Editing Sainte-Chapelle (section)

===Construction of France ===
Sainte-Chapelle was inspired by the earlier [[Carolingian]] royal chapels, notably the [[Palatine Chapel, Aachen|Palatine Chapel]] of [[Charlemagne]] at his palace in Aix-la-Chapelle (now Aachen). It was built in about 800 and served as the  [[oratory (worship)|oratory]] of the Emperor. In 1238 Louis IX had already built one royal chapel, attached to the [[Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye]]. This earlier chapel had only one level; its plan, on a much grander scale, was adapted for Sainte-Chapelle.{{Sfn|de Finance|2012|p=6}}

The two levels of the new chapel, equal in size, had entirely different purposes. The upper level, where the sacred relics were kept, was reserved exclusively for the royal family and their guests. The lower level was used by the courtiers, servants, and soldiers of the palace. It was a very large structure, {{convert|36|m|sp=us}} long, {{convert|17|m|sp=us}} wide, and {{convert|42.5|m|sp=us}} high, ranking in size with the new Gothic cathedrals in France.{{Sfn|de Finance|2012|p=6}}

In addition to serving as a place of worship, the Sainte-Chapelle played an important role in the political and cultural ambitions of King Louis and his successors.<ref>{{cite book |first=Beat |last=Brenk |chapter=The Sainte Chapelle as a Capetian Political Program |pages=195–213 |title=Artistic integration in Gothic buildings |editor-first1=Virginia Chieffo |editor-last1=Raguin |editor-first2=Kathryn |editor-last2=Brush |author-link3=Peter Draper (art historian) |editor-first3=Peter |editor-last3=Draper |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=1995 |isbn=978-1-4426-7104-1}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author-link=Meredith Cohen |last=Cohen |first=Meredith |title=An Indulgence for the Visitor: The Public at the Sainte-Chapelle of Paris |journal=Speculum |volume=83 |date=2008 |issue=4 |pages=840–883|doi=10.1017/S003871340001705X |s2cid=162738720 }}</ref> With the imperial throne at Constantinople occupied by a mere [[Count of Flanders]] and with the [[Holy Roman Empire]] in uneasy disarray, Louis' artistic and architectural patronage helped to position him as the central monarch of [[Western Christianity|western Christendom]], the Sainte-Chapelle fitting into a long tradition of prestigious palace chapels. Just as the Emperor could pass privately from his palace into the [[Hagia Sophia]] in [[Constantinople]], so now Louis could pass directly from his palace into the Sainte-Chapelle. More importantly, the two-story palace chapel had obvious similarities to [[Charlemagne]]'s palatine chapel at [[Aachen]] (built 782–805)—a parallel that Louis was keen to exploit in presenting himself as a worthy successor to the first Holy Roman Emperor.<ref>Daniel H. Weiss, ''Architectural Symbolism and the Decoration of the Ste.-Chapelle'', in ''The Art Bulletin'', Vol. 77, No. 2 (Jun. 1995), pp. 308-320, esp. p.317 n.45</ref> The presence of the fragment of the [[True Cross]] and crown of thorns gave enormous prestige to Louis IX. Pope [[Innocent IV]] proclaimed that it meant that Christ had symbolically crowned Louis with his own crown.<ref>Watkin, David, "A History of Western Architecture" (1986), p. 136</ref>