The thesis is meant to explore the art and symbolism of the medieval royal chapel Sainte-Chapelle. The research is done based upon studying the documents of that period such as Jandun’s Tractatus de laudibus Parisius, Suger’s On the Abbey Church of St.-Denis, and Durand’s Rationale Divinorum Officium, as well as the research of contemporaries scholars. The research shows that the royal chapel, as a prominent masterpiece during the mature Gothic period, is particularly excelled in displaying the magnificence of interplay between light and color. As a place designated to house the Crown of Thorns, the most precious relics in Christendom, the Sainte Chapelle presents itself to be a monumental sized shrine with its unique design and extremely rich decoration. The lavishly ornamented Grande Châsse and the gorgeously rendered large-scaled windows, the masterly sculptures and the fine art in dado and medallions, as well as the total openness and unity with the incredible lightness and etherealness, the royal chapel embraces the narrative of The King, as well as the story of the king, within the grand salvation narrative. The splendent and florid chapel, with all its radiance and dazzling beauty, would elevate the faithful from this intimate house on earth to one of the most prominent arched chambers in heaven, just as Jandun indicates in Tractatus: “…in eam subingrediens, quasi raptus ad celum… unam de Paradisi potissimis cameris putet intrare.”
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/45357 |
| Date | 18 November 2022 |
| Creators | Ying, Xiaoxia |
| Contributors | Brown, Christopher |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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