Sainte Chapelle Summary

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The church of Sainte Chapelle that stands today in Paris, France has been recognized as a massive reliquary for the relics acquired by King Louis IX during his Reign. Louis IX, the King of France acquired the Crown of thorns during the 13th century. It was the first relic of many that were placed in his royal collection. The Crown was acquired through a purchase from his cousin Baldwin II, the Emperor of Constantinople. Relics that could be directly connected to Christ or the Virgin mother were viewed as having the upmost importance and value during the medieval period. King Louis continued to acquire relics, but the most important was the Crown of Thorns. In 1241, the Building of Sainte Chapelle began and took roughly 7 years to complete. …show more content…

She discusses how French monarchs of the Medieval period recognized that the conveyance of their public image needed to represent power. Louis IX was no exception to this belief. The relic of the Crown of Thorns represented more than just Christ’s sacrifice and divinity but also represented the idea that if it was in French hands then god favored the French. This belief that the French were gods chosen people was not new to the time period. In Pope Urban II’s call to arms as recorded by Robert the Abbot of St. Remy, the pope addresses the Franks as the “race chosen and beloved by god”. Acquisition of the crown of thorns was viewed by the monarchy as representing Louis IX and the Kingdom of France as being in the favor of god. Gautier Cornut the Arch Bishop of Sens, wrote “Thus it seems and it is believed that our Gaul has been specially chosen for the victory of his passion to be venerated more devoutly…For [God] has deigned to crown…the kingdom of France, long honored by remarkable deeds [and] in our time through the sedulous vigilance of King Louis…”. Cornut’s record shows how important the crown of thorns was to the people of France and more importantly the

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