We received a lot of well meaning advice while getting ready for this trip, and one piece that proved invaluable was; “If you have to choose between going inside Notre Dame or Sainte Chapelle, see Sainte Chapelle – the lineups are shorter too”.

Oh. My. God. These photos don’t do it justice. Seeing the inside of this wonder took all the sting out of Musee d’Orsay and the Louvre being closed.

We almost walked past it, as it is contained within the Palais de Justice.

Approaching the main chapel from the stairs, my first look nearly took my breath away. The morning sun shone in and filled it with light.

The stained glass is from the 13th century. Think about that for a moment.

The exterior is lovely as well.

The photo directly above illustrates how the slim, delicate columns of stone hold the entire structure together.Upon leaving, we had a better view of Saint Chapelle from inside the gates…

This the main entrance to the Palais de Justice – it has the motto LIBERTE EGALITE FRATERNITE carved above the three doors.

an aside – have you ever seen such a perfect blue sky?