The Pearl of Paris Saint-Chapelle

A true treasure among the chapels of Medieval Europe, St. Chapel is striking with stained-glass windows that play with sunlight and artificial light, turning them into red, blue, gold, and green glare. The chapel is hidden in the courtyard under the cover of the walls of the Palace of Justice, it stands out only by its spire (33 meters high) and, like a pearl, carefully keeps its age-old secrets.

The walls of the chapel are composed entirely of stained glass, their total area is approximately 670 square meters, almost two-thirds of the stained glass remains from the time of their construction. They bear images of biblical scenes, creating the illusion of multicolored screens embodying former legends.

The best time for tourists to visit St. Chapel is on a bright sunny day so that the effect of viewing the stained glass windows will be truly stunning. You can bring binoculars and sit comfortably on a bench inside the chapel to get a closer look at the images. Care should be taken on the stairs that lead to the Upper Chapel - it's a steep, narrow spiral. In the summer, classical concerts are held in the chapel.

The name of this Gothic church can be translated as "Holy Chapel" and was built by order of Louis the Saint to represent the unity of secular and spiritual authority. The occasion for its construction was the purchase from the Latin ruler of the crown of thorns of Christ, a great Christian relic. This little chapel was originally conceived as a treasury.

St. Chapel is an architectural marvel of the era. It combines a Gothic church silhouette with graceful, light architecture and clearly shows the unique style of the 13th century. The famous stained-glass windows with scenes depicting biblical motifs were created at that time, they still attract tourists from all over the world. According to legend, the chapel has never been completely rebuilt, as it carries the spirit of greatness of the French kings compared to the other rulers of Europe.

During the Great French Revolution, the silver casket containing the relics was stolen, and the precious decorations were melted down as well. But someone stole and hid the crown of thorns so that in the Restoration era, in 1804, he could present it to the bishop of Paris. After the Revolution, this incident was symbolized with the final separation of spiritual and secular authority.