Saint Cloud

san kloo, a village of France. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, a mile or two below the walls of Paris. It may be reached from the center of the city by a ten-cent carfare. The village itself has a population of about 9,000 people. It is separated from Sevres by a beautiful wooded park in which the chateau of St. Cloud stands. The chateau was built in 1572. Louis XIV gave it to his brother, the Duke of Orleans. Louis XVI presented it to Marie Antoinette in 1782. It has been from time to time a favorite residence of French monarchs. Henry III was murdered here in 1589. Peter the Great was received here as an honored guest in 1717. It was Napoleon's residence when he was declared first consul. Blucher, his German conqueror, fixed his residence here in 1815. Napoleon III signed the declaration of war against Germany at Saint Cloud in 1870. During the sieges of Paris that followed, the palace suffered severely. The country surrounding the village is practically a suburban residence district of Paris. It is reached readily by tram-car, steam-boat, and rail. See Paris

St. Denis, san dne', a town of France. It is situated on the Seine four miles below Paris. It is a manufacturing city of importance, having a population of about 65,000. It is noted, however, chiefly for the venerable abbey in which the kings of France have been buried. The town was named for St. Denis, the first bishop of Paris. He is said to have suffered martyrdom. A chapel was erected above his supposed grave about 275. A large basilica took its place about 638. The present edifice dates from 1121-44. It has been repaired at different times. In shape it is rectangular, with a semi-circular choir or sanctuary at one end. It is celebrated for rose windows and other architectural features, including the earliest pointed arches known. It is noted chiefly for the tombs of French monarchs and members of the royal family from the time of Dagobert to Louis XVIII. In 1793, actuated by hatred for all things royal, the French Convention ordered the tombs of the French monarchs demolished. The work was intrusted to a wretch who broke open and defaced the tombs, melted down metal statues, and flung the bones of a hundred kings and royal persons into a common ditch. Louis XVIII restored the monuments and repaired the damage as far as possible. Some of the tombs are now in good repair. Of others, scarce a vestige is left. Among the more noted tombs are those of Pepin, Clovis, Catherine de Medici, and Francis I.