Saint-Denys-de-la-Chapelle et basilique Sainte-Jeanne-d'Arc

Paris (18e)

Long before the plain of La Chapelle was absorbed into Paris, tradition relates that Saint Geneviève had a chapel raised here in the 5th century to shelter the coffin of Saint Denis, first Bishop of Paris, martyred on the neighbouring hill, before King Dagobert transferred the relics to the great abbey of Saint-Denis. It was this chapel that gave its name to the village of La Chapelle, a staging post on the old kings' road between Paris and the royal basilica. The present church, rebuilt in the 13th century, keeps a sober Gothic nave behind a classical facade remade in 1757. Its hour of glory dates from 7 September 1429: Joan of Arc, lodged in the village with the captains of Charles VII, is said to have come here to pray at length before launching, the next day, the assault on the Porte Saint-Honoré. Wounded in the thigh by a crossbow bolt, she had to give up retaking Paris from the English — one of the painful turning points of her epic. In memory of that prayer vigil, the 20th century set beside the old church a votive basilica dedicated to Saint Joan of Arc, with a surprising and unfinished architectural history, whose facade of concrete and brick opens onto the rue de la Chapelle. Together they form today the Parisian sanctuary of Joan of Arc, the quiet memory of a working-class district through which the destiny of the kingdom once passed.

Getting there : 16 rue de la Chapelle, 75018 Paris. Métro Marx Dormoy (line 12) 250 m away; buses 35, 60. The church of Saint-Denys and the basilica share the same forecourt.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound