Saint-Denis, France
Saint-Denis is a commune (roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities/cities in the United States or Canada) in the northern suburbs of Paris, France.
It is located 5.8 miles from the centre of Paris, so hiring a car will help you to explore Saint-Denis’ sights, as well as head in to Paris for a night on the town.
Saint-Denis has an estimated population of 96,000 people, the inhabitants of which are referred to as Dionysiens.
Of those people, approximately 65% of Saint-Denis’ inhabitants were born in Metropolitan France, with 28.8% being non-European immigrants, and the remaining 6.8% being born in countries of french citizenship overseas. Many of Saint-Denis’ residents are Muslim immigrants from former French colonies.
Saint-Denis is home to the royal necropolis of Saint Denis Basilica, and was also the location of the associated abbey. This is a must-see when visiting Saint-Denis, so rent a car and check out this amazing sight for yourself.
About 250 AD, the first bishop of Paris, Saint Denis, was martyred on Montmartre hill and buried in Catolaucs (during the 2nd century, there was a Gallo-Roman village named Catolacus on the location that Saint-Denis occupies today).
Later his grave became a shrine and a pilgrimage center with the building of the Abbey of Saint Denis. The settlement was then renamed Saint-Denis.
During its history, Saint-Denis has been closely associated with the French royal house. In fact, starting from Dagobert I, almost every French king is buried in the Basilica.
In 1793, during the French Revolution, Saint-Denis was renamed Franciade in a gesture of rejection of religion. In 1803, however, under the Consulate of Napoléon Bonaparte, the city recovered its former name of Saint-Denis
During the 19th century, Saint-Denis became increasingly industrialized.
Transport was much improved in 1824 when the Canal Saint-Denis was constructed, linking the Canal de l’Ourcq in the northeast of Paris to the River Seine at the level of L’Île-Saint-Denis, and in 1843 when the first railway reached Saint-Denis. By the end of the century, there were 80 factories in Saint-Denis.
During the Second World War, after the defeat of France, Saint-Denis was occupied by the Germans in June of 1940. After an insurgency which started on August 18, 1944, Saint-Denis was liberated by General Leclerc on August 27.
After the war, the economic crisis of the 1970s and 1980s hit the city, which was heavily dependent on its industry.
During the 1990s, however, the city started to grow again. The 1998 Football World Cup provided an enormous boost to Saint-Denis’ economy; the main stadium for the tournament, the Stade de France (France’s national stadium), was built in Saint-Denis.
In 2003, together with Paris, Saint-Denis hosted the second European Social Forum. Saint-Denis is a formerly industrial suburb that is currently reconverting its economic base.