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The name of the building is Sainte Chappelle (or "Holy Chapel") and it is located in Paris, France. |
| The Sainte Chappelle is a Gothic chapel that was built in the late 1240's by Louis IX to house precious relics from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Some of these relics include Jesus' Crown of Thorns, a piece of the True Cross, and the Holy Sponge. The Holy Sponge was thought to have been a sponge used to feed Jesus vinegar while he was thirsty on the cross, and the Crown of Thorns is a shrine for the crown that was forced onto Jesus' head before he was crucified. |
Unfortunately, these relics were removed from the Ste. Chappelle during the French Revolution, and some relics are now in the Notre-Dame cathedral. The Chapel itself is 17 meters (56 feet) wide, 36 meters (118 feet) long, and 42.5 meters (139 feet) high.The cedar spire that stands on the roof of the Chapel, stands 33 meters (or 108 feet) high |
LOWER CHAPEL When you walk into the chapel, the place that you enter first is the lower chapel.
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The lower chapel was built and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and was also used as a place of worship by members of the court. There are many columns and pillars that are in bright colours such as gold, blue, and red! A statue of the Virgin Mary stands next to the central pier of the front door, while low vaulted ceilings rest on fine columns with crocketed capitals. The walls are decorated with trefoiled arcades and 12 medallions that represent the Apostles of Jesus. |
UPPER CHAPEL Climb a winding staircase and you will reach the upper chapel, with a ceiling that is 20.5 meters (67 feet) high, which makes it about twice the width of the chapel itself: 17 meters (56 feet). |
The upper chapel is brilliant in its Gothic architecture: light, color and space blend to inspire a sense of harmony between the arts and religious faith. |
THE STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS More than 3/4 of the exterior structure of the Sainte Chappelle is composed of stained-glass. When the sun rises in the sky, the light hits these windows and they in turn fill the interior with rose-violet light. |
| There are about 16 beautiful stained-glass windows that each have many tiny stained-glass scenes and pictures in them. Overall, these windows take up more than 7002 yards of glass. The windows are in the Upper Chapel, and were once in the Lower Chapel before they were removed because of a flood burst. |
The windows in the Upper Chapel were removed in 1803 because of a lack of interest in the Ste. Chappelle, and then stored in a 2 meter space. In the 19th century, every piece was put back in place, and they were restored to their former glory. They were again removed during WWII in anticipation of the German invasion of Paris. After WWII every single little piece was carefully replaced without anything missing. |