"Ste-Chapelle - Cathedral of Light" Top 5 Page for this destination Sainte-Chapelle Tip by BeatChick

Ste-Chapelle, cathedral of light, said to contain more stained-glass than mortar. Completed April 26, 1248 by King Louis IX/St. Louis to house the Crown of Thorns (Nôtre-Dame's tresor - shown Christmas & Easter).

In this lovely early Gothic cathedral there are 15 stained-glass panels as well as the east rose window. Wine connoisseurs compare the colors in fine wine to the colors of the windows. You can see original panels up close at Musée de Cluny. This is a true architectural marvel in that there is roughly twice as much stained glass as stone.

1st 2 trips, untertaken under cloudy conditions, windows were lovely but I didn't understand what the fuss was about. 3rd trip I made certain to visit on a sunny in hopes they would work their mythic magic on me; and so they did.

A long wait thru security but once in it was a breeze to ease past the line for entry using a museum pass. I traversed straight to the upper chapel to view the fabulous windows & camped out in one of the chairs to wait as the light slowly glided past the jeweled windows to create the dazzling color light show on the ancient, fleur-de-lys-painted floor. I stayed for several hours reading the English description of the windows & studied the figures in each panel. As the sun lit up the colors in different panels, I took pictures. At one point, the crowd dispersed and I was able to take photos of the phantasmagoric colored dots on the floor! It was well worth the wait & effort to see them in all their glory.

Binoculars or Opéra glasses (as suggested by my good friend, Sandye) highly recommended.

Open: 9:30am-6pm
Closed: Jan 1, May 1, Dec 25
Prices: 5.50€
Reduced: 3.50€ Groups: 4.50€ School groups: free
E-mail: sainte-chapelle@monum.Carte Musées et Monuments accepted here.

Photo: April 2003

Address: 4, Bd du Palais, Paris 75001 (Île de la Cité)
Directions: Île de le Cité-hidden inside the walls of the Palais de Justice. Easiest access from Cité Métro station. West on rue de Lutèce, turn left on Bd du Palais.
Métro: Cité
RER: St-Michel-Notre-Dame
othercontact: 01 53 40 60 90 fx#
Phone: 01 53 40 60 80
Website: http://www.monum.fr

• Updated Jul 4, 2005
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