Sainte-Chapelle Timed Entry Tickets with Access to Conciergerie

Come discover this historic monument in Paris, an architectural gem from the Gothic period, at your own pace. Commissioned by King Saint-Louis and built in 1241, it relives the history of Sainte-Chapelle, guided by a series of information panels.

Sainte-Chapelle

You will learn how the Sainte-Chapelle was originally built to house relics of the Passion of the Christ acquired by the monarch during the 13th century. These include a piece of the True Cross and the Holy Crown, which nearly disappeared in the early 19th century! Starting in 1790, Sainte-Chapelle was restricted to members of the clergy and was emptied of its contents. It progressively became archive storage for the neighboring Palais de Justice also known as Paris’s Court House, until a restoration campaign was started under pressure from the public.

Today, it is no longer possible to admire the relics for which Sainte-Chapelle was built, as they were either lost or displaced during the French Revolution. You can, however, admire the chapel’s breathtakingly beautiful stained-glass windows. With 15 windows of 50 sq. ft. each, you can view the history of the world up until the arrival of the relics in Paris. In total, 1,113 scenes are depicted on the stained glass. Information is provided so that you won’t miss a single detail of these colored glass artworks.

Conciergerie

At the end of the 14th century, the Kings of France abandoned this medieval royal castle (moving to the Louvre, which at the time was more appealing), and it was converted into a jail and revolutionary tribunal. During the French Revolution, it served as a major holding facility and was referred to as "the antechamber to the guillotine. Marie-Antoinette was imprisoned here too — get to visit her commemorative chapel.