Sainte Chapelle

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<strong>La Sainte-Chapelle</strong><strong> </strong>(<strong>The Holy Chapel</strong>) was built in 1948, it took just two years to make.  SainteChapelle was part of Palais de Justice (once the royal palace), it was built by Pierre de Montreuil (1243–46) for Louis IX (St. Louis) to enshrine the Crown of Thorns and other sacred relics brought back from the Crusades. (Sainte-Chapelle). The chapel consists of two chapels, one on top of the other, and a spire. The upper level chapel consists of 15 elegant stain glass windows, which the chapel is known for. Its marveling beauty challenged the cathedrals of its time. I hope for future generations this building still stands because of its dazzling architecture.

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King Louis was unlike many devout aristocrats, who regularly swiped sacred relics; the saintly Louis bought his for a hefty sum. In 1239, he purchased the <strong>crown of thorns</strong><strong> </strong>from the impoverished Latin emperor at Constantinople, Baldwin II, for <strong>135,000 livres</strong>; the entire chapel, by contrast, cost 40,000 livres to build. A piece of the <strong>True Cross</strong> was added, along with other relics, making Sainte-Chapelle a valuable reliquary. ( Sainte-Chapelle - Paris,) immediately after obtaining the relics Louis decided the blueprints to construct a house worthy for the sacred relics and by 1946 ground was broken. This is unusual for its time because most holy buildings where more of a display of rulers power, and where meant to show off status. (Tiffany) However King Louis wanted to be seen as the holiest of Kings.  Today the same Crown of Thorns is thought to live in the Notre Dame de Paris. It is hard to say now if this was the actual crown of thorns because the definition of relic is used loosely in the passion. A first class relic can mean it has the saviors’ blood, or has part of the body of <span style="text-decoration: underline">a</span> saint.  A second class relic is made from a piece of the original crown of thorns or used/touched by a saint. Third class relics are considered relics if they come in contact with a first class crown. So many relics are in circulation and it is very hard to tell if Louis relic was ever a first class relic, or Jesus’ crown of thorns at all because it was reportedly sold to him. (what) This makes things interesting because this fact must have been known by King Louis IX. First class relics are never meant to be sold. It is wrong to sell relics of the first class. (Relics) This could mean that Sainte Chapelle was built as a political display. King Louis wanted to be seen as the holiest king and at the time France was being seen as the new holy land. The King had to embody his countries new image somehow. The crusaded and the relics and cathedral and chapels where all just a display of holyness, which makes sense considering that most cathedrals where built as a show of the city’s power or status, and would make sense that the country later revolted and went through an anti-religious phase, during the French Revolution. People were mad at the king and other political figures at the time because they were getting taxed heavily for the debt their rulers created all because they wanted to create a show of who was holiest in France. Regardless of the authenticity of the crown of thorns that King Louis was never buried in Sainte Chapelle or buried with his relics, which builds a larger case for the authenticity of his “treasures”.

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At the time of which Sainte Chapelle was made people of the time lived in small, dark, bulky, stone buildings so when these cathedrals where made it was like walking into another world for them. (Tiffany) In the time cathedrals and Siante Chapelles where made, stained glass and was used to express god. Light was thought to be an expression of god, and in respect made the building holy. The stained glass usually displayed pictures of the stories in the bible to help the masses understand the stories in bible because many could not read. The glass also held another purpose in Sainte Chapelle and the cathedrals. It helped work as a support for the tall arching ceilings and arches.

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Many holy buildings of the time where made according to the measurements given by the bible. Sainte Chapelle was more than likely made with the same measurements given in the bible, even though it was much smaller than the cathedrals that it is usually compared to , or mistakenly thought to be one. As Steven Murray an expert on the gothic cathedrals explains, “the biblical description, I think, that had the greatest impact of all upon the builders was the description of Heaven itself, the Celestial City. And the text, the reading, I think, that would certainly come to mind was the end of the New Testament Book of Revelation, Chapter 21, where Saint John the Divine doesn't just see Heaven, but actually measures Heaven with the golden measuring rod that the angel gives him, and discovers this number of 144 cubits. Heaven is 144 cubits wide, 144 long, and 144 cubits high. So numbers like this must have resonated in the minds of the builders and the users of Gothic cathedrals.” (PBS) The measurements for the cathedrals and other holy structures where measured in different units, the Amien Chathedral used a roman foot. Sainte Chapelle most likely used a different unit of measurement to meet the godly dimensions presented in the bible since it housed such sacred items. It could have also used the other dimensions like Solomon’s Temple which makes sense because the Notre Dame de Paris which was built around the same time, and was another royal building, used dimensions given by the bible said to be the dimensions for Solomon’s Temple. Unlike Notre Dame or Amien Sainte Chapelle was never meant for the public to visit.

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People today still feel it is dazzling and breathtaking. It still has the same effect in bringing you into another world. People today, who see the Sainte Chapelle museum for the first time, still stand in awe. (Tiffany) I personally feel it is beautiful, but unfortunately I believe I do not understand the full effect of Sainte Chapelle’s chapel because I have not gone to see it. I hope it still stands for me and future generations to see because I do not feel you can truly get the same effect of the chapel’s beauty unless you have set foot in it. I do not believe any picture can produce the same effect, as stepping foot into its medieval past. If the building was ever destroyed I hope future generations would pass on that Sainte Chapelle stood for a symbol. It represented the holiness of King Loius the IX and how devoted to the faith he was.

Works Cited

"Sainte-Chapelle." <em>Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition</em> (2010): 1. <em>MasterFILE Premier</em>. EBSCO. Web. 5 Mar. 2011.

"Sainte-Chapelle - Paris, France." <em>Sacred Sites at Sacred Destinations - Explore Sacred Sites, Religious Sites, Sacred Places</em>. Web. 8 Feb. 2010. 06 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.sacred-destinations.com/france/paris-sainte-chapelle&gt;.

"What Every Catholic Needs to Know About Relics! | Cukierski.net/relicexplanation.shtml - Specializing in Catholic Sacramentals." <em>The Cukierski Family</em>. Web. 06 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.cukierski.net/library/relicexplanation.shtml&gt;.

"Relics and the Incorruptibles." <em>Fish Eaters: The Whys and Hows of Traditional Catholicism</em>. Web. 09 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.fisheaters.com/relics.html&gt;.

Tiffany, Scott. "Building the Great Cathedrals." <em>Nova</em>. Nova, 19 Oct. 2010. Web. 9 Mar. 2011. &lt;http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ancient/building-gothic-cathedrals.html&gt;.

PBS. <em>Sacred Architecture</em>. Cond. Stephen Murray. Rec. 21 Oct. 2010. David Levin, 2010. MP3

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