpture that was destroyed in the Revolution was replaced with sculpture from the early 19th century, made by Felix Brun. The tympanum of
5500-547: The east and the west front. Like the other Gothic churches in the Ile-de-France, its walls had three levels; large arcades of massive pillars on the ground floor; a narrow triforium or passageway midway up the wall; originally windowless; and a row of high windows the clerestory , above. Slender columns rose from the pillars up the walls to support the four-part rib vaults. As a result of the Rayonnant reconstruction in
5610-580: The east and west. Both the nave and the upper parts of Suger's choir were replaced in the Rayonnant Gothic style. From the start it appears that Abbot Odo, with the approval of the Regent Blanche of Castile and her son, the young King Louis IX , planned for the new nave and its large crossing to have a much clearer focus as the French 'royal necropolis', or burial place. That plan was fulfilled in 1264 under Abbot Matthew of Vendôme when
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#17328020571835720-573: The east end of the cathedral, was one of the first parts of the structure rebuilt into the Gothic style. The work was commissioned by Abbot Suger in 1140 and completed in 1144. It was considerably modified under the young King Louis IX and his mother, Blanche of Castille, the Regent of the Kingdom, beginning in 1231. The apse was built much higher, along with the nave. Large flying buttresses were added to
5830-426: The east: "Once the new rear part is joined to the part in front, the church shines with its middle part brightened. For bright is that which is brightly coupled with the bright, and bright is the noble edifice which is pervaded by the new light." Suger's great innovation in the new choir was the replacement of the heavy dividing walls in the apse and ambulatory with slender columns, so that the interior of that part of
5940-471: The edges of Paris. In the 1950s and the 1960s, thousands of immigrants settled in the communes bordering the city. In 1959, under President Charles De Gaulle , a new region was created out of six departments, which corresponded approximately with the historic region, with the name District de la région de Paris ("District of the Paris Region"). On 6 May 1976, as part of the process of regionalisation ,
6050-426: The end of the north transept in the 13th century. According to Suger, the original entrance on the north did not have sculpture, but mosaic, which Suger replaced by sculpture in 1540. It is considered an important step in the history of Gothic sculpture, because of the skill of the carving, and the lack of rigidity of the figures. There are six figures in the embrasures and thirty figures in the voussures, or arches above
6160-439: The fifth. In 2014, the French parliament passed a law reducing the number of metropolitan regions from 22 to 13 effective 1 January 2016. The law gave interim names for most of the new regions by combining the names of the former regions, e.g. the region composed of Aquitaine , Poitou-Charentes and Limousin was temporarily called Aquitaine-Limousin-Poitou-Charentes . However, the combined region of Upper and Lower Normandy
6270-450: The heads of wealthy regions such as Île-de-France or Rhône-Alpes can be high-profile positions. Proposals to give regions limited legislative autonomy have met with considerable resistance; others propose transferring certain powers from the departments to their respective regions, leaving the former with limited authority. Number of regions controlled by each coalition since 1986 . Overseas region ( French : Région d'outre-mer )
6380-412: The highest per capita GDP of any French region. Beyond the city limits of Paris, the region has many other important historic sites, including the palaces of Versailles and Fontainebleau , as well as the most-visited tourist attraction in France, Disneyland Paris . Although it is the richest French region, a significant number of residents live in poverty. The official poverty rate in the Île-de-France
6490-815: The immigrants living in the Île-de-France were born in Europe (38% of whom in Portugal), 29% were born in the Maghreb and 22% in the rest of Africa (in particular West and Central Africa ), 3% were born in Turkey and 15% in the rest of Asia, 5% were born in the Americas (not counting those born in the French overseas departments in the Americas, who are not legally immigrants), and 0.1% in Oceania (not counting those born in
6600-441: The land of the Île-de-France was devoted to agriculture; 569,000 hectares were cultivated. The most important crops are grains (66 percent), followed by beets (7 percent), largely for industrial use, and grass for grazing. In 2014, 9,495 hectares were devoted to bio-agriculture. However, the number of persons employed in agriculture in the region dropped 33 percent between 2000 and 2015 to just 8,460 persons in 2015. The Île-de-France
6710-426: The largest and most prosperous city in France. The Kings of France enjoyed getting away from Paris and hunting in the game-filled forests of the region. They built palatial hunting lodges, most notably Palace of Fontainebleau and the Palace of Versailles . From the time of Louis XIV to the French Revolution, Versailles was the official residence of the Kings and the seat of the French government. Île-de-France became
