August 26, 2010

Stained Glass

Church fatigue is a common ailment when spending any significant amount of time in Europe.  After the tenth or so church, they begin to blend together, and it takes something extraordinary to impress the jaded traveler.  This was the boat we were in when we visited Sainte-Chapelle two days ago.  We were actually supposed to go on a tour of the more famous Notre-Dame Cathedral, but we arrived late and decided to head to this smaller chapel instead.  It was completed in 1248 for King Louis the IX, who wanted to build a reliquary to house the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross that he had purchased from the Byzantine emperor.  The King actually paid three times more for these relics than for the construction of the chapel.

We entered through the lower chapel, which was used by the royal staff and is quaint but not spectacular.  When we climbed the stairs and entered the upper chapel, we were both blown away, even though restoration work obscured part of the view.  Over 6,000 square feet of stained glass, mostly over 700 years old, wrap nearly completely around the structure.  We haven't seen anything like it, and of all the pictures we've taken on this trip that don't do the subject matter justice, the ones we took that day do the least amount of justice.  If you go to Paris, don't stop at Notre-Dame; make sure you make the five minute walk down the Ile-de-la-Cite to Sainte-Chapelle.
The understated lower chapel, leading to the...

... incredible upper chapel

More pictures in the full post.

Restoration work blocking the full effect


Picture of the upper chapel before the restoration work
Posted by Jeff at 5:13 PM
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7 comments:

  1. Lucie8/26/10, 5:19 PM

    That is what I call impressive stained glass! That must have been quite a stimulating visual experience up close. I find you get more out of visiting a less known church than you do from those that you expect to see or feel something more special. Beautiful!

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  2. Marcia8/26/10, 7:56 PM

    OH wow. The day we went to see that church it was closed, and we were so disappointed because several folks had told us it was one of the most important places to see in Paris. Now we have seen it thanks to you. It is spectacular. We loved Ile de la Cite. It think I am right that they have a fabulous ice cream store there that Lee and Sandy Hopper thought was to die for. Thank you, loved it

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  3. Jeff8/26/10, 8:10 PM

    Berthillon is the famous ice cream place on Ile St Louis. Not only is it €3 for one scoop of ice cream, it is currently closed for its annual six week vacation. Yes, an ice cream store takes a month and a half off during what would be its busiest time of the year. Only in Europe.

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  4. Lee8/26/10, 8:13 PM

    We were unable to see it because it was closed when we were there around New Years 2001. what a sight. I want to be like you two when I grown up and you know I am not there yet. See you soon\Love

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  5. Marcia8/27/10, 10:27 PM

    Jeff- Thanks for the clarification on the ice cream store. Really only in Europe 6 weeks off in the middle of the summer, oh my gracious how unAmerican, how French!

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  6. Kiersten8/28/10, 12:33 PM

    I absolutely love stained glass. Was the whole entire ceiling made of stained glass? This looks jaw dropping. Seems like you guys are having fun.

    Love you!

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  7. Jeff8/28/10, 12:50 PM

    Kiersten, the stained glass isn't on the ceiling, but almost completely covers the walls. It's impressive in its own right, but even more so when you consider that the walls have to support a heavy roof and were built at a time when materials like steel weren't available.

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