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Saint Denis Basilique

After Marie’s brother-in-law claimed the throne, he had the previous royal family’s bodies exhumed from their unmarked graves and given a proper burial at the Saint Denis Basilique.

The Basilique is known as the royal necropolis of France due to all the royalty buried there. Though in a sketchy area, this is one of the most beautifully Gothic places I’ve ever been. It actually has every element of Gothic architecture and is one of the first truly Gothic buildings in France.

Like her husband, King Louis XVI, the Queen was buried in a mass grave with others who were beheaded that day. Her only surviving son and heir to the throne, Louis-Charles, died from neglect and illness only a few short years later. He was also buried in an unmarked grave, non befitting the title of prince. The young prince’s heart was smuggled out during the autopsy by the overseeing physician.

In addition to the bodies who weren’t rightfully buried at the Saint Denis Basilique, the royalty who were already interred at the church were exhumed and their bodies destroyed during the riots of the revolution. Luckily the monuments and grave markers were saved and still exist at the Bailique today. As a last stop on my tour of Marie, I ventured with my son to explore the church and the catacombs beneath.

After the fall of Napoleon, the brother of the late king returned from exile and reclaimed the throne which had previously been abolished. It was he who had the what remained of the bodies of his brother King Louis XVI, Queen Marie Antoinette, and their children interred in the Saint Denis Basilique.

King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette have beautiful statues on the upper level of the church, while the remains are below with the rest of the family in the catacombs and crypt below. Their youngest son, Louis Charles’s body was never found, though his heart did make it to the basilique in 2004 and was interred in a glass jar next to his family in the crypt. Thus ending the tale and tragedy of Marie Antoinette.

You may have read this entire article because you were interested in the history of Marie Antoinette or perhaps you wanted to see how I could possibly tie Marie Antoinette to satanism. While I did share the story of the extravagance, over indulgence, and depravity that was her teenage life, the majority of her life was lived as a wife, mother, and catholic. Not that extravagance, over indulgence, and depravity have anything to do with satanism, it’s just we as satanists, don’t see it as a sin. We don’t judge people for what they do for happiness, as long as it isn’t hurting other people. While Marie Antoinette, clearly was not a satanist; she was a misunderstood romantic who was judged severely by the public. While Catholicism claimed her, it certainty did not protect her, nor gain her public favor in the end. She even may have fared better as an actual satanist, because at least then she may have been feared by those who don’t understand what we call satanism today, or respected by those seeking the path to enlightenment who pushed for the revolution in the first place. France would not be what it is today, without Marie and you could even make the argument her lifestyle pushed the french people to the limit and started the revolution to begin with. So whether or not you love her, or hate her, she did change the world and suffered terrible for it.

Bonne nuit, douce reine – ava satanas.