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 1. Before the concert in
Sainte Chapelle by Nemorino, 3 more photos
On many evenings there are two one-hour concerts here, the first at 19:00 (7.00 pm) and the second at 20:30 (8.30 pm). I chose the first concert in hopes that there would still be ample sunlight shining through the amazing 13th century stained glass windows (which there was).
Tickets to these concerts cost 25 Euros each, plus 2.50 commission if you buy it ahead of time at the fnac store as I did. This is not cheap (you can see an entire opera in Paris for less than that), but well worth it to be able to sit for an hour in this fantastically beautiful Gothic building listening to brilliant music played by soloists from the leading French orchestras.
Second photo: The chamber music concert I attended at the Sainte Chapelle was by the Orchestre Les Archets de Paris, a chamber music ensemble that was founded in 1992, composed mainly of solo musicians from the National Orchestra of the Paris Opera or the National Orchestra of France. (Click on the link to hear samples of their fine music.) Their program started with two short pieces by Vitali (1644?-1692) and J. Pachelbel (1653-1706), followed by the complete Four Seasons by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Third photo: Christophe Guiot, the conductor and violin soloist, came to the back of the chapel after the concert to sign CD booklets.
Fourth photo: Another advantage of attending an evening concert is that you can have a good look at the inside of the Sainte Chapelle without waiting in the long queue that tends to form during the day.
Unfortunately your Museum Pass will not speed up your entry to the Sainte Chapelle because there is only one line -- and a sign in French politely asking Museum Pass holders to se patienter in the same queue along with everybody else. Leave a Comment
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A wonderful example of High Gothic architecture, Sainte-Chapelle was constructed by Saint Louis in the period 1242-1248 for hosting the relics of the Passion of Christ.
Ste-Chapelle was consecrated in 1248, the lower chapel being dedicated to the Virgin and serving as Palace parish, while the upper chapel was the royal chapel and the place were the relics were kept.
The most remarkable decorations of the upper chapel are the statues of the 12 Apostles.
The Holy Relics are kept in a rich decorated reliquary on the top of the baldaquin in the apse and are presented in the Holy Friday.
The tall 15 stained glass windows are the oldest in Paris and the theme presented is the Passion.
Opening hours:
- April 1st - September 30th: 09:30-18:30
- October 1st - March 31st: 10:00-17:00
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 Breathtaking by TheWanderingCamel
The lower chapel, intended for use by the household servants, with its low vaulted ceiling, walls painted in darkly rich colours, gilding and small high windows, is the very image of a kingly mediaeval chapel, a lovely little jewel box.
The Upper Chapel is nothing short of breathtaking. So cleverly has the architect designed its soaring pillars and windows, the supporting structure is barely noticeable and the walls seems to be made solely of the most exquisite stained glass while the delicately vaulted ceiling floats above you. With sunlight pouring through the tall windows it truly is a miracle of light and space. Two-thirds of the glass is original, a miracle in itself given the turbulent history of the city the chapel graces so perfectly. No photo can do it justice -you really will have to go and see it for yourself.
leyle Leave a Comment Phone: 01 53 73 78 50Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité-- a few minute walk from Notre Dame. Métro : Cité, Saint-Michel, or Châtelet. Open every day, 9.30 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. (closed Jan. 1, May 1, Dec. 25).Website: http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Cathedrals/Paris/Sainte-Chapelle.shtml
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It was hard to leave the upper chapel of the Sainte-Chapelle. This is a place where you always will feel you haven't seen it all. The windows, the colours, the decorations, and the endless high ceiling, it is almost too much. But at some point you do need to force yourself down the stairs where the lower chapel awaits you. And yes, somehow you should visit the chapels the other way round. After the upper chapel, the lower is doomed to be a disappointment. Here there are no amazing windows, the ceiling is low, it doesn't even feel like a church or chapel, probably mainly due to the little kiosk in the middle selling books and postcards It all distracts, and for a moment I felt very unfocused of where to look and what was so special about it. But this lower chapel does have its own charm, hahaha, I guess it just took me a moment to realize it ;-)
So don't run out right away, but give it some time! As soon as your eyes are adjusted to this new environment you'll discover that the lower chapel IS a feast for the eye with its colourful arches and columns. The chapel is 6,6 metres high and is entirely dedicated to the Virgin Mary I've added a few more photos to this tip to give you a bit of an impression how colourful and charming this lower chapel really is.
When you want to visit the Sainte-Chapelle, do be prepared to stand in line! The security checks are quite high as well; it feels more like entering an airport then a chapel, with metal detectors and baggage search. But once you are in, it all seems worth it. The entrance fee is rather steep in my opinion, a true downside of a visit to the Sainte-Chapelle. I thought it was rather out of balance and even though the chapel is very beautiful, with the time spend here; the price did feel a bit over the top.
Opening hours:
March the 1st to October the 31st: daily 9.30 am - 6.00 pm
November the 1st to February the 29th: 9.00 am-5.00 pm
Entrance until 30 minutes before closing time
Entrance fee for an unguided visit (approx. 30 min - 1 hour): 7.5 € Leave a Comment Phone: +33 / (0)1 53 40 60 80Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité. Métro : Cité, Staint-Michel, or Châtelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-MichelWebsite: http://www.monum.fr/m_stchapelle/indexa.dml Other Contact: sainte-chapelle@monum.fr
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 Sainte Chapelle from in front
of the law courts by tiabunna, 3 more photos
Louis IX (Saint Louis) had the Sainte-Chapelle built to house the purported ‘Crown of Thorns’ he had purchased from the Emperor of Constantinople. Construction of this masterpiece of gothic architecture took six years and was finished in 1242. A cynic would suggest that the Emperor knew a few things about selling (or that Louis was an easy mark), because the religious relic cost more than four times as much as the building (and imagine what that would cost now)!
