It’s just my luck that I couldn’t visit Notre Dame Cathedral in my trip to Paris last year after it was severely damaged in a fire earlier in the same year. However, I still managed to visit Sainte Chapelle, nearby Notre Dame Cathedral, which is famous for its stunning stained glass windows and the famous bookshop, Shakespeare and Company.
Getting there:
Metro: Cité or Saint-Michel (Line 4)
RER: Saint-Michel (Line C)
Bus: Lines 21, 38, 47, or 85
Palais de la Cité was the residence of the Kings of France from the 6th century until the 14th century. During the French Revolution, it served as a courthouse and prison, where Marie Antoinette and other prisoners were held and tried by the Revolutionary Tribunal. The site is now largely occupied by the buildings of the 19th-century Palais de Justice (mostly closed to the public), the Conciergerie and, most important, the Sainte-Chapelle, the former royal chapel.
Built in the 13th century by King Louis IX, the Sainte Chapelle was intended to house precious Christian relics, including Christ's Crown of Thorns, acquired by the king. The Sainte-Chapelle has been a national historic monument since 1862.
The Sainte Chapelle consists of two different chapels: the lower chapel, served as parish church for all the inhabitants of the palace, and the upper chapel, dedicated to the king and his family. Picture above is the lower chapel.
King Louis IX purchased his Passion relics from Baldwin II, the Latin emperor at Constantinople, for the sum of 135,000 livres, though this money was actually paid to the Venetians, to whom the relics had been pawned. The relics were stored in a large and elaborate silver chest, the Grand-Chasse, on which Louis spent a further 100,000 livres. By contrast, the construction of the Sainte-Chapelle only cost about 40,000 livres, three times less than the relics!
Having these sacred relics in his possession made the already powerful monarch head of western Christianity. The king was later recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. His title became Saint Louis. He is the only King of France to be declared as a saint.
Only three relics remain today including Christ's Crown of Thorns. The relics were later hosted in the nearby Notre-Dame Cathedral until the April 2019 fire. After the fire, the relics were moved for safekeeping first to the Paris city hall overnight, and then to the Louvre.
The most famous features of the chapel are the 15 huge mid-13th-century stained glass windows. The stained glass panes, each measures 15 metres high, depict 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments recounting the history of the world until the arrival of the relics in Paris.
A large rose window (added to the upper chapel c. 1490) dominates the western wall.
Much of the chapel as it appears today is a re-creation, although nearly two-thirds of the windows are authentic. The chapel suffered its most grievous destruction in the late 18th century during the French Revolution. It was later restored in the 19th century.
When mentioning cathedral in Paris, Notre Dame Cathedral is perhaps the first cathedral that comes to mind. Unfortunately, the fire which broke out on 15 April 2019 had severely damaged its roof and upper walls and caused the building spires to collapse. The cathedral is now closed for restoration and reconstruction. I only managed to take some photos outside the compound of the cathedral.
Located just opposite Notre-Dame Cathedral, Shakespeare and Company is a English-language bookshop which was founded by an American, George Whitman. The original Shakespeare and Company by Slyvia Beech was closed in December 1941 during the German occupation of France in World War II.
George Whitman had modeled his shop after Sylvia Beach's. His bookshop was originally named “Le Mistral.” It was later renamed to “Shakespeare and Company” in 1964, after Sylvia Beach's death and on the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth. Since its opening in 1951, it has been a meeting place for thousands of people who come to read, write, and sleep at Shakespeare and Company.
A peep into the “rabbit hole”. Shakespeare and Company was featured in movies such as “Before Sunset”, “Julie & Julia”, and “Midnight in Paris”.
Sainte-Chapelle
Opening hours:
9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Jan-Mar)
9:00 am - 7:00 pm (Apr-Sep)
9:00 am - 5:00 pm (Oct-Dec)
Admission fee: EUR 11.50 per adult,
Free for Paris Museum Pass holders, person age 18 and below, European residents (age 18 - 25) and person with disabilities.
Website: www.sainte-chapelle.fr
Shakespear and Company
Opening hours:
Bookstore: Monday to Thursday, & Sunday, 2:30pm to 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday, 12pm to 8pm
Café: Tuesday to Friday, 11am to 8pm
Saturday & Sunday, 10:30am to 8pm
* Hours are subject to change every week.
Website: https://shakespeareandcompany.com/
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