Region: Ile-de-France
Population: 110,000
City ambassadors: Steve Marlet (former France striker, now sporting director at Red Star FC), Grand Corps Malade (slam poet)

Located 10km north of the centre of Paris, Saint-Denis started life as the village of Catolacus before adopting the name of a Christian martyr buried there after his beheading on nearby Montmartre. His tomb became a place of worship, and a chapel was built on it until, around 630AD, King Dagobert I turned it into a royal monastery, which he granted independence from the Bishop of Paris. Some 75 kings and queens, from Dagobert I to Louis XVIII, are buried in the Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis.

Known as Franciade during the French Revolution, the prevalence of socialist administrations at the start of the last century earned it the nickname 'la Ville Rouge' (the Red City). Hard hit by the decline of heavy industry in the 1970s, the construction of the Stade de France and arrival of the metro brought fresh impetus to the place thought to have the most youthful population in the country.

What to See

•  Basilica of St Denis

The Basilique Royal de Saint-Denis is the burial place of French royalty in Paris. It is a necropolis, a stunning edifice to the dead, full of hauntingly beautiful funeral sculptures, mausoleums, and tombs. In the Basilica Cathedral of Saint-Denis, perhaps more than anywhere in Paris, the bloody power struggles of France resonate.

•  Cephalophore

 

A cephalophore (from the Greek for "head-carrier") is a saint who is generally depicted carrying his or her own head; in art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been martyred by beheading. Handling the halo in this circumstance offers a unique challenge for the artist. Some put the halo where the head used to be; others have the saint carrying the halo along with the head.

Transport

Located to the north of Paris, and less than an hour and a half from other major European capitals, Saint-Denis is very easily reached by air from the nearby Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle international airport.

Saint-Denis is served by Metro, RER, Tram, and Translien connections. The Saint-Denis rail station, built in 1846, was formerly the only one in Saint-Denis, but today serves as an interchange station for the Transilien Paris – Nord (Line H) suburban rail line and RER line D.

Distances to other UEFA EURO 2016 venues
Paris – 15km
Lens – 195km
Lille – 215km
Lyon – 480km
Saint-Etienne – 540km
Bordeaux – 600km
Toulouse – 695km
Marseille – 790km
Nice – 955km

Football

Football became a major part of Saint-Denis life with the laying of the foundation stone of the Stade de France in La Plaine district on 6 September 1995. Designed by four French architects (Michel Macary, Aymeric Zublena, Michel Regembal and Claude Constantini), the 80,000-capacity stadium was constructed to host the 1998 FIFA World Cup final.

The inaugural match was played in January 1998, a friendly between France and Spain. Les Bleus won 1-0 after a goal from Zinedine Zidane, the first player to score at the new ground. It was then that the Stade de France started to weave its magic.

Three games stand out in the history of the stadium and the French national team. On 3 July 1998, France eliminated Italy in a tense World Cup quarter-final (4-3 on penalties); five days later they beat Croatia 2-1 to reach the final; then, on 12 July, Les Bleus were crowned world champions after a 3-0 victory in a memorable showpiece against Ronaldo's Brazil. The match, in which Zidane struck twice, led to euphoric scenes and a celebration of multiracial France.

The Stade de France has staged over 75 home matches for France and is considered a lucky ground for the French – they have only lost 11 times. The most recent high-stakes encounter came on 19 November 2013 in a World Cup play-off. Didier Deschamps' side overcame a 2-0 first leg deficit to defeat Ukraine 3-0 in a frantic game and secure their ticket to the 2014 World Cup. The Stade de France will host the final of UEFA EURO 2016.

This is sure to be another wonderful occasion for Saint-Denis and in particular the 1,000 members of its leading football club, Saint-Denis Union Sports.

 

UEFA capacity: 80,000
Tenants: France national team
Opened: January 1998

Stade de France is the largest stadium in France and the stadium where the French national team plays its most important home matches.

Stade de France got built to serve as the centrepiece of the 1998 World Cup. At that time no stadium in France had a capacity of over 45,000 and the tournament needed a 70,000+ stadium.

Construction of the stadium began in 1995 and after 31 months, on the 28th of January 1998, it officially opened with a friendly match between the national teams of France and Spain. Zinedine Zidane scored the first and only goal of the match.

Stade de France will again host the final of a major tournament when in 2016 the European Championships are played in France. It will furthermore host four first round group matches, one round of 16 match, and one quarter final.

UEFA EURO 2016 matches

Group stage
10/06/16, 21.00: France v Romania
13/06/16, 18.00: Republic of Ireland v Sweden
16/06/16, 21.00: Germany v Poland
22/06/16, 18.00: Iceland v Austria

Round of 16
27/06/16, 18.00: WE v RD