A Vision in Stained Glass- The Gorgeous Windows of La Sainte-Chapelle
The itinerary you planned for your day on the Ile de la Cite may need re-vamping. First, if you haven’t planned to visit La Saint-Chapelle while in Paris, add it right away. And second, though the chapel itself is relatively small compared to the big grande dame of the isle, Notre Dame de Paris, you’ll have to allocate ample time for its crawling queue at the door. Making my way at a snail’s pace toward security, the entire wait on a weekday afternoon took nearly an hour. At first I thought the line was moving quickly, but the sudden shift forward I felt was really caused by a group that had given up and stepped out of line. Surprisingly, the tourists left standing around me seemed resigned to wait patiently and mostly without complaint. Sure, there was a bit of murmuring about what could be taking so long– especially when officious tour guides marched groups of teenagers in past us. In particular, visitors who already held tickets in their hands had the most to grumble about. At the door, I saw that it was the security checkpoint that had taken so long; a single bleeping doorframe and bag-scanning device causing a major holdup.
But once through security and into the edifice itself, the upper floor of this gorgeous chapel quieted any mumblings about the wait time. The colorful windows stretch long and are interspersed with the statues of somber saints. Since there are rows of chairs inside, it’s a beautiful place to repose and reflect. Please click on the gallery below for a slideshow of photos taken inside La Sainte-Chapelle.
One corner of the chapel is currently under construction, but it is still well worth the wait. The scaffolding now blocks the viewing of some windows, but it promises an even grander experience the next time I come to Paris. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Tickets are available for La Sainte-Chapelle individually and in conjunction with the neighboring Conciergerie. My advice is to allocate at least a couple of hours for both, though the line into the Conciergerie is much shorter. The closest Metro stop is “Cite” on Line 4.
One Response to “A Vision in Stained Glass- The Gorgeous Windows of La Sainte-Chapelle”
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Sainte Chapelle is definitely one of the most beautiful thing in Paris.
If you want a shorter line, I definitely advise visiting in the morning, first thing.
However, in the morning, you must not confuse the line to get into the chapel with the line to get into the courthouse, as they’re next to each other.
I’ve already seen tourists waiting to get into the courthouse, they must have gotten quite a surprise once inside.
Tip: the line full of foreign tourists is the Ste Chapelle one whereas the line full of Parisian journalists and stay-at-home moms is the one for the courthouse.