The Conciergerie and Sainte Chapelle

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In case you haven't noticed, we've been back-filling the blog when we have internet access. So, I'm posting this entry as May 20th even though I'm really writing it on the 21st. Additionally, to keep posts relatively short, we're posting by event rather than day. We're doing this because we've returned to several places multiple times. So, the set up to this post is that we visited Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie after visiting the Notra Dame. The three buildings are about a block apart, on the Ile de la Cite.

Our good friends Audrey and Michael told us if we paid to enter one church in all of Paris, we should go to Sainte Chapelle. This church was built by Louis IX (the saint) to house the crucifixion relics, which he bought in an attempt to make France more important in Christendom. The church and the Conciergerie jointly comprise the only aspects of the city's original royal palace (remember, the Kings moved from this spot to the Louvre). We entered the Conciergerie first and walked down into the oldest castle walls in the city. The Conciergerie was rather disappointing for a couple of reasons. First, the whole building has been restored extensively, which takes away from any possibility of old world charm. Second, the part of the building that was a prison is filled with wax figures "reenacting" life in the prison. Of course, the history of the place is quite amazing - this is where Marie Antoinette and Robespierre spent their last days while awaiting the guillotine. We saw a blade from the "death machine" and were surprised how small it was.

Next, we left the Conciergerie for Sainte Chapelle. Again, we were lucky with crowds. We were in within 20 minutes (a sign said it would take an hour). Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie are situated as part of the Ministry of Justice, with the Conciergerie forming an outside wall and Sainte Chapelle occupying the center court. It's interesting to see French people working alongside these important ancient buildings. At first, Sainte Chapelle seemed to be a disappointment. The first floor had poured concrete floors and the decorations just seemed a bit flat after seeing Notra Dame.

However, our trip up the tight circular stairs completely changed our minds. It's hard to really describe what it's like to step into the second floor (which was originally only accessible to royalty). It seems as though the entire chapel is a stained glass window. We immediately sat on some chairs to look up and marvel at the beauty. Unfortunately, we couldn't see the chapel in all its glory because the French government is undertaking a 5 year restoration of the windows. Accordingly, some of the windows are hidden behind scaffolding and drapes. And, as much as the windows were amazing, Robarn and I were enthralled with the original floors and their medieval motifs.

Our concluding tips: 1) The Conciergerie is not worth it for all but the most ardent Revolutionary History fans, 2) Sainte Chapelle most definitely is worth the trip (thanks Audrey!), 3) Don't be deterred by the lines - if need be, grab a sandwich to eat while you wait in line, 4) We didn't do this, but I think it would be totally worth it to plan your visit to the church for the late afternoon. Light into the chapel is supposed to be best at that time.

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Photos

A Stained Glass Window
The second floor of Sainte Chapelle features 12 of these long and narrow windows. They are situated so close together that the whole wall seems to be glass.

Starry Night
The ceiling is narrow and painted with stars (a common theme in the churches here).

The Rose Window
It depicts the Rapture.

A Floor Tile
It appears these tiles were made by chiseling out the places to be colored and then inlaying the stone with color.

Another Floor Tile
I love that idealized castle.

The Flood
I love this tile depicting Noah's arc and the gathering of animals.

Comments

[Audrey]

You're welcome!