Built in the heart of the Palais de la Cité in the mid-13th century, the Sainte-Chapelle is famous for its sublime stained glass windows and is an unparalleled example of the Rayonnant phase of Gothic architecture. During your stay at the Hotel du Danube, don’t miss this exquisite royal chapel.
15 huge stained glass windows of exceptional splendour
A true masterpiece of Gothic artistry, the Sainte-Chapelle has walls that seem to be essentially comprised of astonishingly beautiful stained glass windows. The Rayonnant style of architecture emphasised an impression of structural lightness and sought to focus on allowing in natural illumination. This method of constructing the exterior walls represented an incredible technical feat for the time. This medieval church is comprised of two distinct chapels.
The Lower Chapel
You enter the building via the Lower Chapel, built as a place of worship for the parish faithful. More modest than the High Chapel, it houses the statue of the Virgin Mary, to whom the church is dedicated. The interior, with its predominance of red and blue, recalls the original decor dating from the Middle Ages.
The High Chapel
The High Chapel, much more sumptuous than the Lower Chapel, was reserved for the exclusive use of the king and his family. It was here that the Passion relics collected by Louis IX were previously kept. Fully decorated with sculptures, it is illuminated by 600 m2 of stained glass windows of 15 metres high, most of them original. These windows, as majestic as they are dazzling, flood this superb holy place with light and colour. They depict some 1,113 Old and New Testament scenes, from Genesis to the resurrection of Christ.
To see the building at its most splendid, we recommend visiting on a sunny day. The effect produced by daylight is simply magical. In the evening, many classical music concerts take place, revealing a completely different but equally unforgettable ambiance.
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Hotel du Danube, a 3 star hotel at the heart of Saint Germain des Prés