SAINTE CHAPELLE, Exterior

Now that you've seen some of the palace, it's time to visit the chapel. So go to the main entrance of the Palace of Justice next to the Cour de Mai, or May Court, which is closed by a beautiful eighteenth-century gate. The surrounding walls also date back to the 18th century, with abundant 19th-century additions and modifications.

While all the other parts of the palace have been modified, you will see the chapel exactly as the medieval kings of the Capeti dynasty saw it, apart from the inevitable restorations. The spire at the top of the complex was also rebuilt in the 1800s. It is high, pointy, and lined with lead, and weighs an impressive 230 tons!

Built in 1242, the chapel illustrates one of the best examples of full-fledged Gothic style, so get ready for the amazing spectacle of its extraordinary colored stained glass windows. The chapel is called "holy" because of the precious relics that Louis IX placed here; he was also given the status of saint because he fought in the Seventh and Eighth Crusade. These relics, including some fragments of the Cross and the Christ's crown of thorns, were considered a true treasure of the kingdom of France; unfortunately during the Revolution they were partially lost, and the baldachin that held them was destroyed....