Sainte-Chapelle

Sainte-Chapelle
Sainte-Chapelle, upper level interior
Religion
Affiliation	Catholic Church
Province	Archdiocese of Paris
Region	Île-de-France
Rite	Roman Rite
Status	Secularized since French Revolution
Location
Location	10, boulevard du Palais, 1st arrondissement
Municipality	Paris
Country	France
Geographic coordinates	48°51′19″N 2°20′42″E / 48.85528°N 2.34500°E / 48.85528; 2.34500
Architecture
Type	Parish church
Style	French Gothic
Groundbreaking	1242 (1242)
Completed	1248 (1248)
Monument historique
Official name: Sainte-Chapelle
Designated	1862
Reference no.	PA00086001[1]
Denomination	Église
Website
www.sainte-chapelle.fr/en/

The Sainte-Chapelle (French: [sɛ̃t ʃapɛl]; English: Holy Chapel) is a royal chapel in the Gothic style, within the medieval Palais de la Cité, the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century, on the Île de la Cité in the River Seine in Paris, France.

Construction began sometime after 1238 and the chapel was consecrated on 26 April 1248.^[2] The Sainte-Chapelle is considered among the highest achievements of the Rayonnant period of Gothic architecture. It was commissioned by King Louis IX of France to house his collection of Passion relics, including Christ's Crown of Thorns – one of the most important relics in medieval Christendom. This was later held in the nearby Notre-Dame Cathedral until the 2019 fire, which it survived.^[3]

Along with the Conciergerie, Sainte-Chapelle is one of the earliest surviving buildings of the Capetian royal palace on the Île de la Cité. Although damaged during the French Revolution and restored in the 19th century, it has one of the most extensive 13th-century stained glass collections anywhere in the world.

The chapel is now operated as a museum by the French Centre of National Monuments, along with the nearby Conciergerie, the other remaining vestige of the original palace.