Daughter of Louis IX
Isabelle was the daughter of Louis IX, or Saint Louis. She was born on March 2, 1241. Her father became the king of France in 1226. King Louis IX went on his first crusade to the Holy Land in 1248 and was gone for four years. Isabelle would have been seven years old when her father left. She had many siblings, but several of them did not live beyond the age of sixteen.
Isabelle’s grandmother, Queen Blanche of Castile, was a very strong woman and she often ruled when her son, Louis, was off on the crusades.
Before he left on the crusades, Isabelle’s father built Sainte Chapelle, the small chapel where he stored his precious relics. Louis IX purchased what was believed to have been the crown of thorns that was placed on Christ’s head before he was crucified.
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Glass windows began appearing in castles in the late 12th century. This window is from the Cloisters Museum in New York
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The altar where the relics were placed.
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The outside of Sainte Chapelle.
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Notre Dame Cathedral was built between 1163 and 1250. It is located on the Ile de la Cite near the Sainte Chapelle.
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Map of Paris and Ile de la Cite
