The Sainte Chapelle cathedral - a brilliant example of High Gothic architecture in Paris

The Sainte Chapelle is one of the finest specimens ofseventy feet. The upper chapel is entered by a
High Gothic architecture in the world, and it isstaircase, and an exquisite view presents itself. A
impossible to give the reader any adequate idea of itssingle apartment, a half-circular chair, with fine, large
peculiar beauty. But I can briefly sketch it, and at leastwindows, detached columns with bases and capitals,
point out some of its most striking features. The Sainteand fine groining - these all strike the eye of the visitor
Chapelle was erected by St. Louis in 1248, and setas he crosses the threshold. The whole is gorgeously
apart for the reception of relics bought of the emperorpainted and interspersed with fleur de lis. In the nave
of Constantinople. The Chapelle consists of an upperthere is a carved wooden stair-case of the thirteenth
and a lower chapel—the upper communicating withcentury. The windows are filled with stained glass
the old palace of the ancient kings of France. It waswhich dates from 1248, and has escaped destruction
formerly appropriated to the king and court. The lowerduring two great revolutions and two world wars.
chapel opens into the lower courts of the palace, andNear the altar there is a side chapel, to which access
was appropriated to the use of the common people inis had from below. Here Louis XI used to come, amid
and around the palace.the choicest relics, and say his prayers. Some of the
The entrance is very narrow - so much so that arelics are still preserved, and consist of a crown of
good view of the front cannot be had. It has a porticothorns, a piece of the cross upon which Christ was
of three Gothic arches with intersecting buttresses,crucified, and many antique gems. The Chapelle and
and in connection with lateral buttresses there are twothe relics cost Louis two millions eight hundred
spiral towers with spiral stair-cases. Between thethousand francs - the relics alone costing an enormous
towers there is a splendid circular window, which wasamount.
constructed by Charles VIII. The spires of the churchAt the time of the French revolution, this ancient and
are octagonal, and are adorned with mouldings andbeautiful building escaped destruction by its conversion
traceries, and also at about half-height with a crown ofby the government into courts of justice. The internal
thorns. The different sides of the Chapelle are in thedecorations were, however, partly destroyed. The
same style - with buttresses between the windows,church, as it exists now, in a state of complete
gables surmounting these, and a fine open parapetrestoration, is one of the finest church interiors in Paris,
crowning all. The roof is sloping, and the height is overand the best specimen of its peculiar kind of
a hundred feet. The spire measures, from the vaulting,architecture in the world.