8 December 1999 – St. Chapelle is a marvelous structure built at the request of Louis IX to house the relics of Christ, particularly his Crown of Thorns. The Lower Chapel, dedicated to Virgin Mary, is small with abundant gilt. The Upper Chapel is a stunner, eye-popping in beauty, with lovely stained glass, of which two-thirds is original. St. Chapelle, built in only six years, is three blocks from Notre-Dame, built 80 years prior. Notre-Dame is Transitional Gothic and St. Chapelle is High Gothic. To see such extraordinary structures in such close proximity is overwhelming.