Ste. Chapelle

No photo can do justice to Saint Chappelle – you MUST see it in person. Notre Dame is grand, but as this the King’s private chapel, it’s more intimate. When I walked in the narrow door from the ground floor into the chapel, the sun was streaming in through the blue glass like it was alive and I literally fell backwards into my friend, who was on the step behind me. It is THAT stunning. The care and artistry that went into each bit of glass, coupled with the artwork inside, is unbelieveable. If you get a chance, stop in one evening when they have a string quartet playing. The acoustics are amazing and I guarantee you will have a spiritual experience you will not forget. My absolute favorite spot in all of Europe…

Beautiful stained glass windows. I wish that my photos had turned out like some of the ones posted here – need a better camera!

The second story of this chapel is just amazing. Better stained glass windows then Norte Dame even!! Just an amazing place to visit!

Well, we visited, and it was reasonably sunny. First the good: it is undeniably beautiful, the stained glass is magnificent. But there’s a but. It is small and crowded. Besides the glass there isn’t much else to see. This wouldn’t matter much if you didn’t have to stand in line for at lease half an hour and didn’t had to pay a 7,5€ entry fee, which is just too much to stare at glass (even if it is stunning) for 20 minutes.
If you only get one chance to see stained glass in European churches, this is the best pick. For the other folks: see a concert. As a stand-alone visit it wasn’t living up to its cost for me.

I’m leaving for Paris tomorrow, and this is obviously on my list. I hope the weather is better than the forecasts predict, as I need sun to light up the stained glass.