Saint Denis

Saint Denis
Game	Red Dead Redemption 2
Type	City
State/Territory	State of Lemoyne
Region	Bayou Nwa
Additional info
Inhabitants	Angelo Bronte Guido Martelli Henri Lemieux (mayor) Jean Marc Mercier Benjamin Lambert (Chief of Police) Joseph R. Barnes (doctor) Tilly Jackson Cleet (Saint Denis) Philip Pierre Mr. Pierre Josiah Trelawny Andrew Bell III Algernon Wasp Charles Châtenay (formerly) Brother Dorkins Sister Calderón (formerly) Ashton Holdern (barber) Charles De Coursey (tailor) Theodore Eckhart (stable keeper) Kuo Chao (gunsmith) Horner (general store owner) Doyle (tavern owner) Robert Andrew Freeman (saloon owner) Father O'Leary (reverend) Mannersby Hawksbill Miss Tweedie Marie Delores Alexander Butler Gilbert Knightly Hector Fellowes Hobart H. Crawley Evelyn Miller (formerly) Luca Napoli Dorothea Wicklow Norris Forsythe Marcelle Ferdinand Ruprecht O'Keith Timothy A. Donahue Terapin Marie (Maid)

“	A lively, 200-year-old melting-pot city where industry magnates, socialites, traders, sailors, workers, beggars, and thieves all live side by side. With good rail, road, and river connections for sugar, cotton, and other commodities trading, and a new electric power plant, business is booming.	„
	—Map description

Saint Denis is a major city and the capital of the state of Lemoyne, situated in the southern half of the Bayou Nwa on the banks of the Lannahechee River.

It is the largest city in Red Dead Redemption 2, and also the largest settlement in the entire Red Dead series.

Description

Saint Denis is a heavily industrialized city, containing large factories with towering chimneys. As a modern city, it incorporates paved streets, has a uniformed constabulary and operates a network of tram lines. Some areas of the city are dark, covered in a blanket of fog with the sky being blocked out by smoke from the factories. Other areas are green, lively and well-lit.

To the north are some small ranches and farmland, with a major dirt road leading into Saint Denis; just south of these are the slums of the city, where street urchins and the homeless are prevalent. This district features small, cramped streets, dark, run-down hovels and an abundance of crime. African-Americans and other foreign minorities are in abundance around the ghetto. To the west of the city, there are large mansions and estates, belonging to the wealthiest citizens of Saint Denis - such as the crimelord Angelo Bronte and Mayor Lemieux. The west side also features a park. The city's southwest features a large, but polluted lake which contains poisoned fish. To the south of the city, near the Lannahechee River, is a large industrialized zone full of factories, warehouses, cargo ports and railways.

The city is very diverse with residents of many backgrounds, religions and ethnic groups. Many African-Americans reside in the slums in the northeastern district of the city. Because of the city's history as a former French colony, French citizens can be encountered throughout the town. A sizeable Chinese diaspora can be found within the city too, particularly around the markets of Saint Denis. Many Spaniards and Italians also reside in the city, with the latter being particularly prominent in the city's organised crime network.

Much like the rest of Lemoyne, temperatures in Saint Denis are high. Temperatures never drop below single figures (Celsius), even at night. At day, temperatures range from anywhere in the late teens to as high as the mid-thirties (also in Celsius), depending on the weather. Saint Denis is on approximately the same latitude as Blackwater and Rhodes.

Transport

Saint Denis is a well developed, large city and is the capital of the state of Lemoyne, and as a result, has the most extensive public transport system in the entire Red Dead series.

Trams

The Cornwall City Rail Company operate the Saint Denis trams as of 1899, and are replaced by the Pacific Union Railroad Company in 1907. The tram network covers the majority of the city, operating two lines; the Blue Loop is the longest trolley line in Saint Denis, stopping at eight stations covering the commercial district and old quarter, stopping at popular destinations such as a the Lemoyne Supreme Court, market district and the Port of Saint Denis. This route provides a train interchange at the Victoria Street Station. The much smaller Red Loop circles around Harris Square in the northwestern part of the city where the more affluent residents reside.

All trams stop at Milyonne Avenue, providing an interchange between the two services.

Railway

The Southern and Eastern Railway, its successor; the Pacific Union Railroad, and the Central Union Railroad both frequent the Saint Denis railway station situated opposite the Victoria Street trolley station. The railway line continues along the southern and eastern edge of Saint Denis traveling north to the state of New Hanover. The city also acts as an important freight hub, with the Port of Saint Denis situated alongside the railway station, as well as warehouses and a freight station servicing the railroads.

