Sainte-Chapelle, a small Gothic chapel, was built during the reign of king to hold precious relics like Jesus Christ's Crown of Thorns and a fragment from the True Cross. It is located on the Ile de la Cité near Notre Dame, inside the Palais of Justice complex. Sainte-Chapelle was built in only a few years and was completed in 1248. The religious relics that Louis IX acquired from the Constantinople's Latin emperor Baldwin II were placed in a lavishly ornate reliquary exhibited on the upper level of the chapel.

Sainte-Chapelle extends on 2 levels, a somber and rather dark ground level dedicated to Virgin Mary and an upper level where walls were replaced by large stained-glass windows reaching the vaulted ceilings and creating an extraordinary visual effect. Spiral stairs connect the 2 levels, one used as a chapel for the servants at the palace and the upper one being reserved for Louis IX and his family.

Sainte-Chapelle is famous for its windows of stained glass that strech on 6,458 square feet and the rose windows added later, in the 15th century. On sunny days, the light passing through the windows transforms the chapel into an awe-inspiring place.

The chapel is open every day from 9:30am to 6pm except on January 1, May 1, November 11 and December 25 and the ticket costs 5.50 euros.

4 boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris
Tel: 01-53-73-78-52
Fax: 01-53-73-78-55