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#17328020571836820-946: The largest number is now in the Grande Couronne, the outer departments. The unemployment rate in the region stood at 8.6% at the end of 2016. It varied within the region from 7.8 percent in the city of Paris, to a high of 12.7 percent in Seine-Saint-Denis , and 10 percent in Val-d'Oise ; to regional lows of 7.4 percent in Yvelines ; 7.5 percent in Hauts-de-Seine ; 7.7 percent in Essonne ; 7.9 percent in Seine et Marne , and 8.8 percent in Val de Marne . In 2018, 48 percent of
6930-535: The last French kings, created a chapel under the authority of his uncle, Cardinal Fesch, which was decorated with richly-carved choir stalls and marquetry from the Château de Gaillon . (See "Choir Stalls" section below). After Napoleon's downfall, the ashes of the previous king, Louis XVI , were ceremoniously moved from the cemetery of the Madeleine to Saint-Denis. The last king to be entombed in Saint-Denis
7040-418: The lighter Gothic style that he helped to create. The Portal of Valois was the last of the Gothic structures planned by Suger. It was designed for the original building, but was not yet begun when Suger died in 1151. In the 13th century it was moved to the end of the new transept on the north side of the church. The sculpture of the portal includes six standing figures in the embracements and thirty figures in
7150-615: The main French oil company Total S.A. , the top French company in the Fortune Global 500, and the main electric utility, Électricité de France . The energy firm Engie also has its main offices in the region at La Défense . In 2018 just 7.2 percent of employees in the region were engaged in industry; 62.3 percent were engaged in commerce and market services; 25.5 percent in non-market services, including government, health and education; 4.8 percent in construction; and 0.2 percent in agriculture. The largest non-government employers in
7260-567: The mid-15th century, the kings departed for war carrying the oriflamme , or battle flag, of St. Denis, to give the King the protection of the Saint. It was taken to the Abbey only when France was in danger. The flag was retired in 1488, when the Parisians opened the gates of Paris to invading English and Burgundian armies. Suger began his rebuilding project at the western end of St Denis, demolishing
7370-406: The most slender of bar tracery —not only in the clerestory but also, perhaps for the first time, in the normally dark triforium level. The upper facades of the two much-enlarged transepts were filled with two spectacular 12m-wide rose windows . As with Suger's earlier rebuilding work, the identity of the architect or master mason remains unknown. Although often attributed to Pierre de Montreuil ,
7480-409: The nave in 1771. Greater harm was done with the removal of the early Gothic column-statues which Suger had used to decorate the west front. (They were replaced with replicas in the 19th century). In 1700, reconstruction began of the monastic buildings adjacent to the church. This was not completed until the mid-18th century. Into these buildings Napoleon installed a school for the daughters of members of
7590-414: The nave on both sides were entirely filled with windows, each composed of four lancets topped by a rose, filling the entire space above the triforium. The upper walls, like the chevet, were supported by flying buttresses whose bases were placed between the chapels alongside the nave. The Porte de Valois, or north portal, was originally built in the 12th century, near the end of Suger's life, then rebuilt at
7700-689: The north of the city. The place that he finally fell and was buried became an important religious shrine, the Basilica of Saint-Denis . Clovis the Frank , the first king of the Merovingian dynasty , made the city his capital in 508. As the Frankish domination of Gaul began, there was a gradual immigration by the Franks to Paris and the Parisian Francien dialects were born. Fortification of
7810-430: The old Carolingian facade with its single, centrally located door. He extended the old nave westwards by an additional four bays and added a massive western narthex, incorporating a new façade and three chapels on the first floor level. In the new design, massive vertical buttresses separated the three doorways and horizontal string-courses and window arcades clearly marked out the divisions. This clear delineation of parts
7920-605: The only evidence for his involvement is an unrelated document of 1247 which refers to him as 'a mason from Saint-Denis'. During the following centuries, the cathedral was pillaged twice; once during the Hundred Years War (1337–1453) and again during the Wars of Religion (1562–1598). Damage was largely limited to broken tombs and precious objects stolen from the altars and treasury. Many modifications were made under Marie de' Medici and later royal families. These included
8030-500: The other five are overseas regions (not to be confused with the overseas collectivities , which have a semi-autonomous status). All of the thirteen metropolitan administrative regions (including Corsica as of 2019 ) are further subdivided into two to thirteen administrative departments , with the prefect of each region's administrative centre's department also acting as the regional prefect. The overseas regions administratively consist of only one department each and hence also have
8140-516: The parish church of the town in 1795, were brought back again to the abbey in 1819. In the 12th century, the Abbot Suger rebuilt portions of the abbey church using innovative structural and decorative features. In doing so, he is said to have created the first truly Gothic building. In the following century the master-builder Pierre de Montreuil rebuilt the nave and the transepts in the new Rayonnant Gothic style. The abbey church became
8250-428: The portals and the tympana sculpture defaced. In 1794, the government decided to remove the lead tiles from the roof, to melt them down to make bullets. This left the interior of the church badly exposed to the weather. The church was reconsecrated by Napoléon in 1806, and he designated it as the future site for his own tomb and those of his intended dynasty. He also ordered the construction of three chapels to honour
8360-454: The priest Rusticus and deacon Eleutherius, he was decapitated on the hill of Montmartre in about 250 AD. According to the legend, he is said to have carried his head four leagues to the Roman settlement of Catulliacus, the site of the current church, and indicated that it was where he wanted to be buried. A martyrium or shrine-mausoleum was erected on the site of his grave in about 313 AD, and
8470-519: The region as of the end of 2015 were the airline Air France (40,657); the SNCF (French Railways, 31,955); the telecom firm Orange S.A. (31,497); the bank Société Générale (27,361); the automotive firm Groupe PSA (19,648); EDF (Electricité de France, 18,199); and Renault (18,136). While the Petite Couronne, or departments closest to Paris, previously employed the most industrial workers,
8580-463: The region, and have 83.3 percent of the salaried employees. Financial services and insurance are important sectors of the regional economy; the major French banks and insurance companies, including BNP Paribas , Société Générale and Crédit Agricole , all have their headquarters in the region. The region also hosts the headquarters of the top French telecom companies and utilities, including Orange S.A. , Veolia and EDF . The French stock market,
8690-505: The region. The leading French and European aerospace and defense companies, including Airbus , Thales Group , Dassault Aviation , Safran Aircraft Engines , the European Space Agency , Alcatel-Lucent , and Arianespace , have a large presence in the region. The energy sector is also well established in the region. The nuclear power industry, with its major firm being Orano , has its headquarters in Île-de-France, as does
8800-425: The relative width of the central nave and lateral aisles. This tripartite arrangement was clearly influenced by the late 11th century Norman-Romanesque façades of the abbey churches of St Etienne . It also shared with them a three-storey elevation and flanking towers . Only the south tower survives; the north tower was dismantled following a tornado which struck in 1846. The west front was originally decorated with
8910-539: The revolutionary government, ordered the violation of the sepulchres and the destruction of the royal tombs, but agreed to create a commission to select those monuments which were of historical interest for preservation. In 1798, these were transferred to the chapel of the Petit-Augustins, which later became the Museum of French Monuments . Most of the medieval monastic buildings were demolished in 1792. Although
9020-546: The royal domain of northern France. Through the rule of the Angevin dynasty , the style was introduced to England and spread throughout France, the Low Countries , Germany, Spain, northern Italy and Sicily . Suger died in 1151 with the Gothic reconstruction incomplete. In 1231, Abbot Odo Clement began work on the rebuilding of the Carolingian nave, which remained sandwiched incongruously between Suger's Gothic works to
9130-462: The south portal illustrates the last days of the Denis and his companions before their martyrdom. The piedroits are filled with medallions representing the labours of the days of month. The nave, the portion to the west of the church reserved for ordinary worshippers, and the choir, the portion to the east reserved for the clergy, were rebuilt into the Gothic style in the 13th century, after the apse at
9240-502: The status of overseas departments. Most administrative regions also have the status of regional territorial collectivities , which comes with a local government , with departmental and communal collectivities below the region level. The exceptions are Corsica, French Guiana , Mayotte and Martinique , where region and department functions are managed by single local governments having consolidated jurisdiction and which are known as single territorial collectivities . The term région
9350-430: The term used for the territory of Paris and the surrounding province, which was administered directly by the King. During the French Revolution , the royal provinces were abolished and divided into departments, and the city and region were governed directly by the national government. After World War II, as Paris faced a major housing shortage, hundreds of massive apartment blocks for low-income residents were built around
