Sainte-Chapelle at Champigny sur Veude near Richelieu is modelled on the Royal Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and dedicated to St.Louis. This funeral chapel was built in
the 16th century by the Bourbon family more as a political statement
than as a place of worship. It was the chapel of a large chateau destroyed by
Cardinal Richelieu (another ego trip) and only survived because of the
intervention of the pope at the time.
You enter (after buying a ticket) through an ornately carved door set into the front of the chapel which gives the impression more of a triumphal arch than a church.
The nave with its ornately decorated vaulted ceiling leads to a five-sided apse.
The chapel has eleven beautiful stained glass windows depicting
the life of King Louis, from birth to death, with one side telling the story of
his rise to sainthood and the other depicts his crusades.
The magnificence of the stained glass,especially on a sunny day, deflect you from the other details of the chapel which are no less impressive.
A praying Henri de Bourbon takes centre stage
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