I’ve always loved history and architecture. When I was in high school one of my history teachers took an interest on me and when she had the time she used to meet me in the library and teach me some things that were not even in the program. I’m not sure how we got to the topic, but one day she told me that when I went to Paris I should visit La Sainte Chapelle. I knew Notre Dame and the Sacré Coeur but that chapel was not on my radar. The reason why she wanted me to go there wasn’t just the extraordinary beauty of the building, but the circumstances of the time when it was built. She wanted me to understand the context as well.
King Louis IV ordered the construction of the chapel in the 13th century, to house Jesus’ crown of thorns and a number of other relics. The chapel, in Gothic style, has 15 windows, each 15 meters high, with stained glass panes depicting 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments. One thing my teacher pointed out was that at the same time the king invested a fortune building the chapel, most of the citizens of Paris were very poor, lacking everything from sufficient food to decent sanitary conditions. She told me “imagine if those people could visit the chapel, what would they think when they saw the light coming through those stunning stained glass images”.
I don’t know why but I never forgot that conversation. Sometime later I went to Paris and I visited the Sainte Chapelle. It was everything my teacher told me and more. One of the most beautiful places of worship I have ever seen, and that’s saying something since I’ve also visited St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St. Paul’s in London, St. Isaac’s in Russia and many others.
I saw all those places with the eyes of someone who appreciates architectural beauty but back then I didn’t care about religion. I liked the originality and grandiosity of the buildings, the way they were created, the art on the walls and the decorations inside. And of course I enjoyed learning about their history.
One thing they all have in common is that they were all very expensive and were built at times when populations were impoverished, kept in ignorance and controlled but the churches and kings.
Later, when I studied the Bible, the way I viewed those places of worship changed. Jesus was a simple, humble, man, yet those buildings were made to glorify him. While he lived in poverty during his time on earth, the religious leaders claiming to follow him were very rich, but they didn’t share with the people, on the contrary, they didn’t seem to mind if the people went hungry.
Looking at those churches and cathedrals with their incredible architecture, with their opulence and beauty, I can’t stop but wonder what Jesus would think of such places that have nothing to do with the kind of person he was. Today, knowing what I know about him, I can’t see a connection. I can still appreciate the grandeur and extraordinary beauty of those monuments and I’ll always remember the stained glass that impressed me so much in the Sainte Chapelle, but I can’t connect Jesus to any of those places. For me, they just don’t seem to match his personality.
Today, when I enter a place of worship, I always ask myself "what would Jesus think of this place? Would he give it his approval?"
King Louis IV ordered the construction of the chapel in the 13th century, to house Jesus’ crown of thorns and a number of other relics. The chapel, in Gothic style, has 15 windows, each 15 meters high, with stained glass panes depicting 1,113 scenes from the Old and New Testaments. One thing my teacher pointed out was that at the same time the king invested a fortune building the chapel, most of the citizens of Paris were very poor, lacking everything from sufficient food to decent sanitary conditions. She told me “imagine if those people could visit the chapel, what would they think when they saw the light coming through those stunning stained glass images”.
I don’t know why but I never forgot that conversation. Sometime later I went to Paris and I visited the Sainte Chapelle. It was everything my teacher told me and more. One of the most beautiful places of worship I have ever seen, and that’s saying something since I’ve also visited St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, St. Paul’s in London, St. Isaac’s in Russia and many others.
I saw all those places with the eyes of someone who appreciates architectural beauty but back then I didn’t care about religion. I liked the originality and grandiosity of the buildings, the way they were created, the art on the walls and the decorations inside. And of course I enjoyed learning about their history.
One thing they all have in common is that they were all very expensive and were built at times when populations were impoverished, kept in ignorance and controlled but the churches and kings.
Later, when I studied the Bible, the way I viewed those places of worship changed. Jesus was a simple, humble, man, yet those buildings were made to glorify him. While he lived in poverty during his time on earth, the religious leaders claiming to follow him were very rich, but they didn’t share with the people, on the contrary, they didn’t seem to mind if the people went hungry.
Looking at those churches and cathedrals with their incredible architecture, with their opulence and beauty, I can’t stop but wonder what Jesus would think of such places that have nothing to do with the kind of person he was. Today, knowing what I know about him, I can’t see a connection. I can still appreciate the grandeur and extraordinary beauty of those monuments and I’ll always remember the stained glass that impressed me so much in the Sainte Chapelle, but I can’t connect Jesus to any of those places. For me, they just don’t seem to match his personality.
Today, when I enter a place of worship, I always ask myself "what would Jesus think of this place? Would he give it his approval?"