King Dagobert I’s tomb at the Basilica of Saint Denis.
Dagobert I (c. 603/605 – 19 January 639) reigned as King of the Franks and is recognized as the final ruler of the Merovingian dynasty to exercise genuine royal authority. Notably, Dagobert became the inaugural Frankish monarch interred within the regal sepulchers at the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
His tomb exhibits a depiction of the king reclining on his side at the monument's base, accompanied by his wife Mathilde positioned to the left and his son Clovis II to the right. Intricately carved narratives on the tomb recount the vision of the hermit John. Following Dagobert's passing, his soul encounters a harrowing journey to Hell, depicted with demons ferrying it away, attributed to his contentious practice of appropriating church properties. However, in an upper panel, the benevolent intervention of Saint Denis, Saint Martin, and Saint Maurice intervenes, wresting Dagobert's soul from the clutches of demons and ushering it to Heavenly bliss, where it gains admission to Paradise.
