Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1868-01-03
From the Home Journal
The Vaults of St. Denis.


while in Paris, that memorable old
church outside the walls-the Church
of ST. Denis. 1t was in the vaults of
this venerable church the royalty of
France found a resting place, until
their bones were disturbed by the
vandalism of the revolution and it is
here Louis Napoleon intends some day
to bring the remains of his great un-
Gle from the magnificent Dome of the
Invalides, and here he expects to re-
pose himself, life's fever DER, by the
side of the founder of the Napoleonic
Dynasty. Paris has nothing to dis
play that can compare with the adorn-
ments of this small, but marvellous
temple. 1t is located some six miles
beyond the walls of Paris, was found
ed by Pepin, but finished and conse-
Grated by his more illustrious son,
Charlemagne.
There are, as it were, two churches
here-one level with the ground, and
one beneath it; the latter being as an
cient as Dagobert and Charlemagne,
the former having been raised over
the first structure by Louis TX. The
stained glass in the noble windows OF
this fine old church is among the finest
in Europe. Its ehulgence tinges the
sunbeam with almost every imagin-
able variety of color, and fills the
holy place with radiance. AS the
bright luminary that rules the day
runs his course, the grained roof and
clustered columns Of the ancient pile
glows in amber, violet and ruby hues
followed by rich combination of sill
YER, and azure tintS, the beaming lus
ire Of which darts from aisle to nave
from nave to transept, glOws arounC
the altar-then, like some mystic halo
from on high, resting within theil
choir, it fills the air around with beau
ty. The fact of the stained glass be
ing the work of modern times, hardly
thirty years old, refutes the com
mon assertion that this beautiful ar
is comparatively lost. The skill whose
cunning fingers wrought these splen
did adornments might compass de
signs of any magnitude, either in tn,
illumlnatiOns of tracery or the CON
plicated groupings of history, withou
receding from the point of eXcellenc
attained by the most renowned mast
erS. Indeed, it may well be question
ed whether the annealing of glass il
the age of Albert Durer was compaI
able with those processes of moderI
Ichemistry of which our modern glas
stainers have been enabled to ayai
themselves.
The Orifamme, or sacred banne
of Clovis, is suspended from an EN-
nence at the eastern extremity of thi
venerable edifce, beyond the high a
tar, 1t is of deep scarlet color
t and tradition assigns the age of thir
teen HUNDRED and seventy years t
this old silken remnant of monasti
superstition and imposition. Th
monks of the old Abbey Church wer
in the habit of assuring the peopl
that this banner was brought to th
abbey by an angel, about the perio
OF conversion to Christianity of oil
King Clovis. 1t was called Orihan
me, or Aurifamme, from the represer
tation of a fame worked in golde
threads upon the silk. The chapel
above are shrineS profusely adorne
with the embellishments of art, an
; glittering with wealth and magnif
cence. But beneath their stone pave
, ment were once the tombs of thre
dynastieS of kings. There once,
"a thousand years of silenced faction slept"
These chapel vaults were then we
called the Chronicles of France an
Europe-stone and marble edition
of the books of French kings, queens
counselorS, warriors, heroes and ph
loSophers.
The tombS have now been restore
and one cannot now make the circu
of these subterraneOuS receSses witt
out stumbling on PROSTATE royalty, c
on some marble form, whose prototyp
in the days of Chivalry and the Crl
sades, waged battle with the MALE
knight, encountered the scimitar {
: the Saracens, or charged the Englis
bowmen at Cressy, Poictiers, or AgiI
: court. The ulptor of some Of thes
cenotaphS is exquisite, and the recun
j, bent statues beautiful. In one of th
r recesses is a statue of Marie Anton
cite in kneeling posture, considere
b. a perfect likeness of that most unfo
: tunate princess. Brazen doors ope
into the royal vault, now containin
Z eight coffins, in which are what wa
r left of the remains Of Louis XVI. an
Marie Antoinette, and the embalme
bodies of Louis XVIII. and Othe
: members OF his family. There is an
! pie daylight in these crypts beneat
2 st. Denis, and, before the vandalisl
' of the revolution had scattered tt
= royal remains, it would have bee
: Just the spot where one might hay
T. told
I "Sad stories of the death of kings
f How some have been deposed, some slain in ws
Some haunted by the ghost they have dethrone
Some poisoned by their wives, some sleepil
killed"
: 1t was in the year 1893, in tt
t midst,of the upheaving of the poliI
q cal elements in France, when her fro
h tiers were surrounded by fierce ii
5 placable foes, that the decree wei
d forth to exhume the contents OF tt
N yanltS of CT DapIS' tO mass the lea