Introduction to the Sainte-Chapelle
Discreetly hidden away in the Palace of Justice, a stone’s throw from Notre Dame, stands one of the most stunning pieces of architecture Paris has to offer. A true jewel of a Gothic church, the thirteenth-century Sainte-Chapelle boasts entire walls of stained glass, and is, with Chartres, one of the most impressive ensembles of this medieval art to survive into the modern age.
The King of France had this personal chapel built to house his prestigious collection of relics of Christ’s Passion. This utterly unique ensemble of windows within barely-there walls will make your head spin, all the more so in that the construction of such a bedazzling beauty arose from the ground in a mere six years.
The 1 113 scenes of the stained glass stretch across some 615 square meters of glass, entire walls of it replace the heavy stone, the very dream of every Gothic architect come true. If Saint Denis is the seed of Gothic, Notre Dame de Paris Gothic learning to walk, Chartres full blown Gothic all grown up, then the Sainte-Chapelle is Gothic died and gone to heaven.
The cat is out of the bag- this marvel of medieval art is no secret for anybody and has the lines to prove it. We can get you past two interminable queues (all the slower in that the small space can only allow so many people in at at time) as well as tell you in detail about the windows and what brought them into being, the how and the why and the what. Book now because the Sainte-Chapelle is an ever popular destination, one of the entire country’s can’t- miss sights, unlike any other.
The History of the Sainte-Chapelle
The Creation of the Sainte-Chapelle
Commissioned by Louis XI – who was sainted after his death -- in the thirteenth century, the Sainte-Chapelle was to house his collection of relics, the most prestigious in all Christendom. Mostly from Christ’s Passion, they included the Crown of Thorns, a piece of the True Cross, and the Holy Lance. Some wits have said that the only thing that was missing was the Holy Grail.
You may wonder why it is tucked behind law courts- but the secret is that those 19th century buildings sit on the traces of what was once the old Royal Palace, of the Ile de la Cité, traces of which you can visit in the attached Conciergerie, in a twin ticket, if you like.
Built on two levels, palace staff attended services on the ground floor, while the upper level with the extraordinary glass, was conceived of as a giant reliquary for the King’s collection. It directly connected to the palace, with his rooms down the hall from the balcony entry. He could come in at any time to venerate them.
Begun in and around 1242, it was consecrated only six years later in 1248, making the architect – whose identity is lost to history-- all the more of a genius. Some say it was Pierre de Montreuil, whose tombstone read “Doctor in Stonework.” All we know is that his expertise, even and especially today, stuns the visitor who climbs to the upper chapel.
The French Revolution
By 1789, with the Revolution bursting onto the scene, the chapel was no longer in use for royal services – the court had long since pulled up stakes and moved to Versailles. The chapel however could not continue as such, as associated with the Monarchy as it was. The relic collection was pillaged and dispersed, and the building deconsecrated.
To bring home the point that this was no longer a holy place, the structure became, by turns, a gentlemen’s billiards club, a flour warehouse, and, finally it housed an archive, meaning that shelves were built into the lower third of the windows.
Renovation & Restoration
With Victor Hugo’s reawakening of feeling for Gothic architecture, most notably with the Cathedral of Notre Dame, a burgeoning campaign to restore the chapel caught on.
By the 1840s restoration work began until 1868, during which, the spire – which had been destroyed in a fire -- found new life, with, at its base, sculpted portraits of Viollet-le-Duc (the same restoration architect as at Notre Dame) and his assistants.
While the nineteenth-century restoration was in many ways exemplary, consensus opined that the result was too bright for the Middle Ages. Hence they smeared grease on the backs of the windows to give a sense of the patina of age. With a new round of restoration from 2008-2015, this unfortunate choice has been rectified and you can enjoy the windows in all their glittering, glowing glory.
This is but a taste of the what the chapel offers in the way of a magnificent, luminous, experience. A deeper dive into the how and the history is yours if you book a tour with Memories France, where all of the chapel’s many secrets will be divulged to you and a chosen few.
Stained Glass Windows
15 50-foot high windows of 1,113 religious scenes cover some 6,500 sq ft, making for an utterly splendiferous experience for the one who ventures to the upper chapel.
