Saint-Denis, city in north central France, in Seine-Saint-Denis Department, on the Seine River. Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, is an industrial center with factories producing metal goods, glass, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, and processed food.
In the city is the famous Abbey Church of Saint-Denis (1137-1144), an architectural landmark considered to be the first major structure built in the Gothic style. The Abbey Church, incorporating part of a Romanesque church (8th-10th century), served as the model for such noted Gothic cathedrals as those at Chartres and Amiens. It was restored in the 19th century by Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc after suffering much damage during the French Revolution (1789-1799). The Abbey Church contains the tombs (some with notable sculptures) of many French kings and queens; among them is the grandiose freestanding tomb (1563-1570) of Henry II and Catherine de Médicis by Germain Pilon and Francesco Primaticcio.
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