Saint-Denis Cathedral Basilica selected as France's Favourite Monument of 2025!

Shortlisted alongside the Villa Savoye, another site of the Centre des monuments nationaux, it is finally the basilica that you have elected in the Ile-de-France region to compete for the title of "France's Favourite Monument 2025".

Proud of this first victory, the Ile-de-France building is now in the running alongside 13 other regional monuments that you can choose from during the second voting phase, taking place from 3 to 18 July, by voting online or by telephone. The winner of the title of "France's Favourite Monument 2025" will then be revealed during a prime-time event in September on France TV hosted by Stéphane Bern.

To vote for Saint-Denis Cathedral Basilica, visit the France TV website or call 3245 (€0.80/min + call charge). It's up to you!

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The origins of the cathedral basilica of Saint-Denis date back to the death of Saint Denis, the first bishop of Paris, around 250 AD. Legend has it that after his death, his body rose and fell on the site where the monument stands today, giving it its name.

The first church built over the tomb of Saint Denis marked the beginning of a unique architectural history, culminating in the first monumental masterpiece of Gothic art in the ^12th century. Conceived as a shrine of light, the cathedral basilica of Saint-Denis is impressive for its open-plan layout, its brilliantly coloured stained glass windows and the sheer scale of its construction.

The last home of the kings and queens of France, the basilica houses a unique collection of over 70 funerary sculptures tracing the history of French royalty. From Dagobert to Louis XVIII, forty-three kings, thirty-two queens, sixty-three princes and princesses and ten great servants of the kingdom have their tombs in the basilica!

Far from being frozen in time, Saint-Denis Cathedral Basilica is very much alive and kicking. With a rich and varied programme, the monument hosts exhibitions, installations and concerts all year round. These include Le Pavillon du Sommeil: vers la lumière, an installation by artist Joseph Dadoune, and the exhibition Les Gisants en Lumière by Gael Mooney. What's more, a new tour route inaugurated this year offers an enriched experience that's even more accessible to all visitors. To find out more

Buoyed by this momentum, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis has been undergoing major restoration work for several years. On 14 March 2025, an important symbolic milestone was reached with the laying of the foundation stone for the major project to rebuild the north spire of the façade, which was dismantled in 1846. This ambitious project will give rise, in September 2025, to the opening of an immersive educational space: La Fabrique de la Flèche. Here, visitors will discover the skills of cathedral builders and the history of the basilica's spire, at the heart of a living construction site.

The cathedral basilica of Saint-Denis is a unique monument, whose architecture and past bear witness to the ambition of its builders. Today, this story continues, driven by contemporary challenges that continue the same century-old inspiration: innovation!