Notre Dame, St Chapelle and Latin Quarter

St Chapelle by Candlelight

Four Seasons

Undoubtedly, the highlight of this second day in Paris was our concert at Sainte-Chapelle. Vivaldi's Four Seasons sung through the chapel.

Sainte Chapelle was built by King Louis IX (later St Louis) to house the Crown of Thorns (at least what was thought to be the crown of thorns).  Completed in 1248 (!), it is a beautiful medieval chapel with tall windows of magnificent stained glass. Whilst there has been some destruction over the years (for example during the French Revolution), apparently two-thirds of the stained glass is original, and the chapel underwent an extensive restoration fairly recently.   It is one of the most difficult attractions to get into in Paris, due to the small size and the length of the queues outside.  So I thought that the best way was to combine the visit with this classical music concert.

Indeed it was a very special experience.  The queues were long, it is true, but needed in any case to get through security and into the chapel.  As the sun was still shining (days are lengthening at the end of May) we still got to see the stained glass lit by the light of the evening sun outside.  The strains of "Air on a G String", followed by the "Four Seasons" filled the chapel as the light slowly faded outside.  But then the exquisite screen, just behind the musicians then took prominence.  It was really an unforgettable evening!

Chapel of the Crown of Thorns

After the concert, we were surprised when the rain started    pouring down when we left.  The day had been so bright and sunny that we were not expecting such strong, gusty winds nor the torrential rain.  It was as though we were experiencing Singapore's own two seasons (tropical heat and thunderstorms) in this one day!

But back to how we spent the day.  We started off at Cathedral of Notre Dame at the Ile de Cite, which I have been to twice during previous visits to Paris. But as always, you find new things to see.  This time, I particularly noticed the chapel devoted to the Crown of Thorns relic (moved over from Sainte-Chapelle during the French Revolution).  I am always rather sceptical as to the authenticity of these relics but one can and should remember the symbolism of the crown of thorns, and the suffering of Christ which he endured on our behalf.

Restored - the Visit of the Magi

The Cathedral itself is undergoing its own slow process of restoration.  The exterior has been largely completed and within, various areas have already been restored.  The screen around the high altar is in progress, so half of it looks a little grubby whilst in the other half, the expressions and features figures in the key biblical scenes have emerged from centuries of dust and grime.

Within Shakespeare & Co

After our visit to Notre Dame, we had lunch across the Seine in the Latin Quarter and from there we last visit to Paris.  This little bookshop is so popular with tourists that it has even managed to start up its own little eatery on the side.  But I like it for the quirky little upper room, with its beautiful view of the towers of Notre Dame, and the resident cat (I didn't spot the cat but I did see the cat bed!).

I bought a book (of course) - David Leibovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris which I had borrowed previously from the library.  I like his irreverent style, his self-deprecating humour, and the yummy recipes sprinkled throughout.  My sister read the book prior to moving to Paris and apparently can relate to the tussles with the French bureaucracy both within government and with the service standards and processes in even the commercial retail establishments.  My mother too ended up reading the book during the rest of our stay.

Christ child meets John the Baptist

We continued to stroll around the Latin Quarter, visiting the church of Saint Severin, famous for its gargoyles, stained glass, and magnificent architecture.  It has also got a majestic pipe organ, so the church is also famous for its sacred music performances.  We were lucky that someone was rehearsing whilst we were there  - click here for my video.  The stained glass is huge - so you can actually see every single detail clearly!  There were more small churches in close proximity to St Severin, but we didn't go visiting them (two in one day is quite enough).

We also walked on the banks of the Seine, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site.   On Pont Neuf we took in the views over the Seine including the impressive  Conciergerie, a palace turned prison turned Department of Justice.  We ended the day with dinner, and of course the concert at Sainte-Chapelle.

A long but enjoyable day!  More photos here.

The classic view of the Conciergerie  with the tourist boat sailing past