Tuesday, March 10, 2009

This beautiful building is on the other side of the Palais de Justice. The Sainte-Chapelle has the most incredible stained glass windows. The details are amazing. All the windows surrounding us depict stories from the New and Old Testament. The huge Rose Window tells the religious story of the Apocalypse and has 86 panels. This window was a gift from Charles VIII in 1485. This chapel was built in 1248 by Louis IX to house Christ's purported Crown of Thorns and other relics (such as a fragment of Christ's cross). The relics cost more than building the entire chapel did.