Paris · Île de la Cité · France

Sainte-Chapelle

historicreligiousculturegoogle verified

easy

9/10

best: morning, afternoon

contemplative, romantic

A local would say...

A medieval king built this chapel in six years just to house a crown of thorns — step inside and the 15 stained-glass windows dissolve the walls into pure coloured light.

Enshrined within the Palais de Justice on the Île de la Cité, Sainte-Chapelle is Paris' most exquisite Gothic monument. Built in just six years and consecrated in 1248, it was conceived by Louis IX to house his personal collection of holy relics. The upper chapel is a breathtaking jewel box of 15 floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows that fill the space with kaleidoscopic coloured light.