Sainte Chapelle, Gothic chapel in Île de la Cité, France
Sainte-Chapelle is a chapel on Île de la Cité in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It has two floors, with the upper level featuring tall stained glass windows that cover nearly the entire wall.
Louis IX ordered the construction of the chapel starting in 1238 to house religious relics he had acquired from Constantinople. It was consecrated in 1248 and later damaged during the French Revolution.
The stained glass windows tell stories from the Bible and glow in reds, blues, and golds when sunlight passes through. Visitors can view scenes from the Old and New Testament on the tall walls of the upper level.
Access to the upper chapel is by a narrow spiral staircase, which can be difficult for visitors with limited mobility. The best time to visit is on sunny days when light streams through the glass windows.
The chapel holds over a thousand individual glass panels that were returned to their original arrangement after restoration. Many of the panels date back to the 13th century and survived wars and revolutions.
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