Saint Denis of Paris
Saint Denis, holding his head. statue at the left portal of Notre Dame.
Bishop and Martyr
Born	3rd century AD Italy
Died	c. 250, 258,[1] or 270 Montmartre, Paris, France
Honored in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church
Major shrine	Saint Denis Basilica
Feast	October 9
Attributes	carrying his severed head in his hands; a bishop's mitre; city; furnace[2]
Patronage	France; Paris; against frenzy, strife, headaches, hydrophobia, possessed people, rabies

Saint Denis (also called Dionysius, Dennis, or Denys) is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250. After his head was chopped off, Denis is said to have picked it up and walked ten kilometres (six miles), preaching a sermon the entire way, making him one of many cephalophores in hagiology. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church as patron of Paris, France and as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. The medieval and modern French name "Denis" derives from the ancient name Dionysius.

Life[link]

Beheading of Denis and of his companions, tympanum of the north portal of the Basilica of St Denis.

Gregory of Tours^[3] states that Denis was bishop of the Parisii and was martyred by being beheaded by a sword. The earliest document giving an account of his life and martyrdom, the "Passio SS. Dionysii Rustici et Eleutherii" dates from c. 600, is mistakenly attributed to the poet Venantius Fortunatus, and is legendary. Nevertheless, it appears from the Passio that Denis was sent from Italy to convert Gaul in the third century, forging a link with the "apostles to the Gauls" reputed to have been sent out under the direction of Pope Fabian. This was after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian community at Lutetia.^[4] Denis, with his inseparable companions Rusticus and Eleutherius, who were martyred with him, settled on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine. Roman Paris lay on the higher ground of the Left Bank, away from the river.

Martyrdom[link]

Denis, having alarmed the pagan priests by his many conversions, was executed by beheading on the highest hill in Paris (now Montmartre), which was likely to have been a druidic holy place. The martyrdom of Denis and his companions is popularly believed to have given it its current name, derived from the Latin mons martyrium "The Martyrs' Mountain",^[1] although in fact the name is more likely to derive from mons mercurei et mons martis, Hill of Mercury and Mars.^[5] After his head was chopped off, Denis is said to have picked it up and walked ten kilometres (six miles) from the summit of Mont Mars (now Montmartre), preaching a sermon the entire way, making him one of many cephalophores in hagiology. Of the many accounts of this martyrdom, this is noted in detail in the Golden Legend and in Butler's Lives Of The Saints.^[6] The site where he stopped preaching and actually died was marked by a small shrine that developed into the Saint Denis Basilica, which became the burial place for the kings of France. Another account has his corpse being thrown into the Seine, but recovered and buried later that night by his converts.^[2]

Veneration[link]

Late Gothic statue of Saint Denis, limestone, formerly polychromed (Musée de Cluny)

Veneration of Saint Denis began soon after his death. The bodies of Saints Denis, Eleutherius, and Rusticus were buried on the spot of their martyrdom, where the construction of the saint's eponymous basilica was begun by Saint Geneviève, assisted by the people of Paris.^[7] Her Vita Sanctae Genovefae attests the presence of a shrine near the present basilica by the close of the fifth century, though the names of Rusticus and Eleutherius are non-historical. The successor church was erected by Fulrad, who became abbot in 749/50 and was closely linked with the accession of the Carolingians to the Merovingian throne.

In time, the "Saint Denis", often combined as "Montjoie! Saint Denis!" became the war-cry of the French armies. The oriflamme, which became the standard of France, was the banner consecrated upon his tomb. His veneration spread beyond France when, in 754, Pope Stephen II, who was French, brought veneration of Saint Denis to Rome. Soon his cultus was prevalent throughout Europe.^[7] Abbot Suger removed the relics of Denis, and those associated with Rustique and Eleuthére, from the crypt to reside under the high altar of the Saint-Denis he rebuilt, 1140-44.^[8]

The feast of Saint Denis was added to the Roman Calendar in the year 1568 by Pope Pius V, though it had been celebrated since at least the year 800. St Denis' feast day is celebrated on October 9.^[2]

In traditional Catholic practice, Saint Denis is honored as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. Specifically, Denis is invoked against diabolical possession and headaches^[9] and with Sainte Geneviève is one of the patron saints of Paris.

Companions[link]

Last Communion and Martyrdom of Saint Denis, by Henri Bellechose, 1416, which shows the martyrdom of both Denis and his companions

9 October is celebrated as the feast of Saint Denis and also of his companions, a priest named Rusticus and a deacon, Eleutherius, who were martyred alongside him and buried with him.

