Architecture · Paris, Île-de-France
Sainte-Chapelle
A 13th-century royal chapel encased in soaring stained glass.
The Sainte-Chapelle is a royal palace chapel built for King Louis IX in the 1240s to hold relics of the Passion, including what was venerated as the Crown of Thorns. Consecrated in 1248, it stands in the courtyard of the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité and is a masterpiece of the Rayonnant Gothic style.
The chapel has two levels. The lower chapel served the palace staff, while the walls of the upper chapel are almost entirely stained glass, with 15 tall windows showing more than a thousand biblical scenes. The Centre des monuments nationaux runs the site and also hosts concerts there. Visitors go through the courthouse security checks to get in.
Highlights
- Upper chapel walls of 13th-century stained glass
- Western rose window
- Painted and gilded lower chapel
- Concerts in the upper chapel
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