Saturday May 28th: Sainte Chapelle

After a costume change needed to adapt to the rapidly decreasing temperatures, Mark and I paid a visit to Sainte Chapelle, or Holy Chapel.  I had been looking forward to seeing it since we arrived, but actually seeing it in person exceeded every expectation I had.

A view of the exterior of the church which was built in the Rayonnant Style of Gothic architecture.

We toured both the lower chapel, dedicted to the Virgin Mary, as well as the Upper Chapel.  The Upper Chapel was used to store The Crown of Thorns and a piece of the True Cross prior to the relics being moved to Notre Dame.

From my journal:  It is incredible to think that we are standing in a building which dates back to the thirteenth century and was commissioned for the purpose of housing such important relics.  It makes you think about who stood in the very same place as you so many years ago.  I love every aspect of this church - the beauty of the stained glass, the way the light rises to meet the peak of its arches, and of course the repetitive use of the Fleur de Lis.

I enjoyed reading the pamphlet on the history of the upper and lower chapels.

Of course, the main reason I wanted to come to Sainte Chapelle was to see the stained glass windows. 

This was truly a spectacular thing to see in person, and I highly recommend visiting it if you have the opportunity to when in Paris.  As a note, they are restoring much of the upper chapel through 2012, so we were unable to see the panes of glass behind the alter.  It was still well worth seeing in any case.