Coaches

Davis Overland Despatch Company has a stop outside the Victoria Street trolley station with coaches available for the player to travel to major settlements and locations of the southern states of the United States as seen in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Interactions

Saint Denis plays a big part in Chapter 4, being where Angelo Bronte, the main antagonist of the chapter, resides. After having Jack Marston sold to him by the Braithwaites, the Van der Linde gang venture down to reclaim him. After Bronte willingly hands Jack over, he invites them a high-society party. Here, they learn about several lucrative robbery opportunities: a riverboat, the national bank, and the trolley station – a tip given to them by Bronte. After first taking a large haul from the riverboat job and avoiding the law, Dutch, Arthur and Lenny attempt to hit trolley station. However, the take turns out to be minimal and the trio are forced to flee from the police. Realizing that it was a trap set by Bronte, the gang proceed to ambush Bronte's mansion, against Hosea's wishes, where Dutch drowns and kills Bronte as revenge.

The gang then plan to rob the Lemoyne National Bank. However, this is foiled when the Pinkertons manage to intervene and hold Hosea hostage. Dutch attempts to make a deal with Pinkerton senior agent, Milton, but he refuses and executes Hosea in front of the gang and orders his men to open fire on the bank. During the ensuing shootout, John is captured by the Pinkertons and Lenny is shot dead during the gang's escape via rooftop. The gang hide out in an abandoned apartment until nightfall, when they decide to leave the United States via a boat. After Charles draws the Pinkertons away, they stowaway on a vessel, but it is later sunk by a torrential storm and the group wash ashore on the island of Guarma.

Later, after the gang returns to the United States, Arthur and Sadie devise a plan to rescue John, against Dutch's wishes, and Arthur heads to Doyle's Tavern to meet her. On the way, however, he suffers a serious coughing fit and passes out in the streets near the tavern. He is taken to the doctor, who diagnoses him with tuberculosis.

Later, the city hosts the hanging of Colm O'Driscoll in the city's park. Arthur, Dutch and Sadie attend the hanging to ensure he does not escape. While the hanging is a success, Sadie triggers a shootout with the O'Driscolls, and the trio are forced to flee.

The city is the start of the gang's last robbery together, where they intercept a train carrying Army payroll; a sum of money large enough that the gang hope to use it to leave America and start a new life elsewhere.

At some point after Arthur's death in 1899, Saint Denis is taken over by one of Bronte's henchmen named Guido Martelli. In 1907, John finds Charles in Saint Denis, where he is participating in a fighting tournament. Charles wins the fight, but the duo are subsequently ambushed by Martelli's men, who desire revenge after Charles tricked them into believing that he'd throw the fight. After Charles finds his possessions, the two leave the city on a cart and successfully evade their pursuers, after which John proclaims that he hates Saint Denis. John also finds Tilly in Saint Denis, where she had moved to in order to start a new life. She and John talk about their respective circumstances, before their conversation is cut short when she has to board a tram.

Mission appearances

Red Dead Redemption 2

• "The Battle of Shady Belle"
• "The Joys of Civilization"
• "Angelo Bronte, A Man of Honor"
• "Help a Brother Out"
• "Brothers and Sisters, One and All"
• "Fatherhood and Other Dreams"
• "The Artist's Way"
• "The Mercies of Knowledge"
• "Duchesses and other Animals"
• "A Bright Bouncing Boy"
• "The Gilded Cage"
• "Idealism and Pragmatism for Beginners"
• "A Fine Night of Debauchery"
• "Urban Pleasures"
• "Revenge is a Dish Best Eaten"
• "Banking, The Old American Art"
• "A Fork in the Road"
• "Icarus and Friends"
• "Goodbye, Dear Friend"
• "Our Best Selves"
• "Bare Knuckle Friendships"

