Built by the obsessively pious Louis IX (1226-70), this Gothic jewel is home to the most ancient stained-glass windows in Paris. The chapel was constructed in three years, at phenomenal expense, to house the king's collection of relics acquired from the impoverished emperor of Constantinople. These included Christ's crown of thorns, fragments of the Cross, and drops of Christ's blood -- though even in Louis's time these were considered of questionable authenticity. Some of the relics have survived and can be seen the treasury of Notre-Dame, but most were lost during the Revolution.

The upper chapel is where the famed beauty of Sainte-Chapelle comes alive: 6,458 square feet of stained glass is delicately supported by painted stonework that seems to disappear in the colorful light streaming through the windows. The lowest section of the windows was restored in the mid-1800s, but otherwise this chapel presents intact, incredibly rare stained glass. Deep reds and blues dominate the background glass, noticeably different from later, lighter medieval styles such as those in Notre-Dame's rose windows. This chapel is essentially an enormous magic lantern illuminating the 1,130 figures from the Bible, to create -- as one writer poetically put it -- "the most marvelous colored and moving air ever held within four walls."

You'll no doubt be transfixed by the stained glass in the upper chapel, but don't miss the detailed carvings on the columns and the statues of the apostles.

1`The lower chapel is a bit gloomy and plain, but notice the low vaulted ceiling decorated with fleurs-de-lis and cleverly arranged Ls for Louis. The dark spiral staircase near the entrance takes you upstairs.

Member Reviews & Ratings: