Images of Medieval Art and Architecture

France: Benedictine Abbey Church of Saint Denis

The Treasure of Saint Denis

 

Reliquary of Saint Hilaire, Félibien, Plate I

Like most medieval cathedrals, St. Denis had many "Treasures"- reliquaries and liturgical vessels made of precious materials. It was also the depository for the "Regalia"- objects used in the coronation of French Kings. One of the major sources of information about the Saint Denis treasures was written in 1706 by Dom Michel Félibien,Histoire de L'Abbaye Royale de Saint-Denys en France,written in 1706 by Dom Michel Félibien, which contained engravings and descriptions of these objects. This page uses Félibien's descriptions as a starting point for exploring the treasures of Saint-Denis.

Many of the objects have been lost, especially during the French Revolution, so we must rely on Félibien's engravings of them. However, some of the items still exist. Whenever possible, a small "thumbnail" image of the item as it exists now is on the page which describes that object. However, since we do not own the copyrights to images of the objects as they exist today, you will not be able to click on them to see a larger, more detailed version.


You can explore tthe Treasures of Saint-Denis in several ways:

1. By Function - Click on one of the following categories to see items of that type: Liturgical Vessels, Other Liturgical Objects, Manuscripts, Royal Regalia, Reliquaries, Other Items.

Or

2. Existing items only - Click on one of the following categories: Carolingian-Merovingian, Objects Associated with Abbot Suger,Gothic

Or

3. By clicking on one of Félibien's images below.

Félibien, Plate I

Félibien, Plate II

Félibien, Plate III

Félibien, Plate IV

Félibien Plate V

Treasures not in Félibien's plates

 

Link to Bibliography


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Last updated by:JV Date: November 29, 2006