Amenities

• Barber, run by Holdern, north.
• Lemoyne National Bank.
• Bastille Saloon, drinks served by Robert Andrew Freeman, poker played here, north.
• Butcher, southeast.
• Charles De Coursey's Tailor
• Dr. Theodore Scott, Pharmacy, northeast.
• Saint Denis Police Department led by Chief Benjamin Lambert bounty posters can be found in the station. Southwest.
• Doyle's Tavern, run by Doyle, northeast.
• Saint Denis Pawnbroker, Fence, on the market east near the railroad tracks at the Saint Denis Market.
• Horner & Co. General Store, run by Horner, southeast.
• Kuo Chao & Co. Gunsmith, run by Kuo Chao, east.
• Newspaper Seller, at the roundabout in the southeast.
• Marcel Beliveau's Photographic Studios, northeast.
• Victoria Street Station, Post Office, in the southeast.
• Theodore Eckhart Stables, run by Theodore Eckhart, south.
• Stagecoach, near the Post Office in the southeast.
• Théâtre Râleur, dominoes can be played across the street to the north.
• Fontana Theatre
• Dr. Joseph R. Barnes M.D. Physcian & Surgeon
• Fruit Store, run by Alexander Butler, close to the fence on the market in the east.
• Trapper, close to the fence on the market in the east.
• Gus Macmillan's trapper store (Red Dead Online only), close to the fence on the market in the east.

Notes

• On a crate on the southwestern docks is the Cigarette Card for Luther Covington.
• On the south-central docks is the Cigarette Card for the Appaloosa, sitting on a barrel.
• The Maria Isabella can be found docked on one of the southeast piers. On the cotton bales inside the upper deck is Ginseng Elixir.
• A blue booth can be found on one of the docks north of the Maria Isabella. On the windowsill inside is the Cigarette Card for the Balener Whaling Vessel.
• On a cart near the Post Office is the Cigarette Card for Saint Denis.
• On the piano inside the Gunsmith is Aged Pirate Rum.
• In an alley near the Trapper in the east is a table behind a wooden wall. On the table is the Cigarette Card for Laurence Carson.
• On the piano inside the Bastille Saloon is the Cigarette Card for the Player Piano - 1829 - Edward Leveaux.
• In the Theatre Raleur's west corridor is the Cigarette Card for Mabel Potter.
• On a table near the theater's stage is the Cigarette Card for Robin Koninsky. Note that this can only be obtained after watching all five shows at the theater, the last of which unlocks after the "Fatherhood and Other Dreams" mission.
• On a barrel on the western docks is the Cigarette Card for the Catfish.
• In the northwest part of town, the Cigarette Card for the Velocipede can be found on the table of a front porch.
• A trellis is located south of the Photo Studio in the east, covered in vines. Hidden there is the Cigarette Card for Oleander Sage.
• On a shelf in the back of Doyle's Tavern, to the east, is the Cigarette Card for the Hot Air Balloon.
• The Cigarette Card for the Camera - 1814 - Joseph Nicephone Niepce can be found in the building just south of the Photo Studio on the balcony.
• A shack on Pandella Street has the Cigarette Card for Lawn Tennis - Patsy Hill on its back porch.
• In a mausoleum in the northwest corner of the cemetery is the Cigarette Card for Jim "Boy" Calloway.
• An oblong shack can be found by going north up Bolden Street. Hidden beneath a floorboard is a lockbox containing the Poison Throwing Knife Pamphlet.
• North up Rue de la Diligent and past the cemetery, a gazebo can be found on the western side of the road. On a table to the southeast is the Cigarette Card for Richard McCullough.
• Further north of the gazebo, this time on the east side of the road, the Cigarette Card for Henrietta Beatrice Woods can be found on a front porch table.
• Much further up the same road and almost to the edge of town, a lockbox containing an apple, Miracle Tonic, and Snake Oil can be found neat to the crates on the northeast side of the stables (not the usable stables to the far south).

Note the following cannot be obtained until the "Smoking and other Hobbies" mission is acquired:

• On a workbench inside the freight hall - where railroad tracks all converge - is the Cigarette Card for Harvey Griggs.
• On the docks south of the Newspaper Seller is the Cigarette Card for The Showboat.
• On the old desk in the alley near the Doctor is the Cigarette Card for Ilga Ulmer.
• On a crate in the courtyard in the back of the Bastille Saloon is the Cigarette Card for Swinger - Axel McCormack.

