Basilique Saint-Denis originated as a small chapel at the graveyard of Saint Denis in five century.
After seven century, the Merovingian era (486-751) of Frankish kingdom, Basilique Saint-Denis became the royal abbey church.
The third Basilique Saint-Denis was rebuilt in 775 of Carolingian era.
Abbot Suger (1081-1151) began to reconstruct the church in 1137, completed west facade and narthex in the 1140 and completed choir in 1144. He continued to reconstruct the nave but he died in 1151 before finished it.
It is said that the nave, including the upper part of the choir and transept, was reconstructed by probably Pierre de Montreuil (about 1200-67) and others (possibly one of those was Jean de Chelles; ?-1270) from 1231 to 1281.
Viollet-le-Duc (Eugene Emmanuel, 1814-79) repaired from 1836 to 1846.