The upper chapel of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris contains 15 large stained-glass windows.
Built for King Louis IX in the 1240s, Sainte-Chapelle was designed to house precious Christian relics, including the Crown of Thorns. Its upper chapel uses an exceptionally delicate structural framework, allowing the walls to appear almost entirely made of coloured glass.
The 15 windows occupy the nave and apse and contain thousands of small panels arranged in extensive biblical narrative cycles. Their imagery moves through the history of the Hebrew people, the life of Christ, and themes connected with the relics and French monarchy. Most were installed between 1242 and 1248.
A common mix-up is to count the later west rose window with the great lancet windows. The rose window was added in the late 15th century and is a separate feature; it contains 89 panels depicting scenes from the Apocalypse. The 15-window count refers to the principal stained-glass windows of the upper chapel, not every individual panel or opening.