About this place
The Sainte-Chapelle is one of the supreme masterpieces of Gothic architecture, built in the mid thirteenth century by King Louis IX, the only French king ever canonised as a saint. Louis raised it as a colossal reliquary to hold the Passion relics he had acquired at vast expense, above all the Crown of Thorns. Consecrated in 1248 after only about seven years of work, the two level chapel reserved its glorious upper storey for the king and his court. There, fifteen immense stained glass windows rise some fifteen metres toward a star painted vault, telling more than a thousand scenes from the Bible. Around two thirds of the glass is still the original medieval work, making it one of the most complete and breathtaking collections of its kind anywhere in the world.
Key facts
- 1239 year — The Crown of Thorns reached Paris, prompting Louis IX to build a shrine for it
- 1248 year — The finished chapel was consecrated after only about seven years of work
- 1113 scenes — Biblical scenes glow across the fifteen towering stained glass windows
📍 Boulevard du Palais 8, 75001, Paris