9460-520: The three departments of the Petite Couronne , plus seven additional communes in the Grande Couronne . The table below shows some statistical information about the area including Paris: The Grande Couronne (literally Large Crown, or outer ring) includes the outer four departments of Île-de-France, which do not border Paris. They are Seine-et-Marne (77), Yvelines (78), Essonne (91) and Val-d'Oise (95). The last three departments formed
9570-555: The transept depicting the renovation, and the July 1837 visit to the Cathedral of King Louis Philippe. On 9 June, the spire of the tower was struck by lightning and destroyed. Debret rapidly put into place a new spire, but he did not fully understand the principles of Gothic architecture. He made errors in his plans for the new structure, which resulted in the spire and tower collapsing under their own weight in 1845. Debret resigned and
9680-423: The triforium was given windows, and the upper walls were entirely filled with glass, which reached upward into the arches of the vaults, flooding the church with light. The chevet had been constructed by Suger in record time, in just four years, between 1140 and 1144, and was one of the first great realisations of Gothic architecture. The double disambulatory is divided not by walls but by two rows of columns, while
9790-476: The voussures, or arches, over the doorway, which probably represent the Kings of the Old Testament. The scene in the Tympanum over the doorway depicts the martyrdom of Saint Denis. In their realism and finesse, they were a landmark in Gothic sculpture. The new structure was finished and dedicated on 11 June 1144, in the presence of the King. The Abbey of St Denis thus became the prototype for further building in
9900-538: The Île de la Cité failed to avert sacking by Vikings in 845 , but Paris's strategic importance—with its bridges preventing ships from passing—was established by successful defence in the Siege of Paris (885–86) . In 987, Hugh Capet , Count of Paris ( comte de Paris ) and Duke of the Franks ( duc des Francs ), was elected King of the Franks ( roi des Francs ). Under the rule of the Capetian kings, Paris gradually became
10010-489: The Île-de-France remain largely rural. Agricultural land, forest and natural spaces occupy 78.9 percent of the region, and 28 percent of the region's land is in urban use. The River Seine flows through the middle of the region, which is crisscrossed by its tributaries and sub-tributaries, including the Rivers Marne , Oise and Epte . The River Eure does not cross the region but receives water from several rivers in
10120-624: The Île-de-France, including the Drouette and the Vesgre. The major rivers are navigable, and, because of the modest variations of altitude in the region (between 10 metres (33 ft) and 200 metres (660 ft)), they have a tendency to meander and curve. They also create many lakes and ponds, some of which have been transformed into recreation areas, including Moisson-Mousseaux, Cergy-Neuville and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges . Île-de-France produced €742 billion ( gross domestic product ) or around 1/3 of
10230-427: The €25 million proposal to reconstruct the spire. In 2023, hundreds of anonymous graves dating from the 5th to the 14th century were discovered in the Basilica. In the same year, the Basilica's stained glass windows which have been the central focus of a project spanning 25 years, entered the final stage of restoration with a total cost exceeding 2 million euros. The west front of the church, dedicated on 9 June 1140,
10340-629: Was Louis XVIII in 1824. In 1813 François Debret was named the chief architect of the cathedral; he proceeded, over thirty years, to repair the Revolutionary damage. He was later best known for his design of the Salle Le Peletier , the primary opera house of Paris before the Opéra Garnier in 1873. He replaced the upper stained glass windows in the nave with depictions of the historic kings of France, and added new windows to
10450-425: Was 15.9% in 2015. The region has witnessed increasing income inequality in recent decades, and rising housing prices have pushed the less affluent outside Paris. Although the modern name Île-de-France literally means Island of France, its etymology is unclear. Despite its name, the region itself is not an island. The "island" may refer to the land between the rivers Oise , Marne and Seine , or it may also have been
10560-402: Was a platform on which the sarcophagus of Denis was displayed, with those of his companions Rusticus and Eleutherus on either side. Around the platform was a corridor where pilgrims could circulate, and bays with windows. Traces of painted decoration of this original crypt can be seen in some of the bays. The crypt was not large enough for the growing number of pilgrims who came, so in about 832
10670-532: Was a school companion and then confidant and minister of Louis VI and then of his son Louis VII , and was a regent of Louis VII when the King was absent on the Crusades. He was an accomplished fund-raiser, acquiring treasures for the cathedral and collecting an enormous sum for its rebuilding. In about 1135 he began reconstructing and enlarging the abbey. In his famous account of the work undertaken during his administration, Suger explained his decision to rebuild
10780-457: Was about eighty meters long, with an imposing facade , a nave divided into three sections by two rows of marble columns, a transept, and apse and at the east end. During important religious celebrations, the interior of the church was lit with 1250 lamps. Beneath the apse, in imitation of St. Peter's in Rome, a crypt was constructed, with a Confession, or martyr's chapel, in the center. Inside this
