Not far from Notre Dame is one of Paris’s most amazing ‘hidden’ gems. Set inside the walls of the imposing Palais de Justice is the small church, built to house the Crown of Thorns. It’s not that the spot is hard to find or get into - the ‘hidden’ nature of the place lies in the fact that it can be easy to walk right past it:

When you first enter from the courtyard, you find yourself in a small, dimly lit chapel with a low roof. As you funnel towards the front, you find a single statue, surrounded by a shallow portico containing several small stained glass windows. Don’t get me wrong - this area is very nice in and of itself, but being so small, is really quite underwhelming. We both had a feeling of “is this it?” - and many people turned around and walked right back out. But, if you look carefully into the corners in the rear of the building, you will spy two spiral staircases which will take you up to the otherwise hidden main attraction, which almost defies description.

Emerging from the top of the staircase, you are instantly bathed in warm, colored light from the amazing stained glass that seems to cover the entire surface of the walls, stretching several stories up towards the heavens. I’m not an overly religious guy, but if ever there were an architectural equivalent of (or tribute to) the light of a deity shining down on its creation, this would be it. I found myself staring upward for what seemed like an age. If you are a fan of stained glass (or even if not), you MUST go here, and have the patience to find the stairways to the top.

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