The Best Way to Visit the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris


 

What a better way to spend an afternoon than in the stunning Sainte-Chapelle in Paris?! This royal chapel, located smack dab in the center of Paris needs to be on your “to-see” list if you find yourself in the French capital.

Built in 1242, by order of King Louis IX, the Sainte-Chapelle was originally constructed in order to house the many religious relics that the king had been collecting. This included the Crown of Thorns, a portion of the Holy Cross, and the Image of Edessa…to name a few!

King Louis IX was really serious about Christianity. He fought in 2 Crusades, he spent a ton of money on religious relics and he commissioned the construction of the Sainte-Chapelle. After his death, he was even canonized as a saint for his efforts.

The Sainte-Chapelle is a beautiful place to pay your respects to the late King Louis IX, and it’s a special monument to visit no matter your faith.

If you’ve never been to Paris, or if you’ve just never gotten the chance to go to the Sainte-Chapelle, I’m here to help. Keep reading for my step-by-step guide for the best way to visit the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris!

Practical Information
Entry fee: 10 euros
Opening hours: Open every day. January 2-March 31 9am-5pm, April 1-September 30 9am-7pm, October 1-December 31 9am-5pm
Address: 10 boulevard du Palais 75001 Paris
Metro: Cité
Website

Step 1: Buy your tickets in advance

exterior SC

The exterior façade of the Sainte-Chapelle by Harmonia Amanda – WikiCommons

I can’t stress enough how much easier your life will be if you start buying your tickets to Parisian monuments in advance. Sure, maybe sometimes you’ll get lucky and there won’t be a line, you’ll breeze through security and you’ll be inside the monument in a matter of minutes. But, most likely, there will be a long line that you could get stuck waiting in for a really long time.

Paris is crowded for most of the year. Summer is probably when the highest number of tourists come to the city, but there are large crowds in December as well. It’s understandable: Paris is on the “must-visit” list of many all around the world!

Before you head to the Sainte-Chapelle, head to their website and book your tickets there. You’ll always have to go through security to have your bags checked, but this line tends to move very quickly.

This piece of advice applies to the Sainte-Chapelle, but all other Parisian monuments as well. Trust me, you’ll thank me later!

Step 2: Go to the Île de la Cité

Île de la Cité

Île de la Cité, Paris by DXR – WikiCommons

I’ve already mentioned that the Sainte-Chapelle is located in the center of Paris. When I say center, I really mean it! The chapel is on the Île de la Cité, one of two islands that are situated in the center of Paris, separating the Left Bank from the Right Bank on the Seine River.

You may recognize the name Île de la Cité, as it is home to some other major Parisian landmarks as well. The Notre-Dame, the Conciergerie, the Palais de Justice and the Sainte-Chapelle are all located here!

Give yourself some extra time to explore the area around the Sainte-Chapelle before you head into the chapel. It’s the perfect place to take photos, and you can practically feel the history in the air around you. This is the island where the French court ruled in the Middle Ages, before moving to the Louvre Palace and then onto Versailles.

During the French Revolution, the queen (Marie Antoinette, ringing any bells?) spent her last days in the Conciergerie, and the Notre-Dame is always a treat to see, under construction or not!

I think you get where I’m going here…exploring the Île de la Cité is all a part of visiting the Sainte-Chapelle.

Step 3: Explore the Lower Chapel

Lower Chapel

The Lower Chapel in the Sainte-Chapelle by Zairon – WikiCommons

The Sainte-Chapelle (which translates to English as the Holy Chapel) is actually two chapels in one.  There is a Lower Chapel that is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and the Upper Chapel which holds the relics. The king and the royal family worshipped in the Upper Chapel, and the commoners who worked in and around the palace would worship in the Lower.

When you enter the Sainte-Chapelle, you’ll find yourself in the Lower Chapel. You’ll know you’re in the right place when you see the statue of Virgin Mary in the center of the room! The statue is the focal point of this part of the Sainte-Chapelle.

Although this part of the chapel was made so that the palace employees would have a place to worship, it’s still very impressive in my book. There are 12 medallions along the walls that represent the 12 Apostles, and the vaulted ceilings are painted blue and decorated with small golden fleur de lys motifs. This design is identical to the ceiling in the Upper Chapel!

Another impressive feature in the Lower Chapel is a 13th century fresco which depicts the Annunciation (the moment when the Archangel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary that she was to conceive and give birth to Jesus). It is the oldest wall painting in Paris! There are also a few stained glass windows in the Lower Chapel, but they are relatively small.

Once you’ve looked into every nook and cranny you can find in the Lower Chapel, it’s time to make your way upstairs.

