After a seven-year restoration, the stained-glass windows at medieval Gothic chapel Sainte-Chapelle in Paris have been completed. The $10 million restoration was finished in time to mark the 800th birthday of King Louis IX, who commissioned Sainte-Chapelle to store his religious relics, including what was believed to be Christ’s crown of thorns.
The restoration process involved taking the windows apart and cleaning them with lasers. The windows were also fitted with a protective layer of glass to keep traffic pollution at bay without changing its appearance.
The two-level chapel, which was built between 1242 and 1248, was restored in the mid-19th century and in stages since the 1970s.
* *