The highest concentration of original glass is in the upper two-thirds of the windows, beyond the reach of the archive shelves of the early 19th century.
The scenes are largely drawn from the Bible, with a concentration on themes and imagery of kingship. Note the insistence on coronation over the King’s seat, for example, or how the story of the Three Kings in the apse covers more space than you might expect.
It is highly significant as well to note that crowning the Queen’s seat across the aisle is the story of the heroine Esther, preceded by that of Judith. Don’t miss the Beheading of Holofernes and the panel after when Judith holds up his gory head as trophy, in the medieval special-effects technique of red flash-glass.
The windows can be read from the first windows in the north circling clockwise round to the west which represents the Apocalypse. The books of the Torah and Jewish Apocrypha are interrupted around the former altar space with scenes from the Gospels. Finally the last window in the south before the Rose window tells the story of how the King procured the relics, a huge deal since in his own lifetime, Louis IX seems to be integrating Holy Writ.
Visiting the Sainte-Chapelle
Where is the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris?
The Sainte-Chapelle is located behind the walls of the Palace of Justice, at 10 Bd du Palais, 75001, on the Ile de la Cité,
Notre Dame is hardly even a hop and skip away, making for an ideal combination of sights to see in an afternoon, or a day, if your taste for Gothic brings you to also visit the nearby churches of Saint-Severin and Saint-Julien-le-Pauvre, or the civil Gothic architecture of the Conciergerie.
The closest transport to the chapel is the métro Cité (line 4), in the square just across the street from the Palace entry, but you can also get off at Châtelet (lines 1, 4, 7, 11 and 14) and easily walk the distance, or take any of the bus lines 21, 27, 72, 85, or 86.
Opening Hours and Tickets
The Sainte-Chapelle is open through two different time spans, depending on the season, as natural light is vital to enjoying the windows.
9am-7pm from April 1st to September 30th
9am-5pm from October 1st to March 31st
You are required to purchase your tickets to enter during a specific time slot. These tickets can be purchased online in advance, or you can risk it at the ticket desk of the chapel itself, but you have the lines to face and the danger that tickets can sell out during popular times.
This is yet another reason to book with Memories France, as we can guarantee you entry at an ideal time sailing right past the wait.
How Long Should You Spend Visiting the Saint-Chapelle?
Individual interest and taste is key here. It’s a small space but packs a lot in. Plan to spend at the very least half an hour, the time to look around the lower chapel and climb to the upper chapel where the windows are. If, as for so many, the stained glass and its apparently fragile stonework amaze you, plan to spend at least an hour and a half.
There are placards explaining each the different scenes in the windows, which, taking the time to read each one, will take even longer. You can take the time to notice details how angels in the spandrels seem to make the segue from the world below (human height) to the world above (the celestial light of the windows), or even that the walls have been concentrated into the pillar statues of the apostles as “pillars of the Church.” You can also notice the difference in style and technique between the lancets and the 15th century Rose window to the west. But you can of course simply let your eye scan the whole, and let yourself be overwhelmed by the beauty of the colored light in this preciously delicate jewel box.
The Best Time to Visit the Sainte-Chapelle
Some say to absolutely visit on a sunny summer’s day. It is true that in such conditions the walls seem to vanish entirely and you ask yourself how the place is held up.
What is a lesser-known secret however is that the stained glass makers of northern France worked with light as their medium and knew it well. No one comes to Paris for a suntan. On the dimmer days the light seems almost thick with its bluish tint, the colors fairly glow and glimmer with the lighting of their natural habitat.
The 15th century Rose window, on the other hand is at its most stunning at sunset in summer, as because of its techniques using gold and silverstain. The molecules of precious metals snag the setting sunlight at each degree of its descent, making the Rose’s chromatics change moment by moment.
What we can also advise, for certain, is that the best time to skip the crowds and wait times is in the morning.
Even so, booking a tour with us can help you skip those lines and get the most out of the time you’ve set away to visit this wonder of the medieval world.
Angelissa, Siobhan & the Memories France Family
