The bay of the relics of the Sainte-Chapelle

This stained glass window does not show us the Old or the New Testament but the sacredness of the royal dynasty. It explains the purpose and destiny of Louis IX, a sort of illustrated testament before his departure for the 7th Crusade in 1248.

In the Christian tradition, the True Cross refers to the cross used during the crucifixion of Christ. Tradition and legend attribute the discovery of the True Cross to Saint Helena, mother of Emperor Constantine, who traveled to the Holy Land during the fourth century in search of relics of Christ's Passion.

Helena collected many relics of the Passion, including the Crown of Thorns. Kept in Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire, until the 13th century when the relics were acquired by Louis IX and transferred to Paris.

The medieval tradition of the invention of the True Cross was taken up in the 13th century in the Golden Legend of Jacques de Voragine. The Bay of Relics tells the story of the discovery of the True Cross and the Holy Crown by Saint Helena and their arrival in the Sainte-Chapelle.

A medallion in the bay of relics shows us, if there were any doubt, the piety of the king. Louis IX is represented, accompanied by his brother, Robert d'Artois, barefoot, carrying on his shoulders a stretcher covered with a veil under which the Holy Crown is kept. The representation of the king participating in a contemporary event, at the origin of the construction of the Sainte-Chapelle, makes the iconography of this stained glass interesting. The King is represented as a distant successor of the first kings of the Old Testament: Saul, Solomon and David, a spiritual guide leading his people to divine revelation and ensuring their salvation.