Sainte-Chapelle
| Sainte-Chapelle | |
|---|---|
Sainte-Chapelle, upper level interior
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| Basic information | |
| Geographic coordinates | 48°51′19″N 2°20′42″E / 48.85528°N 2.34500°ECoordinates: 48°51′19″N 2°20′42″E / 48.85528°N 2.34500°E |
| Affiliation | Catholic Church |
| Rite | Roman Rite |
| State | France |
| Province | Archdiocese of Paris |
| Region | Île-de-France |
| Status | Active |
| Heritage designation | 1999 |
| Website | www |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Parish church |
| Architectural style | French gothic |
| Groundbreaking | 1242 |
| Completed | 1248 |
| Official name: Sainte-Chapelle | |
| Designated | 1862 |
| Reference no. | PA00086259 |
| Denomination | Église |
The Sainte-Chapelle (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃t ʃapɛl], Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the heart of Paris, France.
Begun some time after 1238 and consecrated on 26 April 1248, the Sainte-Chapelle is considered among the highest achievements of the Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ's Crown of Thorns—one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom.
Along with the Conciergerie, the Sainte-Chapelle is one of the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité. Although damaged during the French Revolution, and restored in the 19th century, it has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collection anywhere in the world.
The Sainte-Chapelle or "Holy Chapel", in the courtyard of the royal palace on the Île de la Cité (now part of a later administrative complex known as La Conciergerie), was built to house Louis IX's collection of relics of Christ, which included the Crown of Thorns, the Image of Edessa and some thirty other items. Louis purchased his Passion relics from Baldwin II, the Latin emperor at Constantinople, for the sum of 135,000 livres, though this money was actually paid to the Venetians, to whom the relics had been pawned. The relics arrived in Paris in August 1239, carried from Venice by two Dominican friars. For the final stage of their journey they were carried by the King himself, barefoot and dressed as a penitent, a scene depicted in the Relics of the Passion window on the south side of the chapel. The relics were stored in a large and elaborate silver chest, the Grand-Chasse, on which Louis spent a further 100,000 livres. The entire chapel, by contrast, cost 40,000 livres to build and glaze. Until it was completed in 1248, the relics were housed at chapels at the Château de Vincennes and a specially built chapel at the Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye. In 1246, fragments of the True Cross and the Holy Lance were added to Louis' collection, along with other relics. The chapel was consecrated on 26 April 1248 and Louis' relics were moved to their new home with great ceremony.
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