Confusion with Dionysus the Areopagite[link]

Since at least the ninth century, the legends of Dionysus the Areopagite and Denis of Paris have been often confused. Around 814, Louis the Pious brought certain writings attributed to Dionysus the Areopagite to France, and since then it became common among the French legendary writers to argue that Denis of Paris was the same Dionysus who was a famous convert and disciple of Saint Paul.^[7] The confusion of the personalities of Saint Denis, Dionysus the Areopagite, and pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite, the author of the writings ascribed to Dionysius brought to France by Louis, was initiated through an Areopagitica written in 836 by Hilduin, Abbot of Saint-Denis, at the request of Louis the Pious. "Hilduin was anxious to promote the dignity of his church, and it is to him that the quite unfounded identification of the patron saint with Dionysius the Areopagite and his consequent connexion with the apostolic age are due."^[10] Hilduin's attribution had been supported for centuries by the monastic community at Abbey of Saint-Denis and one of origins of their pride. In Historia calamitatum, Pierre Abelard gives a short account of the strength of this belief and the monastery's harsh opposition to challenges to their claim. Abelard jokingly pointed out a possibility that the founder of the Abbey could have been another Dionysius, who is mentioned as Dionysius of Corinth by Eusebius. This irritated the community so much that eventually Abelard left in bitterness. As late as the sixteenth century, scholars might still argue for an Eastern origin of the Basilica of Saint-Denis: one was Godefroi Tillman, in a long preface to a paraphrase of the Letters of the Areopagite, printed in Paris in 1538 by Charlotte Guillard.^[11] Historians today^[12] do not dispute this point.^[4]

Depiction in art[link]

Denis' headless walk has led to his being depicted in art decapitated and dressed as a Bishop, holding his own mitred head in his hands.^[7] Handling the halo in this circumstance poses a unique challenge for the artist. Some put the halo where the head used to be; others have Saint Denis carrying the halo along with the head. Even more problematic than the halo was the issue of how much of his head Denis should be shown carrying. Throughout much of the Middle Ages, the Abbey of St Denis and the canons of Notre-Dame Cathedral were in dispute over ownership of the saint's head. The Abbey claimed that they had the entire body, whilst the Cathedral claimed to possess the top of his head which, they claimed, had been severed by the executioner's first blow.^[13] Thus while most depictions of St Denis show him holding his entire head, in others, the patrons have shown their support for the Cathedral's claim by depicting him carrying just the crown of his skull, as, for example in the mid 13th century window showing the story at Le Mans Cathedral (Bay 111).^[14]

Notes[link]

Further Reading[link]

• Drinkwater, J.F. (1987). The Gallic Empire : separatism and continuity in the north-western provinces of the Roman Empire, A.D. 260-274. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden. ISBN 3-515-04806-5. 
• Gregory of Tours (1988). Glory of the martyrs. Raymond Van Dam, trans. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. ISBN 0-85323-236-9. 
• Lacaze, Charlotte (1979). The "Vie de Saint Denis" Manuscript. New York: Garland. 
• Van Dam, Raymond (1985). Leadership and community in late antique Gaul. Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-05162-9. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Denis de Paris

• The Life, Miracles and Martyrdom of St. Denis (Dionysius, Dennis, Denys) Bishop & Martyr of the Church
• Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Denis
• St. Denis and Companions provides information about their feast on October 9

Denis Ten
Ten at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
Personal information
Full name	Denis Yurievich Ten
Country represented	Kazakhstan
Born	(1993-06-13) June 13, 1993 (age 19) Almaty
Height	1.62 m (5 ft 4 in)
Coach	Frank Caroll
Former coach	Elena Buianova Tatiana Tarasova
Choreographer	Stéphane Lambiel Lori Nichol
Former choreographer	Elena Buianova Tatiana Tarasova Irina Tagaeva Mikhail Pochitalin
Skating club	Kiyal Almaty
Current training locations	Lake Arrowhead, California
Former training locations	Moscow, Sochi
Began skating	1998
World standing	16 (As of 17 September 2011 (2011 -09-17)[update])[1]
Season's bests	12 (2011–2012)[2] 21 (2010–2011)[3] 26 (2009–2010)[4] 17 (2008–2009)[5]
ISU personal best scores
Combined total	229.70 2012 Worlds
Short program	77.73 2012 Four Continents Championships
Free skate	153.70 2012 Worlds
Medal record Competitor for  Kazakhstan Men's Figure skating Asian Winter Games Gold 2011 Astana-Almaty Singles

Denis Yurievich Ten (Russian: Денис Юрьевич Тен, born June 13, 1993) is a Kazakhstani figure skater. He is the 2011 Asian Winter Games champion and 2006 Kazakhstan national champion. At the 2008-2009 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Belarus, he became the first skater from Kazakhstan to win an International Skating Union competition. He competed at the 2010 Winter Olympics after earning 2 spots for Kazakhstan at the 2009 World Championships, the first time Kazakhstan had ever qualified two spots in that event.

