Gothic Angels

At Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France,

Photo © Copyright 2009 by Sylvia Stites

My cousin Sylvia and her husband Tom were on a visit to Paris for a few days from their home in Vienna, Austria. Again, she was on the lookout for angels to photograph so she could send me one this time from Paris.

Yesterday she emailed me angels she photographed in the interior pinnacle of the Sainte Chapelle, and a photo of a statue of St. Michael with his foot on the devil. This was on a building in the city of Paris.

Sainte-Chapelle ("Holy Chapel"), 13th-century Gothic chapel located within the Palais de Justice complex on the Ile de la Cité in the center of Paris, was erected by Louis IX, king of France, to house the Crown of Thorns and a fragment of the True Cross, precious relics of the Passion.

At Sainte Chapelle, Paris, France
Photo © Copyright 2009 by Sylvia Stites

She included this information on Sainte Chapelle from Paris, Eyewitness Travel Guides. Main Contributor: Alan Tillier 1997...: “Ethereal and magical, Sainte Chapelle has been hailed as one of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the Western world. In the middle Ages the devout likened this church to a "gateway to heaven". Today no visitor can fail to be transported by the blaze of light created by the 15 magnificent stained-glass windows, separated by the narrowest of columns that soar 15 meters, 50 feet, to the star-studded vaulted roof. The windows portray over 1,000 religious scenes in a kaleidoscope of red, gold, green, blue and mauve. The chapel was built in 1248 by Louis IX to house Christ's purported Crown of Thorns and other relics. The Crown of Thorns decorates the pinnacle as the symbol of the first relic bought by Louis IX.”

I love that she is able to send me these angel photos from these incredible ancient European Gothic chapels. The last angel she sent was from Milan, Italy and I wrote about our Angel Connections.

Archangel Michael and the devil, by Francisque-Joseph Duret, centerpiece of the Fontaine Saint-Michel.
Photo © Copyright 2009 by Sylvia Stites

~Linda