St. Denis, Bishop of Paris

St. Denis was the first bishop of Paris. He is sometimes confused with Denis the Areopagite who was a convert of St. Paul. In the middle of the third century he was sent to the area then called ‘Lutetia Parisiorum’ by St. Fabian who was then the Pope. He was assisted by a priest called Rusticus and a deacon called Eleutherius. Their efforts of evangelising the Gauls (the peoples of the region) were so successful that the pagan leaders had them arrested and put to death. The place where they were martyred was called Vicus Catalliacus but is now called St. Denis. An abbey was subsequently built on this site - the Abbey of St. Denis - which became the place of burial for the kings of France. Pepin and Charlemagne were important benefactors of the monastery which was rebuilt by the abbot Suger who is famous for his promotion of the use of stained glass in ecclesiastical architecture. The Abbey of St. Denis remains as one of the great treasures of Catholic France.