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| Upper Level |
The Holy Chapel: St. Chapelle
The St. Chapelle is a royal Gothic chapel located in Paris, France. Its construction started in 1239 and finished in 1248. It was appointed by St. Louis IX to hold all of his relics. Those relics included the Crown of Thorns, as well as the Image of Edessa. As far as architecture goes, this chapel has deep buttresses and vast windows, representative of the gothic style of architecture. The outside is rather simple compared to what one will encounter inside. This chapel was built as two chapels on top of each other. The upper level was used as a place of worship for the king and his family & friends. The relics were also housed in the upper level. The lower chapel was used as a place of worship for the palace staff. The lower level is decorated with fleur-de-lis.
Inside the upper level, places not filled with windows are filled with bright colors and decorations. It was originally painted much brighter than it is now. There are 12 enormous statues inside representing the 12 Apostles. But, the most amazing parts of the chapel are its stained glass windows. There are 15 panels of windows, plus a huge rose window that was added around 1490, as a gift from Charles VIII. These windows depict 1,113 different scenes, like the infancy of Christ and the Book of Genesis. If you look at the windows from left to right, they read like a book, telling the story of the beginning of mankind in Genesis to the Resurrection. The very last window recalls the story of how the Passion of Christ relics were acquired and brought back to the chapel.
Resources & Pictures:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sainte-Chapelle
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Medieval University
Italy, 1400
900s, Jewelled crown
Wow! I can't believe how beautiful this cathedral is. I would love to go see this Cathedral in person. I wonder how long it took to make all of those stained glass windows, especially to coordinate the stories of the bible chronologically.
ReplyDeleteThis cathedral is beautiful. It is amazing how King Louis was able to afford and commission such an impressive work of architecture. Also, the idea that the cathedral was simple on the outside compared to the inside was something that was also representative of Gothic architecture. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love the late Rayonnant gothic style cathedrals and St. Chapelle is one of my favorites. The windows tell a a story but it's funny because they are so intricate it is almost impossible to get the full story from the ground level.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I love how much detail you wrote on the St-Chapelle. It is absolutely gorgeous! I do believe that stained glass windows bring a sense of beauty and awe to any place, especially of its painted in bright colors on the inside. 1, 113 different scenes, incredible!!!
ReplyDeleteGood job!
Dang, the expense of the place must have been massive. Just to maintain that glass must be a financial nightmare-you can see with just this cathedral alone the kind of resources a medieval king could muster.
ReplyDeleteJust a stunning cathedral. I don't believe that pictures may justify its full beauty. If I even make it to Europe, this will be one of the stops. Very informative blog!
ReplyDeleteThe color and size of the cathedral are simply amazing, I can't imagine how the upper level would have looked with brighter colors. And the history in the windows is a fascinating detail, not only depicting biblical stories but also how France had earned glory and deserved to be recognized for its piety. Fascinating stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think I would die in architectural heaven if i ever saw this cathedral. The images are absolutely breath taking! I'm impressed by the relics it houses, though I find the architecture much more interesting!
ReplyDelete