Sainte-Chapelle

A few steps east of the Louvre is the next logical step of your Parisian adventure, the islet of Île de la Cité and the mesmerizing royal chapel of the Sainte-Chapelle. When Constantinople fell to the army of the Fourth Crusade in 1204, the Byzantine Empire seized to exist. Most of the treasures collected by the Byzantine Emperors through the years were taken or sold to the kings of the west.

In 1237 Louis IX of France a king of phenomenal religious zeal (he is the only French King that was ever canonized as a Saint in 1297) managed to take hold of a list of important relics of Christ, including the Crown of Thorns and fragments of the Holy Cross from Baldwin II, the faltering Latin emperor at Constantinople. The devout French King decided to build a royal chapel that would be worthy of the precious relics and indeed he did.

The chapel consecrated in 1248 was a true masterpiece of Gothic architecture that was built in a record time of seven years. The stunning stained glass panes that dominate the interior depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris. It is a true masterpiece of overwhelming beauty that after its latest seven year restoration is probably one of the prettiest man-made creations you will ever lay your eyes upon.