Page 92 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - France

3 " ' =
STE-CHAPELLE

 G4 ⌂ 8 blvd du Palais 75001  Cité @ 21, 27, 38, 85, 96 to Île de la Cité
W St-Michel x Notre-Dame # Apr–Sep: 9am–7pm daily; Oct–Mar: 9am–
5pm daily ¢ 1 Jan, 1 May, 25 Dec ∑ sainte-chapelle.fr
EXPERIENCE Paris: Île de la Cité, Marais and Beaubourg
Ethereal and magical, Ste-Chapelle has been hailed
as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces Spire
of the Western world. In the Middle Ages, the devout
likened this church to “a gateway to heaven”. Today,
no visitor can fail to be transported by the blaze
of light created by the 15 magnificent
stained-glass windows.
Crown of
The chapel was built in 1248 by Louis IX Thorns
to house Christ’s purported Crown of decoration
Thorns (now housed in the Notre-
Dame treasury). A Gothic masterpiece,
its stunning stained-glass windows –
the oldest still surviving in Paris – are
separated by narrow columns that
soar 15 m (50 ft) to the star-studded,
vaulted roof. The windows portray
more than 1,000 biblical scenes, from
Genesis to the Crucifixion, in a kalei-
doscope of red, gold, green, blue and
mauve. Servants and commoners
worshipped in the Lower Chapel, while
the Upper Chapel was reserved for the
use of the king and the royal family.

Rose
window

The rose window,
telling the story of
the Apocalypse Main portal Lower Chapel
92

092-093_EW_France.indd 92 22/02/2019 16:31

EW Must-see template v2.1 – 18th October 2018
Fonts: Aptifer Sans LT Pro, Posterama Text, Soho Gothic
Pro, Soho Pro, ITC Caslon 224