Ethereal and magical, Sainte¬Chapelle has been hailed as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Western World. In the Middle Ages the devour likened this church to "a gateway to heaven". Today no visitor can fail to be transported by the blaze of light created by he 15 magnificent stained-glass windows, separated by the narrowest of columns that soar 15 m (50 ft) to the star-studded, vaulted roof. The windows portray over 1,000 religious scenes in a kaleidosccpe of red, gold, green, blue and mauve. The chapel was built in 1248 by Louis IX to house Christ's purported Crown of Thorns and other relics.
