I wasn’t kidding when I said I’d be talking about the honeymoon trip for a long time! Today I popped into my pictures folder accidentally and realized I haven’t shared my favorite church with you in detail yet.
When we first went to Paris in 2009, I wasn’t prepared for how breathtakingly beautiful Saint Chapelle is. I think most people have a few other places in mind ahead of it when they think of Paris – the Louvre, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, etc. But let me tell you, on our honeymoon last year, I was here at Sainte Chapelle the morning after we arrived.
The funny thing about is is that (A) it’s literally guarded by the gendarmerie and (B) the part you actually walk into (above) is rather underwhelming. Not that it’s not beautiful, but the ceilings are kind of low and it’s dark. The worst part is, like so many places in Europe, they gift-shopped it up. Nothing like an Eiffel Tower keychain to accent a centuries old monument.
But then, you walk upstairs. And not just any stairs – literally tiny, hole-in-the-wall type spiral stairs. and you arrive…
Two-thirds of the stained glass is original from the 13th century when the chapel was built by Louis IX. Can you imagine building something so well? And without the benefit of power tools or machinery? I have to doubt that any of our buildings and products today would stand that test.
I must give the hubs most of the credit for our photos, as I spent most of our visit seated in a chair on the sidelines, reading the history and admiring the art…
…which he also made sure to capture :-)
Have a wonderful Thursday!
