Royal Necropolis ticket

What the ticket actually grants access to

The boundary runs at the back of the nave. In front, it’s the church: you enter, sit down, and leave without anyone asking anything. Behind, it’s the national monument, and that’s where the kings are. The ticket grants access to the choir consecrated on 11 June 1144, the one Abbot Suger made the first Gothic building in history; the ambulatory with radiating chapels, where the wall has been replaced by glass; the transept, which holds the world’s largest collection of funerary sculpture from the 12th to the 16th century; and the crypt, with the ossuary.

Depending on the monument, 40 kings, 26 queens, 60 princes and princesses, and around ten servants of the monarchy were buried here, from Dagobert in 639 to Louis XVIII in 1824. The full list and what the word “buried” actually means can be found on who is buried here.

What it does not grant access to, and what it does not show

Two misunderstandings keep recurring. The first: the ticket does not guarantee access at all hours. The monument closes during religious services, and a Sunday morning may result in a locked door on the necropolis side. The second, more profound: these are not tombs. In 1793, by decree of the Convention, the graves were opened to retrieve the lead from the coffins, and the remains were thrown into two mass graves with lime. In 1817, Louis XVIII had them exhumed: it was impossible to reassign them, so today they are mixed together in an ossuary in the crypt, behind a plaque listing the sovereigns. What you are looking at are monuments and recumbent statues. The full story is on the desecration of 1793.

The gisants you mustn’t miss

If you only remember a few: Dagobert, whose 13^th-century tomb tells a story in sculpted comic-strip form; Clovis and Childebert; the Renaissance double tomb of Louis XII and Anne of Brittany, with its "transi" underneath; the sculpted triumphal arch of Francis I and Claude of France; Henri II and Catherine de Médicis; Charles V the Wise; and Bertrand du Guesclin, constable and non-king, lying at the feet of his king. The transi — the statue of the naked, emaciated body placed beneath the clothed gisant — is what shocks children and what adults remember. The tombs are detailed one by one on les gisants, and the tour route on que voir.

La Fabrique de la Flèche

The basilica has only one tower. The north tower and its spire were dismantled stone by stone between 1846 and 1847 by the architect François Debret, after storms including that of June 1845. It was never reassembled — until the current project. La Fabrique de la Flèche, set up on the parvis and inside the building, can be visited with the ticket, from Tuesday to Sunday. It adds a good half-hour. Details are on la reconstruction de la flèche and on pourquoi une seule tour.

What those who have been there say

Duncan, from the United Kingdom, describes it as a « magnificent cathedral, burial place of most French monarchs ». Catherine, in France, remembers « a truly interesting visit with an EXCELLENT guide, René. Very clear in his explanations ». Armande, from Belgium: « A must-see. Thank you to the guide (free, check the times). » FREMINET notes « a well-signposted route, fun touchscreens and magnificent stained glass ». Paolo, from Italy, is more lukewarm: « the service was adequate, the place is beautiful ». All the feedback is compiled on l’avis complet.

Book your ticket

If you want commentary without waiting for the guide’s scheduled time, the ticket with audio tour will do the trick. And if you’re visiting several monuments in the same week, check out the Paris Museum Pass before buying individual tickets.

Frequently asked questions