The Sainte-Chapelle was built by orders of King Louis IX to house what was believed to be Jesus's crown of thorns and other relics from the crusades. The king had acquired these sacred relics from the Emperor of Constantinople-Baudouin II, and he is said to have spent more money on collecting them than on building this monument to shelter them.

This former chapel, which is a prime example of the Rayonnant style in Gothic architecture, in some ways can be testament to the saying that it's what's on the inside that counts. Though beautiful, the outside of Sainte-Chapelle could possibly be overlooked when passing by. Once inside though, the beauty can almost not be denied as onlookers gaze at the 600 square meters of enormous stained glass windows that serve as walls in the main chamber.

These windows, which are the oldest stained glass windows ("vitraux", in French) in the city, depict scenes from both the Old and New Testament and a large rose window depicts the Apocalypse in 86 panels. Overall, there are 15 windows, around 40 feet high each, and more than half of the original medieval glass used during construction is still present in them. Besides the windows, the gem studded interior overflows with great vaults, wall paintings, and sculptures.

Built in a French court gothic style, Sainte-Chapelle's foundation lies in the Palais de Justice (the Court house) complex, once the Royal Palace of Paris. The building was often seen as both a religious and political symbol as it is said that the king chose to have the church built inside the Royal Palace to stress a close relationship between the sacred relics and the monarchy. The church was built in about six years by Pierre de Montreuil, who also worked on Notre-Dame. It was consecrated in 1248.

As for the outside of the building, the monument consists of two chapels, one above another, as well as a steeple that rises 75 meters off the ground. The upper chapel was designated solely for the king and to display the sacred relics and the lower was for the public. The lower chapel includes a 23 ft high arched ceiling supported by slender columns and a narrow circular staircase leads to the upper chapel.

Over the years, the church has stood the test of time without the support of flying buttresses, a daring design for the era, and has also survived a flood as well as two fires. The exterior took a rather hard beating during the French Revolution when the outside was vandalized and the spire was torn down. As a result, the monument went through a series of restorations in the 19^th century, led by architects such as Viollet-le-Duc and J.B. Lassus, and a new spire and outside as well as inside restorations were worked out. Currently, the monument is again undergoing minor restorations due to a storm a few years ago.

Sainte-Chapelle is now a museum and monument maintained by the French Government. Live classical concerts are performed April through mid October and if you happen to be passing through the city during this time, catching one would no doubt be a worthwhile experience.

The church is located on 4, Boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris and the crown of thorns is now located in the treasury of the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral. The chapel is open through the week 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed Jan 1^st, May 1^st, November 1^st and 11^th, and December 25^th. From April to September hours change to 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

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Zoie Clift is a talented contributor to Paris Eiffel Tower News. Should you like her to write professionally for you, please contact her at  .