“Forgotten but not gone” could be the motto for Saint-Denis-Nord-Est. It’s a former administrative district in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. We are standing at the place where Saint-Denis-Nord-Est once existed.
Let’s talk about what an arrondissement is. An arrondissement is a district of France. The arrondissement of Saint-Denis is in the Île-de-France region. It has eight communes. The population in 2021 was 451934. The area covers 47.4 square kilometers.
Saint-Denis-Nord-Est was a canton within the arrondissement. Cantons in France don’t really matter anymore. They were changed in 2015. Their borders no longer relate to the borders of the arrondissements.
Saint-Denis itself has a rich history. The city’s origins trace back to a Gallo-Roman village called Catolacus. This existed in the 2nd century. Saint Denis was the first bishop of Paris. He was martyred around 250 AD and buried here. His tomb became a place of worship.
King Dagobert I founded an abbey in the 7th century. He built it over Saint Denis’s tomb. Almost every French king was buried in the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
The town grew around the abbey. Abbot Suger enlarged the Basilica of Saint-Denis in 1140. It is considered an early example of Gothic architecture. The new church was consecrated in 1144.
During the French Revolution, Saint-Denis was renamed Franciade. This lasted from 1793 to 1803. The royal necropolis was looted and destroyed. The remains were reburied in a common ossuary.
Saint-Denis became increasingly industrialized in the 19th century. The Canal Saint-Denis was constructed in 1824. The first railway reached Saint-Denis in 1843.
The city elected its first socialist administration in 1892. By the 1920s, it was called la ville rouge or the red city.
The Stade de France was built in Saint-Denis for the 1998 FIFA World Cup. This brought infrastructural improvements. The metro was extended to Saint-Denis-Université.
In 2015, Saint-Denis was the site of major mass shootings. A follow-up raid occurred.
Saint-Denis is twinned with several cities. These include Córdoba in Spain and Coatbridge in Scotland.
Although Saint-Denis-Nord-Est no longer exists as an administrative division, its history remains. It is a part of the larger story of Saint-Denis. The area has seen royal burials, revolution, and industrial growth. It is a place of significant historical importance.