Holy Chapel
Sainte-Chapelle means “Holy Chapel” and with good reason. It was built by King Louis IX (later Saint Louis) in the mid-13th century for a specific purpose — to display precious relics of the Passion of Christ! The King wanted to make Paris a “New Jerusalem”, and to that end he bought the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross from Byzantine Emperor Baudouin II. With its Rayonnant Gothic architecture and stunning stained glass windows, Sainte-Chapelle is known as the finest royal chapel to be built in all of France, clearly worthy of the inestimable prizes it long-housed! Just seven years in the making, the impressive church is situated on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, not far from Notre-Dame Cathedral. In fact, the cherished relics were in Notre-Dame’s Treasury until the 2019 fire; they are now in the Louvre.
Over 1,000 Scenes of Light
In addition to being used as a reliquary, Sainte-Chapelle’s main church was also the private chapel of the Royal Family, and from the moment you step inside, you are enveloped in sunlight and your spirit is lifted heavenward. Using only five colors — blue (from cobalt), red and green (from copper), purple (from manganese), and yellow (from antimony) — the artisans created the stunning kaleidoscope of stained glass surrounding you. Instead of walls, there are 15 vertical panels of glass, each is 50-feet high. Spreading over 6,600 square feet, they depict detailed stories of the Bible and how the relics came to rest in this place, including the king carrying them into the chapel while dressed as a barefoot penitent. To ‘read’ these magnificent 1,113 scenes of light, you begin from left to right, and from bottom to top. No longer a consecrated church, a few chairs placed around the perimeter allow you pause and reflect on the fantastic art, architecture and history. There is a hushed joy and excitement as visitors meander (often in circles), murmur and of course, take photos.
The Rose Window
At the east end of the upper church is the apse where the relics used to be; at the west end is the famous and fabulous Rose Window. Through 89 panels, it illuminates scenes from the Book of Revelation. At therosewindow.com there is an awesome tool to see each panel up close. There is also a useful app — you aim your phone’s camera at a panel to view it more clearly and get a description.
The Crypt
The Crypt or lower chapel, found at the bottom of a narrow winding staircase, is where the servants of the Royal Family prayed. Beautiful in its own right, currently it showcases some historical artifacts as well as a souvenir shop.
We gave ourselves a couple of hours to marvel at the brilliant gem that is Sainte-Chapelle, and we’re glad we did.
We got to see Sainte-Chapelle while in Paris on our way to start phase 1 of our Via Francigena. What a blessing to be able to visit sites like this.
