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The Sainte Chapelle
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This wonder of the gothic style was consecrated in 1248. Built by Louis IX (St. Louis) to house relics acquired in the Near East, of which the prize piece was the crown of thorns from Christ's crucifixion, this sanctuary was used by the royal household. Of striking delicacy, this building embodies Abbot Suger's ideal of a space of pure light, suspended between heaven and earth. The slender exterior buttresses, really articulated pillars, which sustain the vault, allow all other structural stone to disappear, creating an interior wall of pure glass. Historiated stained glass thus fills the entire elevation of the nave.