Personal life[link]

Denis Ten was born in Almaty, Kazakhstan and is a member of the Korean minority in Kazakhstan, his great-great-grandfather, Min Keung-ho,^[6][7] was a Korean Independence Fighter general during the time of the Korean Empire when Korea fought for independence from Japan. His grandfather, like other independence fighters, operated from Gando (Manchuria) or Primorsky Krai, as known in Korea at that time.

Ten attended music school for five years and competed as part of a choir.^[8] In 2002, his team won the silver medal at the World Choir Games, held in Busan, South Korea.^[8] This was Ten's first trip to that country.^[7] He also tried taekwando, karate, tennis, swimming and acrobatics.^[9]

Career[link]

Ten began skating at an open-air rink in Almaty in winter and later practiced at an indoor rink in a shopping mall.^[8][9] In 2003, he traveled to Omsk in southwest Siberia, Russia, for a skating competition which he won.^[8] The head judge, Alexander Kogan, invited him to another competition in Odintsovo, Moscow where he met coach Elena Buianova (Vodorezova).^[9] Ten began training camps with her at CSKA Moscow and then was invited to join her group full-time.^[8] He moved with his mother to Moscow, Russia in 2004 while his father and older brother, Alexei, remained in Kazakhstan.^[7][8] Ten already knew Russian as that was his first language.^[8] He also trained in Sochi in southern Russia. At the age of 17, he moved again with his mother, this time to California to train with Frank Caroll.^[10] He also works with Rafael Arutunian.^[11]

2006–2007 season[link]

Ten began competing internationally in the 2006-2007 season at the age of 13, which was the first year he was age-eligible for International Skating Union (ISU) junior-level competition. On October 5, 2006, he debuted on the ISU Junior Grand Prix at the 2006-2007 ISU Junior Grand Prix event in The Hague, Netherlands. Ten placed 14th in the short program and 7th in the free skate to place 10th overall.^[12] In November of that year, he competed at the Coupe Internationale de la Ville de Nice in Nice, France on the novice level. He won the event by 4.18 ahead of silver medalist Artur Gachinski.^[13]

In February 2007, Ten competed at the Dragon Trophy in Ljubljana, Slovenia. He won the junior men's event by 34.36 points over silver medalist Jason Thompson. Later that month, Ten competed at the 2007 World Junior Championships in Oberstdorf, Germany. He placed 26th in the short program and did not make the cut to advance to the free skating portion of the event. He had placed 0.44 points below the final qualifier.^[14] Ten finished the season at the Haabersti Cup in Tallinn, Estonia, where he won the junior men's event by 16.34 points ahead of silver medalist Viktor Romanenkov.^[15]

2007–2008 season[link]

Ten began the 2007-2008 season on the 2007-2008 ISU Junior Grand Prix circuit. In September, 2007, he competed at the ISU Junior Grand Prix event in Miercurea Ciuc, Romania. He placed 3rd in the short program, 2.42 behind second place finisher Ivan Bariev and 2.22 ahead of fourth place finisher Andrew Lum.^[16] In the free skate, Ten placed 6th, and finished the event in 6th place overall, 5.09 points behind bronze medalist Takahito Mura.^[17] At Ten's second event two weeks later in Tallinn, he placed 10th in the short program and 10th in the free skate to place 10th overall. He finished the ISU Junior Grand Prix in 31st place to qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final.^[18]

In November, Ten competed at the NRW Trophy on the junior level. He won both segments of the competition to win the gold medal by 22.59 points over silver medalist Gordei Gorshkov.^[19]

In February, 2008, Ten competed at the 2008 World Junior Championships. He placed 8th in the short program, 3.36 points behind third place finisher Brandon Mroz and 9.35 points behind first place finisher Adam Rippon.^[20] In the short program, Ten was credited with a triple lutz–triple toe loop combination and received a level 4 on his change foot combination spin.^[21] In the free skate, Ten placed 19th after falling twice, once on a triple axel attempt, and the second time on his triple lutz. However, he was credited with rotating the triple axel.^[22] He placed 16th overall.^[23] Because of his placement at the World Junior Championships, Ten earned Kazakhstan the right to send one men's entry to every Junior Grand Prix event for the following season.^[24]

2008–2009 season[link]

Ten at the 2009 Four Continents.

Ten began the 2008-2009 season on the 2008-2009 ISU Junior Grand Prix. At his first event in Courchevel, France, he placed 5th in the short program and in the free skate to place 4th overall, placing 7.82 behind bronze medalist Florent Amodio.^[25] In his free skate, Ten landed a clean triple axel.^[26] By placing 4th in his first event, Ten entered into contention to potentially qualify for the Junior Grand Prix Final.

