Sainte-Chapelle as Text 2018

saintechapelle m bustos -min.JPG — Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, France © Monica Bustos (CC by 4.0)

On July 2nd, 2018, students went on a tour of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, France. Following the tour, students shared their voices and opinions through photographs and personal reflections.

POWER
by Monica Bustos @monaamija of @fiuinstagram at @parisjetaime

it took my breath away how every detail was so intricately placed to resemble crystals, letting the light bleed through to reveal the vibrant stories of the bible. the moment you step in you are transported, feeling the force of godliness wash over you. the hairs on my arms stood upright as my eyes scanned every inch.

oh sainte chapelle, i hear symphonies carry your name across the room in the form of angels singing praises to king louis IX for bestowing such greatness upon the earth.

that is power. one place that has your soul standing at complete attention. that is power. constructing a chapel near perfection and having the audacity place yourself at the center of its purpose. there are few things that could compare to the greatness of God. few sights can make you feel as this one does; so small a spec in the face of impeccable beauty.

THE god in all his might, however, is comparable in this case to the power of king louis IX.

for unlike others that came before him, louis put himself in the holiest narrative, claiming his place as a character amongst thy sanctity of the bible.

Paris as Text
by Magner Tiuso of @fiuinstagram at @parisjetaime

It’s is so cliché to say that I have fallen in love with Paris but it would be a lie to say otherwise. Paris has so many things to offer to a young soul and I agree. I have experienced the nightlife. I have met the people eaten the food, drank the wine and visited some of the world’s most famous monuments but only one left me speechless. We learned in class about an author who visited Florence and visited Basilica of Santa Croce. When he arrived, he felt a wave of awe cover his body. He was left paralyzed and could not seem to muster up strength to express what he felt. At that moment Stendhal introduced the Stendhal syndrome, a moment when you are left speechless, overwhelmed and in awe specifically when admiring art. There is no other way to describe the feeling that took over me when I walked into St. Chapelle. The stained-glass windows blew me away. The natural lighting was something I had never seen before. What I appreciate the most out of this building and its art was the amount of thought that was placed into each of the drawings on the stained-glass window. It was ultimately covering the entire bible with images as well as tying in royalty and divinity. It is safe to say that St. Chapelle is what impacted me the most in Paris.

FIU Honors France 2018 Student Gallery from Sainte-Chapelle