Transcript Sainte Chapelle

Sainte-Chapelle
Elizabeth Anderson
History…
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Sainte-Chapelle was
built by King Louis IX
in 1246 to hold the
crown of thorns worn
by Jesus Christ during
his crucifixion and part
of the True Cross.
It also houses other
relics from both the Old
and New Testament.
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Louis purchased these in 1239
from the Byzantine emperor
Baldwin II, for the amount of
135,000 livres. The chapel
itself only cost 40,000 livres to
build.
The idea behind Saint Louis’
purchase was to elevate the
Kingdom of France to be the
leader of Western Christianity.
Construction was completed in
2 years and the day after
completion, the upper chapel
was consecrated by the Pope’s
legate and the lower chapel
was dedicated to the Virgin
Mary.
The Upper
Chapel
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Sainte-Chapelle is
famous for its stained
glass windows, which
basically surround the
whole upper floor.
The upper floor was
reserved for the king,
his close friends and
family, and for
displaying the religious
relics.
Of all the statues
decorating the upper
chapel, those of the
Twelves Apostles are
the most incredible.
The Lower Chapel
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The Lower Chapel holds a
statue of the Virgin Mary, to
whom the lower floor is
dedicated.
The walls are decorated
with arcades and twelve
medallions that represent
the Apostles.
The ceiling is painted to
represent the heavens and
the floor contains
tombstones of former
treasurers and reverends of
the chapel.
During the time of the
French monarchy, the lower
chapel was reserved for
chapel staff.
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Sainte-Chapelle was
damaged by fire in 1630 and
1776.
The stained glass windows of
the lower chapel were taken
out following a flood in 1690.
Suffered considerable
damaged during the French
revolution and many of the
religious artifacts were taken
from the chapel; statues
actually remained in tact
Greatly restored; some relics
recovered—some now in
Notre Dame Cathedral
Stained Glass
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2/3 are original
works
Depict entire biblical
story of humans
Removed during
World War II in
anticipation of the
invasion of Paris
Replaced following
the war
Works Cited
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www.parisdigest.com/monument/saintechapelle
www.harris-interiors.co.uk
http://www.herodote.net/Images/SainteChapelle.jpg
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Cathedrals/Paris/SainteChapelle.shtml
http://bryan.parno.net/paris/big/P1010019-Sainte-Chapelle.jpg
architecture.relig.free.fr/ chapelle1.htm