RELATED LINKS Return to Wondrous Destinations

Many visitors to Paris pass right by this diminutive masterpiece of 13^th-century ecclesiastical architecture on their way to the nearby Cathedral of Notre-Dame, but in many ways the Sainte-Chapelle represents a substantially more refined and majestic expression of the Gothic form. The entrance, tucked among the imposing courtroom buildings of the Palais de Justice, leads into a dim ground-floor chapel. Climb the spiral staircase to the more spacious upper chapel and you'll be enter a resplendent display of light streaming through finely crafted stained-glass windows held in place by an impossibly delicate web of stonework. The Sainte-Chapelle is no longer an active place of religious worship, but the upper chapel occasionally serves as a concert venue, and there's no better backdrop in all of Paris for an afternoon of classical or baroque chamber music.

French Government Tourist Office: www.franceguide.com
Centre des Monuments Nationaux: www.monum.fr