The ceiling of Sainte–Chapelle is dazzling.
Editor’s Note: At the request of his readers and in memory of Warner M. Montgomery, Ph.D, we will continue to publish his Adventure Travel stories for the time being.
On our fourth day in Paris, Linda and I went to church…two in fact…Notre Dame Cathedral and Sainte–Chapelle. After breakfast in our Hotel Beaugency in the Rue Cler neighborhood, we took the metro (subway) to the Ile de la Cité, the island in the middle of the Seine River.
Linda located Point Zero, the exact center of Paris, right in front of Notre Dame, the second most famous Catholic church, the church in Rome being the first.
Charlemagne, who sits astride a horse in the Notre Dame place (plaza), founded modern France and was crowned Holy Roman Emperor in 800 AD. After Viking raids and a period of peace, the cornerstone for Notre Dame was laid in 1163. It took 200 years to build, but it has survived war, pestilence, and famine for 647 years.
We were lucky to be able to attend a service in the cathedral. I took a seat on the first pew and took a few photos of the priests—a young woman and two men. Not being Catholics, we skipped communion and wandered from sacred site to sacred site amazed at the faithful workmanship behind each one.
At noon we crossed to the Left Bank and had lunch at an open–air cafe. I regretted I had not worn my beret and open–necked peasant shirt. We topped off our artichoke crepe and Belgiun beer meal with deux boules de caramel beurre salé glace (two dips of salted butter caramel ice cream for you non–French speakers).
Back on Ile de la Cité, we walked right into Sainte–Chapelle, a Gothic church with a more beautiful interior than Notre Dame. It was built in only five years, 1242–1248, to house the sacred Crown of Thorns worn by Jesus on the cross. The brilliantly colored ceiling is magnificent. The 15 stained glass windows, floor to ceiling, depict major Christian events such as Cain clubbing Abel, Moses in the bull rushes, and Jesus on the cross. The gigantic rose window shows believers what to expect on Judgment Day.
The walk back to our hotel was relaxing. The French people went about their daily life. Women with baguettes tucked under their arms pushed strollers with smiling little faces peeking out. Men in dark gray suits, narrow ties, and scuffed shoes checked their cell phones. Young men and women played soccer and volleyball, and ran around the parks like gazelles. No one yelled. Surprisingly, very few smoked. Buses, taxis, trains, and boats packed to the brim carried their passengers without horn blasts or tire screeches. Paris is surely the most civilized city in the world, I thought.
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