The ground floor with its vaulted ceilings and incredible paintwork Photo 2 provides a stunning entry, now largely occupied by the souvenir desk which has a good selection of guide books and other tourist material. Now head up the stairs and you will find yourself in the delicate stonework and excellent stained glass of the upper level Photos 3,4. It is indeed a breathtaking place: now try to comprehend that, during the Revolution, the building was used to store flour! Phone: 01 53 73 78 50Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité-- a few minute walk from Notre Dame. Métro : Cité, Staint-Michel, or Châtelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-MichelWebsite: http://www.pbase.com/francist/chap&page=all
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 Sainte-Chapelle a
stain-glassed marvel by easyoar
Sainte-Chapelle was built in 1248 by Louis XI as his own personal chapel. He believed he kept Christ's crown of thorns in there and many other religious relics such as a fragment from the cross. An interesting statistic is that King Louis XI paid almost three times as much money for his relics (purchased from the Emperor of Constantinople) as he did in building Sainte-Chapelle.
Before you enter the church, look up at one of the pinnacles and try and spot the crown of thorns on it. This was placed here as a commemoration of the first relic that Louis bought. Leave a Comment Phone: 01 53 73 78 50Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité-- a few minute walk from Notre Dame. Métro : Cité, Staint-Michel, or Châtelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-MichelWebsite: http://www.pbase.com/francist/chap&page=all
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 Sainte-Chapelle by sim1
Last but certainly not least is my visit to the Sainte-Chapelle, a wonderful Gothic chapel and part of the Palais de Justice complex. Having seen many photos here on VT and other places on the web, I imagined the Sainte-Chapelle as a large church with amazing glass-stained windows, but I was so wrong. Not about the glass-stained windows though, those are really amazing! But about the size of the church; it is so much smaller then I originally imagined.
The Sainte-Chapelle was built during the second half of 13th Century by Louis IX to house the relics of the Passion of Christ. The Sainte-Chapelle (French for The Holy Chapel), is divided into two levels, and I would like to start off with the upper Chapel (see photos). After climbing up the narrow winding staircase, you will be amazed with the view that awaits you. The chapel is a rather small room with windows so high that they seem to want to reach out to the sky. These bright colourful windows are 15.35 metres high and 4.7 metres wide each.
The windows probably will capture your attention so much, that you might forget to look at the monumental shrine and the colourful painted and decorated walls. But those are worth some attention as well. There are chairs on the sides of the chapel, which make it possible to sit down for a while, so you can take it all in at your own pace. And there is enough to see, as this relatively small room is so filled with decoration and colours it needs some time to fully understand the beauty of this all. Leave a Comment Phone: 01 53 73 78 50Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité. Métro : Cité, Staint-Michel, or Châtelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-MichelWebsite: http://www.monum.fr/m_stchapelle/indexa.dml
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 The stained glass panels
of the Sainte-Chapelle by Jefie,
2 more photos
The Sainte-Chapelle is made up of two parts: the Lower Chapel, where servants and "ordinary people" could gather to pray, and the Upper Chapel, which was only accessible to the King and his family. I was a bit disappointed to see that a big part of the Lower Chapel had been converted into a gift shop - it definitely takes away some of the beauty of the place. The Upper Chapel, however, is breathtaking - the incredible stained glass windows and ornaments are a feast for the eyes! No words on where the relics have gone...
You have to go through the Court of Justice to get to the Sainte-Chapelle, which means that you have to go through a full security check and that can result in pretty long line-ups. Admission costs 6.50 Euros, but you can use your Museum Pass, or for 9.50 Euros you can buy a ticket that also gives you access to La Conciergerie next door. Leave a Comment
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 The Rose Window, Upper
Chapel by bpacker
IMHO, Saint Chapelle deserves more mention as it is the most beautiful church in Paris. Built by Louis IX in the 1240's to house relics from the Holy Land, this fragile monument has more stained glass than supporting beams put together.
This chapel has 2 tiers and in this picture, you're looking at the upper chapel with the radiant rose windows and delicate star-flecked ceiling. Leave a Comment Phone: 01 53 73 78 50Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is a few minutes walk from Notre Dame. Metro : Citi, Staint-Michel, or Chatelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-MichelWebsite: http://www.pbase.com/francist/chap&page=all
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 Lower Tier, Saint Chapelle by bpacker
In this picture, you see me standing in front of two black columns which were built to bear the weight of a heavy shrine located in the upper chapel. And if you look carefully at the colourful columns, you'll see golden fleur de lys on a blue background and golden castilian castles on a red background.They symbolize the builder, King Louis and his mother, Blanche de Castille.
Click here to see more pictures that I took in Saint Chapelle Leave a Comment Phone: 01 53 73 78 50Directions: Sainte-Chapelle is inside the Palais of Justice on Ile de le Cité-- a few minute walk from Notre Dame. Métro : Cité, Staint-Michel, or Châtelet. RER: Chatelet -Les-Halles, Saint-MichelWebsite: http://www.pbase.com/francist/chap&page=all
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