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SAINTE CHAPELLE
The Holy Chapel
by Zoie Clift
The Sainte-Chapelle was built by orders of
King Louis IX to house what was believed to be Jesus's crown of thorns
and other relics from the crusades. The king had acquired these sacred
relics from the Emperor of Constantinople-Baudouin II, and he is said
to have spent more money on collecting them than on building this
monument to shelter them.
This former chapel, which is a prime example
of the Rayonnant style in Gothic architecture, in some ways can be
testament to the saying that it's what's on the inside that counts.
Though beautiful, the outside of Sainte-Chapelle could possibly be
overlooked when passing by. Once inside though, the beauty can almost
not be denied as onlookers gaze at the 600 square meters of enormous
stained glass windows that serve as walls in the main chamber.
These windows, which are the oldest stained glass windows (“vitraux”,
in French) in the city, depict scenes from both the Old and New
Testament and a large rose window depicts the Apocalypse in 86 panels.
Overall, there are 15 windows, around 40 feet high each, and more than
half of the original medieval glass used during construction is still
present in them. Besides the windows, the gem studded interior
overflows with great vaults, wall paintings, and sculptures.
Built in a French court gothic style,
Sainte-Chapelle's foundation lies in the Palais de Justice (the Court
house) complex, once the Royal Palace of Paris. The building was often
seen as both a religious and political symbol as it is said that the
king chose to have the church built inside the Royal Palace to stress a
close relationship between the sacred relics and the monarchy. The
church was built in about six years by Pierre de Montreuil, who also
worked on Notre-Dame. It was consecrated in 1248.
As for the outside of the building, the
monument consists of two chapels, one above another, as well as a
steeple that rises 75 meters off the ground. The upper chapel was
designated solely for the king and to display the sacred relics and the
lower was for the public. The lower chapel includes a 23 ft high arched
ceiling supported by slender columns and a narrow circular staircase
leads to the upper chapel.
Over the years, the church has stood the
test of time without the support of flying buttresses, a daring design
for the era, and has also survived a flood as well as two fires. The
exterior took a rather hard beating during the French Revolution when
the outside was vandalized and the spire was torn down. As a result,
the monument went through a series of restorations in the 19th
century, led by architects such as Viollet-le-Duc and J.B. Lassus, and
a new spire and outside as well as inside restorations were worked out.
Currently, the monument is again undergoing minor restorations due to a
storm a few years ago.
Sainte-Chapelle is now a museum and monument
maintained by the French Government. Live classical concerts are
performed April through mid October and if you happen to be passing
through the city during this time, catching one would no doubt be a
worthwhile experience.
The church is located on 4, Boulevard du
Palais, 75001 Paris and the crown of thorns is now located in the
treasury of the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. The chapel is open through
the week 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed Jan 1st, May 1st, November 1st and 11th, and December 25th. From April to September hours change to 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
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