Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The
altar
was raised up high to better display the Crown of Thorns, the relic around
which this chapel was built. The supposed crown cost King Louis more than three times as
much as this church. Today it is kept by the Notre-Dame Treasury (though it's occasionally
brought out for display).
• Exit Sainte-Chapelle. Back outside, as you walk around the church exterior, look down to
see the foundation and take note of how much Paris has risen in the 750 years since Sainte-
Chapelle was built. Next door to Sainte-Chapelle is the...
Palais de Justice
Sainte-Chapelle sits within a huge complex of buildings that has housed the local govern-
ment since ancient Roman times. It was the site of the original Gothic palace of the early
kingsofFrance.TheonlysurvivingmedievalpartsareSainte-ChapelleandtheConciergerie
prison.
Most of the site is now covered by the giant Palais de Justice, built in 1776, home of the
French Supreme Court. The motto
Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité
over the doors is a reminder
that this was also the headquarters of the Revolutionary government. Here they doled out
justice, condemning many to imprisonment in the Conciergerie downstairs or to the guillot-
ine.
• Now pass through the big iron gate to the noisy Boulevard du Palais. Cross the street to
the wide, pedestrian-only Rue de Lutèce and walk about halfway down.
Cité “Metropolitain” Métro Stop
Of the 141 original early-20th-century subway entrances, this is one of only a few surviv-
ors—now preserved as a national art treasure. (New York's Museum of Modern Art even
exhibits one.) It marks Paris at its peak in 1900—on the cutting edge of Modernism, but
withaneyeforbeauty.Thecurvy,plantlikeironworkisatextbookexampleofArtNouveau,
the style that rebelled against the erector-set squareness of the Industrial Age. Other similar
Métro stations in Paris are Abbesses and Porte Dauphine.
The flower and plant market on Place Louis Lépine is a pleasant detour. On Sundays
this square flutters with a busy bird market. And across the way is the Préfecture de Police,
whereInspectorClouseauof
PinkPanther
fameusedtowork,andwherethelocalresistance
fighters took the first building from the Nazis in August of 1944, leading to the Allied liber-
ation of Paris a week later.
• Pause here to admire the view. Sainte-Chapelle is a pearl in an ugly architectural oyster.
Double back to the Palais de Justice, turn right onto Boulevard du Palais, and enter the...