Step 4: Head to the Upper Chapel

Upper Chapel

The Upper Chapel in the Sainte-Chapelle by Koldo Iglesias Pardo – WikiCommons

The star of the show in the Sainte-Chapelle is definitely the Upper Chapel. This makes sense, now that you know it was made for a king!

After you’ve explored the Lower Chapel, simply follow the signs to access the Upper Chapel. I guarantee you’ll be blown away as soon as you step through the threshold. The spectacular stained glass windows will greet you with their blue, red and purple coloring, try not to say “wow” too loudly.

You’ll notice that the ceiling is decorated with the same fleur de lys motif and coloring as in the Lower Chapel. The difference is that the ceiling in the Upper Chapel is very high up. I’m talking over 20 meters high up! It also tends to feel even taller than it really is as it is almost twice the size of the chapel’s width.

The Sainte-Chapelle boasts a Rayonnant Gothic architecture. One of the main features of Raynonnant architecture is it’s vertical emphasis. This emphasis is clear in the Upper Chapel!

Instead of medallions representing the 12 Apostles, in the Upper Chapel their are 12 statues. 6 of these statues are original, while 6 are replicas. The reason for this is that 6 statues needed to be replaced due to damage. The damaged original statues can be found in the Musée de Moyen Age (the Middle Ages Museum) in the 5th arrondissement.

The main focal point of the Upper Chapel? The gorgeous stained glass windows, of course!

Step 5: Admire the stained glass windows

rose

The rose stained glass window in the Sainte-Chapelle by Didier B – Wikicommons

You’re going to want to spend a lot of time admiring the stained glass windows in the Upper Chapel. These windows are much of the reason why the Sainte-Chapelle is so appreciated.

The Upper Chapel boasts 15 stained glass windows, and together makes up over 600m2 of glass. Sainte-Chapelle has one of the broadest collections of 13th century stained glass in the world! So, feel free to cross see-13th-century-stained-glass off of your bucket list after your afternoon at the Sainte-Chapelle.

There are exactly 1,113 biblical scenes portrayed in the windows. They tell the story of the Bible from the Book of Genesis, up until the resurrection of Jesus. In between you’ll find figures from the Book of Exodus, Judges, and the Book of Kings.

While you’re there, keep in mind that you’ll want to “read” the images from left to right, and from the bottom to the top. It’s interesting to think of this as reading, because stained glass windows were actually originally created to bring the stories from scripture to the masses. In the Middle Ages, many people were illiterate, so this was the only way they could “read” the Bible on their own.

14 of the 15 windows depict biblical figures, and the last window? It tells the story of the relics and how King Louis IX came to acquire them, of course! It also shows the king triumphantly bringing the relics to their final resting place, in Paris.

Last but not least, be sure to take a look at the rose stained glass window as well. It is made up of 82 different “petals,” and depicts Saint John’s Book of Revelation.

Step 6: Don’t forget the shrine

SC

The former shrine in the Sainte-Chapelle by tmal – pixabay

The entire reason the Sainte-Chapelle was built was as a place to store King Louis IX’s religious relics, so you must take the time to take a look at the place where the shrine that used to hold most of them was located!

Located in the Upper Chapel, just below the window that depicts the Passion of Christ, you’ll find what looks like a massive altar with a roof over it. You can’t miss it, as it is the focal point of the Upper Chapel. While there are no relics inside now, it is interesting to see where the relics would have been when King Louis IX was alive.

Today, the remaining relics are housed in the treasury of the Notre-Dame.

Step 6: Stick around to see a concert

Ceiling

The vaulted ceilings that make the acoustics so wonderful inside the Sainte-Chapelle by Guillaume Speurt – WikiCommons

Thanks to the wonderful acoustics inside the Sainte-Chapelle, classical music concerts are put on inside the chapel very often. The concerts are so popular that there are usually performances multiple times per week! I always try to make an effort to take any family or friends that come to visit me to a concert here as it is a really special experience.

You’ll find soloists and sets of musicians that have been scouted out by Euromusic Productions (the company that puts on the concerts), who will play classic pieces from the likes of Mozart, Vivaldi and Bach.

The chapel holds 200 people and the concerts tend to fill up quickly, so you’ll need to make reservations in advance. Head to their website to view the concert schedule and to buy your tickets.

Conclusion

Are you ready to visit the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris? With this handy article, you bet you are! I hope that you’ve found my step-by-step guide helpful, and that you’ll save this for your next Paris trip.

If you want to learn more about Paris and it’s monuments, join one of our walking tours! Our local guides are sure to impress you with their extensive knowledge of this beautiful city. Click here to learn more!

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