Construction of the Sainte-Chapelle

Timeline

1. 1242–1244Palais district, Paris · ParisLouis IX ordered a two-story chapel built within the palace courtyard, the lower chapel for court use and the upper to house relics such as the Crown of Thorns, with architect Pierre de Montreuil directing the structural design.
2. 1246–1248Sainte-Chapelle · ParisThe upper chapel was completed with fifteen large stained-glass windows and soaring rib vaults, and after its consecration in 1248 it became a religious symbol of French royal power. Its Gothic architectural paradigm continued to influence Western European church design through the later 13th century.