10890-440: Was added by Suger's builders; a rose window over the central portal. Although small circular windows (oculi) within triangular tympana were common on the west facades of Italian Romanesque churches, this was probably the first example of a rose window within a square frame, which was to become a dominant feature of the Gothic facades of northern France (soon to be imitated at Chartres Cathedral and many others). The chevet , at
11000-480: Was created as the "District of the Paris Region" in 1961. In 1976, when its status was aligned with the French administrative regions created in 1972, it was renamed after the historic province of Île-de-France. Residents are sometimes referred to as Franciliens , an administrative word created in the 1980s. The GDP of the region in 2019 was nearly one-third of the French, and 5% of the European Union's. It has
11110-489: Was enlarged into a basilica with the addition of tombs and monuments under Saint Genevieve . These including a royal tomb, that of Aregonde, the wife of King Clothar I . Dagobert I , King of the Franks (reigned 628 to 637), transformed the church into the Abbey of Saint Denis, a Benedictine monastery in 632. It soon grew to a community of more than five hundred monks, plus their servants. Dagobert also commissioned
11220-534: Was full of symbolism. The twelve columns in the choir represented the twelve Apostles, and the light represented the Holy Spirit. Like many French clerics in the 12th century AD, he was a follower of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite , a 6th century mystic who equated the slightest reflection or glint with divine light. Suger's own words were carved in the nave: "For bright is that which is brightly coupled with
11330-483: Was lowest in Yvelines (9.7 percent); Seine-et-Marne (11.8 percent), Essonne (12.9 percent), and Hauts-de-Seine (12.4 percent). The department of Hauts-de-Seine is the wealthiest in France in terms of per capita GDP. At the 2019 census, 75.1% of the inhabitants of Île-de-France were natives of Metropolitan France , 1.7% were born in Overseas France , and 23.1% were born in foreign countries. A quarter of
11440-527: Was officially created by the Law of Decentralisation (2 March 1982), which also gave regions their legal status. The first direct elections for regional representatives took place on 16 March 1986. Between 1982 and 2015, there were 22 regions in Metropolitan France. Before 2011, there were four overseas regions ( French Guiana , Guadeloupe , Martinique , and Réunion ); in 2011 Mayotte became
11550-462: Was rebuilt using the very latest techniques, in what is now known as Rayonnant Gothic . This new style, which differed from Suger's earlier works as much as they had differed from their Romanesque precursors, reduced the wall area to an absolute minimum. Solid masonry was replaced with vast window openings filled with brilliant stained glass (all destroyed in the Revolution) and interrupted only by
11660-401: Was replaced by Eugène Viollet-le-Duc , who had the support of Prosper Mérimée , the French author who led campaign for the restoration of ruined Gothic architecture in France. Viollet-le-Duc continued working on the Abbey until his death in 1879, and replaced many of the creations conceived by Debret. Viollet-le-Duc focused on the tombs, rearranging and transforming portions of the interior into
11770-426: Was responsible for the initial work at the western end, favoured conventional Romanesque capitals and moulding profiles with rich and individualised detailing. His successor, who completed the western facade and upper storeys of the narthex , before going on to build the new choir, displayed a more restrained approach to decorative effects, relying on a simple repertoire of motifs, which may have proved more suitable for
11880-580: Was simply called "Normandy" ( Normandie ). Permanent names were proposed by the new regional councils by 1 July 2016 and new names confirmed by the Conseil d'État by 30 September 2016. The legislation defining the new regions also allowed the Centre region to officially change its name to " Centre-Val de Loire " with effect from January 2015. Two regions, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté , opted to retain their interim names. Given below
11990-491: Was to have begun in May 2020, and is expected to take about 11 years at a cost of about €28 million. The cathedral is on the site where Saint Denis , the first bishop of Paris , is believed to have been buried. According to the "Life of Saint Genevieve", written in about 520, he was sent by Pope Clement I to evangelise the Parisii . He was arrested and condemned by the Roman authorities. Along with two of his followers,
12100-469: Was to influence subsequent west façade designs as a common theme in the development of Gothic architecture and a marked departure from the Romanesque. The portals themselves were sealed by gilded bronze doors, ornamented with scenes from Christ's Passion. They clearly recorded Suger's patronage with the following inscription: On the lintel below the great tympanum showing the Last Judgement, beneath
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