The French Revolution began in 1789 because of the French citizens’ discontent with the control of the french monarchy. The Saint-Chapelle was built by Louis IX to display the power of the government in 1248 and when Louis XVI was making poor economic decisions during his reign, citizens began to push back against French leadership. As the French Revolution began and citizens fought against the policies of the monarchy, “the Sainte-Chapelle was sacked by the Revolutionaries who saw in the shrine a symbol of royalty by divine right. The reliquary shrine was melted, the steeple and baldachin removed, and the relics dispersed. However, a few were saved and are now stored in the treasure of Notre-Dame Cathedral. As for its remarkable stained-glass windows, they were left untouched.” (Pierre) The fact that the revolutionists sought to destroy the Sainte-Chapelle shows the extent of how the physical building represented the government’s power.

References 

Pierre. “Be Stunned by the Beauty of the Sainte-Chapelle, Paris.” French Moments, 15 Apr. 2020, frenchmoments.eu/sainte-chapelle-paris/.

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Français : Bataille De Jemmapes 1792. France.