The Sainte-Chapelle : Palais de la Cité : Paris

The Sainte-Chapelle was built by Saint Louis, King Louis IX, in the mid-13th century, at the heart of the Palais de la Cité, the sovereign's residence and administrative seat.

The monument is both palatine and reliquary ; it is composed of the lower chapel, intended for the palace personnel, and the upper chapel or royal chapel that housed the relics associated with Christ's Passion, bought by Saint Louis from the emperor of Constantinople. Its architecture and the veneration of the relics celebrated there influenced the whole of artistic creation and liturgy up until the 16th century.

Gracing the Sainte-Chapelle is a unique ensemble of fifteen stained-glass windows and a large rose window that create stunning walls of light.

In the mid-19th century, restoration of the Sainte-Chapelle re-established its original Rayonnant Gothic character and formed an ideal vision of medieval sacred architecture.

The « Itinéraires » series, designed as a guide for cultural tourism, invites the visitor to discover the highroads and byways of France's national heritage.