Sainte-Chapelle

King Louis IX (later St. Louis) purchased the Holy Relics (the most famous of these rumored to be the Crown of Thorns) from the emperor of Constantinople where they had resided since the 4th century. He had this church built on the palace grounds between 1242 and 1248 to house these relics; hoping to lay claim for France and Paris as the "New Jerusalem".

The chapel has been undergoing restoration since 2008, with the work due to be completed this year.

 

 

After the impressive outside, your immediate impression of the inside is one of low ceilings - where are the soaring vaults promised by the outside view. you come to understand that you have walked into the lower chapel where the palace staff worshipped. We were lucky enough to be the only people who showed up for the free English language tour so we learned that most of the interior of the lower chapel was restored in the mid 1800's, giving it its current look.

And then you climb the spiral staircase and the magnificence of the upper chapel is breathtaking. All the more amazing when you learn that approximately 70% of the stained glass is original. The 1,113 scenes depicted in the 15 stained glass windows tell the biblical story from Genesis through Christ's resurrection (I took the guide's word for it). The relics are now housed at Notre Dame as Sainte-Chapelle is no longer used as a church.

 

 

Only the king, his family and closest friends ever saw this chapel - entering it directly from the palace via a outdoor upper terrace connected to the palace. Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie are the only visible remains of the Palais de la Cite, the oldest palace of the Kings of France.

Below is a photo of the Conciergerie, originally part of the royal residence but later turned into a prison. This is where Marie Antoinette spent her final days, and where the Revolutionary Tribunal met and passed sentence on more than 2700 people during the Reign of Terror.

There was a special exhibit in the Conciergerie celebrating the 800th birthday of King Loius IX. It included a number of remarkable items, including the original deed founding the Sainte-Chapelle.

 

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