European Travelog D3E2: Saint-Chapelle’s Glass, Cluny's Medieval Treasures, Napoleon’s Tomb, and Rodin’s Sculptures
Saint-Chapelle's Glass After lunch our first destination is the historic Gothic cathedral of Saint-Chapelle. Built in 1248 CE on the orders of Louis IX, the future Saint Louis, it was to house what was believed to be relics of the Passion of Christ: the Crown of Thorns and the fragment of the True Cross. The cathedral is built with 1113 stained glass windows which depicts the story of the world, according to the Bible, until the arrival of the relics in Paris in the 13th century. Our first view of the cathedral which is on the side of a busy street. There are long lines of visitors, categorized by the entry slot, outside. Once we enter, there's a security screening of the visitors and their bags before we are let into the premises. Once inside, the walls of the cathedral tower above us, the glass windows looking dull and lifeless from outside. King Louis IX paid almost half the GDP of France to acquire the relics that were to be housed here. In 1239, Louis IX bought the crown o...