Trivia

• Saint Denis is based on the real-world city of New Orleans, Louisiana. They share a number of similarities, just as Lemoyne does with the real-world state of Louisiana.
  • The city name of "Saint Denis" refers to the first bishop and patron of Paris, with the city's seal seemingly depicting the martyr in his conventional beheaded state (see below). Similarily, New Orleans (the real-life counterpart of Saint Denis) is named after Orléans - a commune and prefecture in Centre-Val de Loire, France.
  • Much like real life New Orleans, the street names of Saint Denis are written on the sidewalks, with blue lettering on white tiles.
  • The prominent statue of JD McKnight near the Saint Denis train station is nearly identical to the real-world bronze statue of Henry Clay that was built in the 1860s and still stands in Lafayette Square in New Orleans. In the year of 1891, when the actual statue was on Canal Street, it became the location for the incitement of the notorious mob that lynched eleven Italian-Americans for allegedly murdering Police Chief David Hennessy. Although the motives and identities of the murderers remain debated to this day, many locals at the time blamed the Italian Mafia. Conversations with Saint Denis citizens and articles in the Saint Denis Timesallude to such events and tensions.
  • The cemetery at the northern end of the city has only above-ground tombs. Many cemeteries in real life New Orleans are like this, as bodies cannot be buried in the soil there due to the high water table of the swampy environment.
• In real-life, Saint Denis is a suburb of Paris, and is home to both the Basilica of Saint-Denis, and the Stade de France, which is France's national stadium and has hosted many notable sporting events, including the 1998 FIFA World Cup final.
• Nearly every character in the game, American or not, refers to the city by the pronunciation "san-duh-nee". This itself is an Americanization of the French pronunciation of the city's name, which is "sant-deh-nee" (with the "t" in the "sant" being almost silent). Arthur Morgan's pronunciation of the city due to his southern accent has become something of an internet meme.
• The city was supposedly named as New Bordeaux but changed during the development of the game because the name was already used in another open-world game, Mafia III. The original name can be seen on the leaked 2016 map. The name change seems to have occurred rather late in development for the final release, however. As a campfire song that can be sung by the Van der Linde gang and heard in game will mention a town with the name "Bordeaux".
• Saint Denis is also the home to the Supreme Court of Lemoyne, mirroring how the Supreme Court of Louisiana is actually located in New Orleans as opposed to the state capitol of Baton Rouge. The Supreme Court of Lemoyne building is located directly to the right of the Vaudeville Theatre on Frontier St.
• The 1899 setting for the game means that it takes place roughly three years after the infamous Plessy v. Ferguson U.S. Supreme Court decision that affirmed the state supreme court and upheld the constitutionality of states' racial segregation ("separate but equal") laws. The case originally came about over disagreements on laws requiring separate racial accommodations on railroads, including railway cars, in New Orleans. The game is broadly accurate in reflecting both the interactivity and segregation that existed socially and economically among different ethnic and racial groups in the city at the time.
  • Despite the racial segregation, Saint Denis residents can understand each other's speeches even if they are using different languages. They can use basic greetings and give proper responses. This is seen in the market at the southeast side of the city, where residents can be heard communicating in English, Spanish and Cantonese.
• Both Arthur Morgan and John Marston display a high degree of disdain for Saint Denis, lamenting it as a "crowded, stuffed up city". Marston even openly states that he despises the city on several occasions. However, this does not affect the gameplay, and the player is free to travel and spend as much time in the city as they wish without any repercussions.
• After the mission "Urban Pleasures", four of Bronte's men will ambush the player at the bridges located in the city's west. Should the players kill them, witnesses will report the player to the police for murder.
• Players can't drive the trolleys in Saint Denis.
• Reflecting Saint Denis' pollution, mangy animals can be found within and in the outskirts of the city. These animals always have charred skin and have a one-star quality rating. Players can also fish in the polluted pond in the southwest of the city, but all fish are poisonous and cannot be kept when fished.
• After finding five hidden messages written on walls scattered throughout the city, the journal will indicate the locations of the writing form a star-like shape. If the player chooses to explore the area in the middle of the star during 0:00 to 1:00, they can find the infamous vampire, Nosferatu.
• The city features a gallows at a location known as Guiteau Square. The name is presumably a reference to Charles Guiteau, who was hanged in 1882 for the assassination of President James Garfield.
• The logo seen on the trolleys changes in 1907. In 1899, the logo displayed will say "Cornwall City Railway". After Leviticus Cornwall is killed and the game jumps to the year 1907. The logo will now say "Pacific Union R.R" the rail company seen previously in Red Dead Redemption.
• Curiously, despite being within the marked borders of the city on the map, the northeastern suburban outskirts of Saint Denis are not considered a part of the city on the HUD, instead being simply labelled as "Bayou Nwa".

Gallery

Saint Denis logo as seen on Rockstar's website

Seal of the City of Saint Denis

Arthur Morgan talking to an unknown person in a Saint Denis tavern

Arthur Morgan shooting from a tram car in Saint Denis

Saint Denis Docks seen from the Lannahechee River

Saint Denis Street seen from Saloon

Saint Denis City Hall

A Trolley, a form of transport used in Saint Denis

Saint Denis doctor's practice

Saint Denis by Night

Steam Locomotive at Saint Denis