A month later, Ten competed at his second Junior Grand Prix event, the event in Gomel, Belarus. In the short program, Ten landed four triples, including a triple axel,^[27] to win the short program by a 5.19 point margin of victory over second place finisher Stanislav Kovalev.^[27] In the free skate, Ten landed six triple jumps to place 2nd in that segment of the competition by 3.88 points behind Yang Chao.^[28] Ten won the competition by 4.60 total points ahead of silver medalist Yang.^[29] By winning this competition, Ten simultaneously became the first skater from Kazakhstan to medal at an ISU competition and to win an ISU competition. Following the eighth and final Junior Grand Prix event, Ten became the first skater from Kazakhstan to qualify for the ISU Junior Grand Prix Final, for which he was the 7th qualifier.

Ten was originally scheduled to make his senior international debut at the 2008 Ondrej Nepela Memorial in late November 2008. However, he officially withdrew following the short program draw and did not compete.

Ten competed at the 2008-2009 ISU Junior Grand Prix Final in Seoul, South Korea, in December 2008. In the short program, he landed a triple axel, but fell on his combination jump and did not complete the combination^[30] to place 7th in that segment of the competition.^[31] In the free skating segment, Ten landed a triple axel-double toe loop combination and six other triple jumps^[32] to place 3rd in that segment of the competition.^[33] He placed 5th overall, 0.31 points behind 4th place finisher Ivan Bariev, and 3.59 points behind bronze medalist Richard Dornbush.^[34]

In February 2009, Ten made his senior international debut at the 2009 Four Continents in Vancouver, Canada at the age of 15, the first year for which he was age-eligible for senior ISU championships. He placed 10th in the short program^[35] after landing a triple axel and a triple lutz, but missing his triple flip combination.^[36] He placed 8th in the free skate^[37] after landing six triples, including a triple axel-tripel toe loop combination, but popping a solo triple axel and a triple flip.^[38] He placed 9th overall.^[39]

Two weeks later, Ten competed at the 2009 Junior Worlds. He placed 5th in the short program^[40] after being downgraded on the second jump in his triple-triple combination.^[41] In the free skate, Ten was credited with six triple jumps, including two triple axels, and received another downgrade on the second jump of his triple-triple combination.^[42] He placed 4th in that segment of the competition, placing 0.32 points behind third place finisher Artem Grigoriev in that segment of the competition.^[43] Ten placed 4th overall, ending the competition 0.63 points behind bronze medalist Grigoriev.^[44]

Ten finished the season at the 2009 World Championships, where he was the youngest male skater at the competition.^[45] He placed 17th in the short program^[46] after being credited with four triples, including his triple axel and triple-triple combination.^[47] In the free skate, Ten was credited with eight triple jumps,^[48] the maximum number of triple jumps allowed, to place 6th in that segment of the competition.^[49] He placed 8th overall^[50] and qualified two spots for Kazakhstan to the Olympics for the first time in history.

2009–2010 season[link]

Ten won the 2009 Golden Spin of Zagreb and placed fourth overall in the 2009 NRW Trophy. After he made his Senior debut in the 2009–2010 ISU Grand Prix series, where he was assigned to the 2009 Cup of China and the 2009 Skate Canada International. He placed tenth at the 2009 Cup of China with 182.63 points and seventh at the 2009 Skate Canada scoring 193.33 overal.

At the 2010 Four Continents, he earned 70.50 points in the short program, where he placed fourth. He came in fourteenth position in the free skate scoring 102.15 after falling on two of his jumps. He finished tenth with a combined score of 172.65 points.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics, Ten received a score of 76.24 points in the short program, placing tenth. He was fourteenth in the free skate with 135.01 points to finish eleventh overall with a total score of 211.25.^[51]

At the 2010 World Championships, he was in ninth place after the short program and placed fifteenth in the free skate with a score of 125.06 points. He finished thirteenth with 202.46 points overall. Following the World Championship, he announced a coaching change to Frank Caroll and relocated to California.^[52]

2010–2011 season[link]

Ten at the 2011 World Championships.

During the 2010-2011 Grand Prix season, Ten competed at the 2010 NHK Trophy and the 2010 Skate America. At NHK, he placed 6th in the short program but his long program saw him fall to 11th overall. At Skate America, he also placed sixth in the short program but dropped to 12th overall after the long program.

Ten won the gold medal at the 2011 Asian Winter Games with a first place in the short program and third in the long.

2011–2012 season[link]

Ten was assigned to 2011 Skate America and 2011 Skate Canada International.^[52] He placed 5th in both events. At the 2012 Worlds in Nice, France, Ten finished 7th, his best result at a World Championships.

Programs[link]

Competitive highlights[link]

References[link]