By Kim Riordan
The Sainte Chapelle is perhaps the most splendid illustration of Rayonnant style of Gothic design. It was established by King Louis IX to display Christian artifacts, such as Crown of Thorns, and a piece of the True Cross. Construction began in January, 1246 and was completed on April 25, 1248. The architect most credited to the Sainte Chapelle is known as Pierre de Montreuil. The Chapelle suffered much damage during the French Revolution. However, it was completely restored by Jean Baptiste Lassus and Viollet-le-Duc in the 19th century. Sainte Chappelle is on the Ile de la Cité in the middle of the Seine River in Paris, France. One may tour this marvelous Gothic creation at http://fromparis.com/panoramas_quicktime_vr/sainte_chapelle_02/. The Sainte Chapelle is now part of the main tourist attraction in Paris, permitting tourists to enter in both the upper and lower chapels.
Sainte Chappelle is a small church containing of an upper and lower chapel that’s entirely inside the barriers of the old royal palace, which is now the Palace of Justice. The church’s small size allows for it to architecturally achieve a number of things that make it so distinct, including the great height of the upper chapel. You can see the unique way the architect used the flying buttresses. The slenderness of the Sainte Chapelle meant that the flying buttresses didn’t have to be so enormous. Instead the architect carefully designed the exterior to collaborate with the interior design. Consequently the walls were no longer the main supports; therefore huge areas of stained glass could be used in the Gothic design. Sainte Chapelle is recognized for its stained-glass windows, covering 6,456 square feet. These grand stained glass windows provide a sense of precision, color and space. Sainte Chapelle’s structure is 118 ft. long, 56 ft. wide and 139 ft. high. The exterior design emphases on the basics, a moderate base with small buttresses contrasting with the rising weightlessness of the upper parts. The slate roof has a cedar spire that measures 108 ft. high. The well-designed proportions and brightness of the upper chapel, its 15 superb stained-glass windows, separated only by thin columns practically from floor to ceiling, and its richly painted columns and panels create the effect of an absolute radiance of color and light. The upper chapel was mainly used for the king, his family members and very close friends , as well as for displaying the religious artifacts.
The lower chapel is devoted to the Virgin Mary. This part of the Sainte Chapelle was built for the servants who worked for the king. As you can see in the photo below, the vaulted ceilings rested on
columns with crocket capitals, connected by anchor supports made of wood and stone. The walls are decorated with an arcade of trefoil arches. Vibrant colors of red, blue and gold are used to decorate this fine chapel. The floor contains tombstones of past treasurers and reverends of the chapel.
What drew my attention to the Sainte Chapelle is its combination of use with light, color, and space mixed with fine art and spiritual faith. The chapel consists of beautiful vaulted ceiling, stained glass windows, rich decorations and striking statues. This is truly an architectural structure that should be appreciated not only from the exterior, but the interior as well. I also was fascinated by the use of the stain glass window, which contains scenes from the Old Testaments.
Works Cited
http://sainte-chapelle.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/
http://www.parisdigest.com/monument/saintechapelle
http://www.discoverfrance.net/France/Cathedrals/Paris/Sainte-Chapelle.shtml
wiki.worldflicks.org
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