Les belles églises

 

One of the most wonderful things about studying abroad in Europe is having the opportunity to see some of the most beautiful churches in the world. France is certainty no exception. Before spending the afternoon in the Louvre, we went to Notre Dame for morning mass. Notre Dame is truly spectacular and is oh-so-different from the fresco filled churches I had become accustomed to seeing in Italy. At first, I was taken aback by the lack of color in this gothic cathedral, but it is beautiful in a very different way. The church exudes power, strength, and mystery. It was wonderful to smell incense and hear liturgical music again. I've found that it's not too uncommon to go into a European church and to get the feeling that it is just a museum piece. I did not feel this way about Notre Dame.

Exterior of Sainte Chapelle.

Saint Chapelle from the front.

A few days later, we visited another one of Paris' gems: Saint Chapelle. I knew nothing of Saint Chapelle before coming to Paris, and was only persuaded to go because my friend really wanted to see it. As we waited in line, she told me that the church was famous for its enormous stained glass windows. You have to enter the church on its ground level, which as I found later, is more like the basement of the church. Although it's beautiful, I was a bit disappointed. After all, I was expecting stunning stained glass windows reflecting the last bit of afternoon sun. 

The first view of Sainte Chapelle.

We were about to leave the church, when we saw a small sign pointing towards a stone doorway in the corner. We entered the door and climbed a few flights of stairs. When we emerged on the next floor, we were greeted with one of the most spectacular sights I have ever seen. The stained glass windows were just as beautiful as they were made out to be. They stretched from the floor to the ceiling and wrapped around the entire nave. Everywhere I looked, color was bursting from the walls and light swirled about the nave. I'll refer to Chesterton to sum up this experience:

There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect.