After viewing Notre Dame, we crossed the river and strolled a bit, but the area was very crowded, so we crossed the Seine again to the Île de la Cité to look for Ste. Chappelle. It’s a bit hard to locate, tucked in behind the Palais de Justice, i.e. the courthouse. You can see the Gothic spire above the modern (mid-19th century) building.

Roof and Spire of Ste. Chappelle seen above Palais de Justice

Here’s a better photo from Deposit Photos:

St. Chappelle, Paris, France – © apinpornb@gmail.com

Ste. Chappelle is a royal chapel built by Louis IX in the 1240s. It truly is a gem of a church, with gorgeous stained glass windows wherever the eye wanders. I think it’s the prettiest small church I’ve ever seen, at least on the inside.

Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, France, vintage engraved illustration. Dictionary of words and things – Larive and Fleury – 1895.–© Morphart

After basking in the heavenly glow of the main chapel, we took the stairs to another room above which was equally beautiful. Unfortunately the light was dimmer and I was unable to get a photo. To my disappointment, I was unable to find a recognizable photo of the upstairs room at Deposit Photos where I get my licensed stock photos. However I did find a lovely image of a vintage engraving that shows what the chapel looked like before it was surrounded by the Palais de Justice.

Hope everyone is having a good December.

Linda