Subprefecture and commune in Île-de-France, France

Saint-Denis ( , French: [sɛ̃d(ə)ni] ⓘ) is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, 7️⃣ France. It is located 9.4 km (5.8 mi) from the centre of Paris. Saint-Denis is the second most populated suburb 7️⃣ of Paris (after Boulogne-Billancourt), with a population of 113,116 at the 2024 census. It is a subprefecture (French: sous-préfecture) of 7️⃣ the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, being the seat of the arrondissement of Saint-Denis. It is also part of the Métropole du 7️⃣ Grand Paris.

Saint-Denis is home to the royal necropolis of the Basilica of Saint-Denis and was also the location of the 7️⃣ associated abbey. It is also home to France's national football and rugby stadium, the Stade de France, built for the 7️⃣ 1998 FIFA World Cup. Saint-Denis is a formerly industrial suburb currently changing its economic base. Inhabitants of Saint-Denis are called 7️⃣ Dionysiens.[3]

Name [ edit ]

Until the 3rd century, Saint-Denis was a small settlement called Catolacus or Catulliacum, probably meaning "estate of 7️⃣ Catullius", a Gallo-Roman landowner. About 250 AD, the first bishop of Paris, Saint Denis, was martyred on Montmartre hill and 7️⃣ buried in Catolacus. Shortly after 250 AD, his grave became a shrine and a pilgrimage centre, with the building of 7️⃣ the Abbey of Saint Denis, and the settlement was renamed Saint-Denis.