A custom reaching its peak in the 17th Century, separate heart burial was practiced not only by French kings, but also princes of the blood and the high nobility.

The heart was an organ steeped in symbolism by the Catholic Church. Mentioned 85 times in the Bible (figuratively), it is a symbol of immortality, purity, suffering, and love. Indeed, in the 13th Century, “cardiac cults” such as Mary’s Immaculate Heart and the Sacred Heart of Jesus were established. In the context of “heart-related” religious fervor, it is not surprising that the kings of France, monarchs by divine right, attached particular importance to the preservation of their royal hearts.

This practice of separating the heart (and entrails) was vested with strong political and religious symbolism: the king gave his heart to France and offered his soul, his valor, and his purity to the devotion of the people. Furthermore, the fact that the royal heart was laid to rest in a location stipulated in the king’s will rather than with the body at the Basilica of Saint-Denis (the resting place of all but three of France’s kings since 997) served a political purpose. Spreading royal hearts throughout French territories was a post-mortem way of leaving a political mark, of sorts, in the provinces.

As stated, this was a tradition at its peak in the 17th Century: luxurious cardiotaphs (heart tombs) were created, and featured as the centrepiece of elaborate funeral ceremonies with specific testaments to the organ. The importance placed on the royal heart can be seen in the way modest funeral plaques placed over the royal remains pale in comparison to the magnificence of heart tombs, as can be seen in this example, the heart tomb of Henry II.

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