St. Germain-en-Laye: le chateau

Kim and Dave departed Monday morning. Noting we had only four days left of our visit in Paris, we studied our to-do/see list, prioritized, and took the RER out to St. Germain-en-Laye and the royal chateau there, which houses the National Archaeology Museum. It's been many months since we had a good paleolithic or neolithic experience. The chateau was built in the 12th-13th centuries, mainly by Louis IX. Perhaps the most remarkable part, and the only part remaining of the high Medieval castle not scourged by the Black Prince, is its chapel, by Pierre de Montreuil, which pre-figures the latter's Saint-Chapelle in Paris. One look at it and you figure it was the same architect and the same purpose as Saint-Chapelle. The Crown of Thorns was delivered here and resided here until Saint-Chapelle could be completed. The windows at St. Germain-en-Laye are gone, but it's still a rayonnant wonder. The rest of the castle was rebuilt in the 1360s. Oh yes, the chateau at St. Germain-en-Laye was an official haven for Jacobites in the late 17th century, and James II is buried in the town. Alas, we did not see much of St. Germain-en-Laye, the town, which looked very appealing.