Dreux – the burial place of the last king of France

The King of France must know not only how to live but also how to die. Since he has lived his entire life in magnificent palaces, it is only natural that when his day comes to pass into a world of all good (as if he had no good here), he will not be buried in a simple grave, but in a cathedral under a magnificent tomb. Since the Middle Ages, the kings of France have chosenBasilica of Saint-Denis (Saint Denis) as their final resting place and most tourist guides will tell you that it is there that you can find the tombs of all the kings since Dagober (king between 629-639).

However, this is a mistake because the last two kings of France were not buried there. The first was King Charles X (reigned 10-1824), who was forced to flee France following the 1830 Revolution, died in exile in Slovenia and was buried in Gorizia in 1830. The second king was Louis Philippe (reigned 1836-1830), who was also forced to flee following a revolution and died in England in 1848. However, unlike Charles X, his body was returned to the earth. France, but instead of being buried in Saint-Denis, she was buried, at his request, in Dreux.

The history of Dreux

The city of Drew, part of the county of the same name, was part of the domain of the kings of France and during the Middle Ages became a battleground between France and the Duchy of Normandy and the King of England. In 1775, the French King Louis XVI, who coveted the castle of Rambouillet, decided to give its owner, the Duke of Penthièvre, the town of Droux in exchange for this castle.

The Duke, decided to transfer the bones of his father, the Duke of Toulouse, the illegitimate son of Louis XIV and the rest of his family from the church of Rambouillet to that of Dre, where he himself was buried in 1793. However, shortly afterwards the revolutionary government decided to desecrate the family graves and throw the bones into a mass grave.

After the return of the Bourbons, the Duchess of Orléans, wife of the Duke of Penthier and mother of Louis Philippe, the future King of France, decided to build a tomb mansion on the site of her family's mass grave. The mansion was built in the neoclassical style, as was common in the early 19th century, and featured Doric columns and a beautiful dome.

In 1830, after coming to power, Louis Philippe decided to transform the family tomb into a royal mansion that would rival Saint-Denis, where, as mentioned, almost all the kings of France were buried. Since the neo-Gothic style had become very popular in France at that time, the king surrounded the original tomb with Gothic-style buildings, the construction of which was completed in 1845. The result was a spectacular structure, although some would say a little kitschy due to the mixing of styles.

The visit to Dreux

Louis Philippe was forced to flee France in 1848 and died in England. His wife died in 1866 and only 10 years later were their bodies returned to France and buried in the cemetery alongside the rest of the Orléans family. Today, the complex contains several dozen tombs of Orléans, whose sons still claim the French throne (the current claimant is Count Paris, who calls himself Henry VII).

Since there is a fee to enter the complex, you enter the church from below through the crypt, where most of the tombs are located, and proceed up to the original entrance floor. When I entered the complex, I didn't know exactly what to expect. At first, all you'll see are a few unimpressive tombstones, some of which are empty (probably for future use). But then you turn right and this view emerges.

There is something captivating about this quiet, morbid beauty. And that is when you start to wander from tomb to tomb and learn about these people, who despite being wealthy nobles, were not always so fortunate in life. Take, for example, the tombs of Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (1810-1842) and his wife Helena of Mecklenburg (1814-1858).

Ferdinand Philippe was the eldest son of Louis Philippe and was considered the greatest promise of the House of Orléans due to his successes in the French army and his being a great patron of the writers of his time (he was a friend of Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo, Alfred de Massé, etc.). However, in 1842 the heir to the throne was killed in a carriage accident near Port Maillot, west of Paris. His wife Helena of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, who brought the custom of displaying Christmas trees with her to Paris, was a Protestant.

As a result, when she died of tuberculosis in 1858, she could not be buried with her husband and had to be buried in a separate chapel. However, the sculptor Henri Chapu (1833-1891), who was responsible for her tombstone, did not want to completely separate the couple who had loved each other in life. So when he sculpted her tombstone, he extended her hand towards her husband's grave in a gesture that represented her trying to reunite with him in death.

As you walk among the tombs, you will discover that although they are princes, they also often lost their young children. Take for example the little prince Louis of Orléans, who died in 1874 at the age of only seven. The sculptor Millet (1819-1891), who is responsible for some of the sculptures at the Paris Opera, decided to “wrap” the child in a kind of semi-transparent fabric made of marble, so that visitors can see the features of the little prince, who will forever remain 7 years old.

Finally, we come to the tomb of Louis Philippe and his wife. The tomb is different from the others because here the deceased is depicted standing and his wife kneels in prayer. The marble statue, which was inaugurated in 1886, was so beautiful that it was decided that it would be a waste to simply place it on a tomb, and it went on a “tour,” culminating in its presentation at the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris (the exhibition in whose honor the Eiffel Tower).

After you've finished glancing at the tombs, you're invited to go up to the church itself. This is the oldest part, which ironically is built in a newer style than the modern part (because of its neoclassical style, which is completely different from the neo-Gothic style). After you've finished admiring the stained glass windows and the organ, look up and you'll discover one of the most beautiful domes you've ever seen.

Summary

The chapel of Dre, where the members of the Orléans family are buried, is in my opinion one of the most special places in France and the highlight of the trip I took in early May 2016. However, it is quite clear to me that it is not suitable for everyone and there are many for whom this morbidity can be a nuisance. However, for everyone else, I highly recommend visiting this place and also combining it with a visit to the town where quite a few Renaissance and Baroque houses remain. Also, since the town is a short distance fromAnt Castle I highly recommend including it in your day trip.