First day of museums in Paris

Sunday in Paris. It was market day on Grenelle Boulevard outside our hotel. The French pay a lot of attention to the arrangement of everything. Style is an important part of any display of wares.

We returned to the St. Michel area (see photo #2) and the group saw the amazing stained glass of 13th century St. Chappelle, built by St. Louis to house his favorite relics (allegedly, the Crown of Thorns and a piece of true cross). He picked them up in Constantinople whilst crusading. Then it was on to the National Museum of Medieval art, referred to as "the Cluny" after the Catholic Order of the same name who built this late Gothic era mansion. It is a beautifully designed structure, but its unique claim to fame is the fact that it was built onto the ruins of the Roman baths of Paris, which at that time was called Lutetia by the Romans. In one of the pictures below you can see the inside of the fridgidarium (cold room) from the baths.

The guy who's lost his head is St. Denis, a martyr who, according to the story, after the Romans beheaded him, picked up his head and walked several miles until he dropped. As it is told, at that spot a church was founded and the Cathedral of St. Denis was eventually built. He's all over the place on churches in the area. To end out the day we did an outside and inside tour of Notre Dame Cathedral as evening mass was being celebrated. Many, many people out and about. Tomorrow-----THE LOUVRE!! Merci, Au Revoir!