French Vision

The Sainte-Chapelle in the Château de Vincennes, currently closed for restoration, reopens its doors to the public with the exhibition of an exceptional collection of icons from Bulgaria and the Balkans.

This is a dual event since the public will, in a way, be seeing two exhibitions. Firstly, it will rediscover the Château de Vincennes Sainte-Chapelle, which is reopening its doors to the public following no less than two years of restoration work. Badly damaged by the storm of 1999, the Sainte-Chapelle, which was first opened in 1552, has now been restored to all its glory.

And visitors can also gaze on an exceptional collection of icons from Bulgaria and the Balkans. This exhibition befits its status, since it is the first time such a collection has been loaned by the national museums of Bulgaria. The masterpieces of Orthodox art – covering a long period of art history, from the 4th to the 19th century – particularly include 80 icons. These religious paintings executed on a wood panel are a previously unseen journey through time and through the Balkans…

Address

Sainte-Chapelle du Château de Vincennes
Avenue de Paris
94300 Vincennes

Access
Bus : 56, 115, 124, 318, 325
Métro : Ligne 1 – Bérault
Ligne 1 – Château de Vincennes

RER : RER A – Vincennes

Contact info
http://www.vincennes.monuments-nationaux.fr
+ 33 (0) 1 48 08 31 20

From 13 May to  30 August 2009  ; open every day from 10:00 to 18:00 ; closed the 21st june.

Price : 8 € ; reduced price : 5 € ; free for less than 26 years old.

The “Grand Tour” did not disappear at the end of the French Age of Enlightenment, nor with the emergence of aesthetic models other than those from Italy. Its popularity with artists and ordinary tourists was such that, even after 1850, there was a considerable boom, promoted by advances in communications and in photography.

The nostalgia inextricably linked with the land of Virgil, and the attraction of its still remaining sights encouraged many more images to be produced. The exhibition sets these out around a number of recurrent themes and fantasies which circulated from one medium to another: archaeological and ancient remains, major cultural sites of Europe and the resilience of the ancient world amongst the present day population.
It is Italy of our heart’s desire, that no-one ever really leaves.

Practical information

http://www.musee-orsay.fr