La Sainte Chapelle -- Paris

[la_rainette]

La Sainte Chapelle blows my mind, every single time.

The Sainte Chapelle was built under Louis IX (Saint Louis, yes, that Saint Louis); it stood within the king's castle walls, which at the time was a sort of a political statement in and by itself.

The old king's castle has since been destroyed, and the chapelle is now surrounded by the Palais de Justice, the court of justice. The Main Door offers a double way in, one for the tourists, and the other one for the people who are to appear in court for one reason or another. I find this quite amusing. :D

You first make your way into the lower chapel, with its beautiful, ornate ceilings. And then you take the small stairs up to the Upper Chapel and you get hit smack in the chest by the unbelievable beauty of the huge stained glass windows. I do mean huge: they're easily 30 feet tall.

It is imperative to visit the Sainte Chapelle on a sunny day, to experience the glory and the delicacy of the stained glass at its best.

And I have a soft spot for this picture :).

I am a little frustrated though, because no picture can capture the awe you feel when you enter the place, the way your breath catches in your throat because OMG so much beauty! So much light!

So when you go to Paris, make sure to visit this place. It's not the most obvious church to find, since hey, it's INSIDE THE COURT OF JUSTICE, but it's completely worth the effort of looking for it and of queuing in the relentless sun.

More pictures yet to come! With the Louvre! The Arc de Triomphe! And of course, the Eiffel Tower. :D

Comments

[twospots.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

Why doesn't anybody DO buildings like that any more? It makes me sad.

[friede.livejournal.com]

Oh, I only have one terrible picture from Sainte Chapelle -- I was (actually, still am) very shy about taking photos in places of great gobsmacking beauty.

[fizzylizard.livejournal.com]

That's what you had on my postcard, isn't it?

:D

[notions.livejournal.com]

I went there! It was amazing! I took SO MANY pictures and didn't want to leave at all. Something about being up there was just... ahhhhhhhhhhh! Thanks for posting your pics. :) The fact that each panel is a part of a story is just incredible. I wish I could decipher them, but I don't know any bible stories really...

[darthrami.livejournal.com]

My brother loved the one I have as my desktop so much that he asked if I could send it to him to use as a desktop. "your friend TOOK that??"

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

I think people no longer know how to make them. Also, nowadays they'd be made with the help of machines; just thinking about the SHEER TALENT and labour involved in making the Sainte Chapelle fills me with a deep sense of awe...

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

*nods* Whereas I make tons... and am always disappointed, because no picture can really capture the essence of the emotion you feel in such places, really.

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. :D It's one of my favourite places EVER.

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

I KNOW! And no, I can't really decipher the panels either, but I don't really care that much because my response to them is essentially emotional, you know?

I'm glad you went there too! :) *hugs*

[la-rainette.livejournal.com]

*laughs and hugs* Which one did you pick as your desktop? The Upper Chapel with the stained glass? And well *grins* tell your brother I have an excellent digital camera and I really take no credit in the beauty of this picture. It's the people who MADE the place who deserve all the credit. ;)