Sainte-Chapelle - European Heritage Days 2022
A jewel of radiant gothic.
The Sainte-Chapelle was built by Louis IX, future Saint Louis, in the heart of the Palais de la Cité to house the most precious relic, the Crown of Epines of Christ. A few years are enough to erect this masterpiece that never ceases to surprise, seduce and fascinate. The embodiment of the piety of Saint Louis, the Sainte-Chapelle is also a proclamation of his political power.
Beyond its bold and innovative design, what amazes at first sight is the harmonious combination of a feeling of lightness and immersion in a universe of gold and color. Coming out of the small spiral staircase that leads from the lower chapel to the upper chapel, the eye is immediately captured by the coloured light that distills the stained glass windows.
Spread over fifteen glass windows, more than a thousand scenes come to life in the light and tell the story of the chosen people in the nave, and in the choir, that of Christ enlightened by the prophets. The narrative leads to the future times depicted in the great rose of Revelation. The statues of the apostles punctuate the polychrome decoration and lead to the apse where culminates the tribune that carried the great shrine containing the relics.