Sainte – Chapelle
Who said that ancient stone wasn’t exciting? In the Latin Quarter and on the Ile de la Cite and Ile Saint-Louis, which form the historic part of Paris, they are charged with emotion, light and magical shadows.
Next to the Palaice de justice (law courts), Sainte-Chapelle and the Conciergerie are the precious remains of what was once the palace of the kings of France from 10th to the 14th century. The Sainte- Chapelle, a triumphantly flamboyant example of the Gothic style, was commissioned by Saint Louis. In the lower chapel, dedicated to the Virgin, glided lilies on an azure-blue star- studded vault are a wonderful sight.
But reserve your praise for the upper chapel, designed to house the relics of Christ’s Passion, dispersed during the French Revolution, and lined with predominantly red and blue stained-glass windows – the largest expanse of 13th century stained glass in the world.
