Interesting monarch to read about today! On the awful side, he led two crusades and ordered Jewish books burned. On the good side, he supported the arts and the church, helped the poor, and served as an arbiter in disagreements among other monarchs. He was canonized in 1297, the only French monarch to be declared a saint. There are five American communities named for him--including our fair city---and others around the world.
This is a statue of him in the Gothic chapel Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, which Louis had constructed to house what is purported to be Jesus' crown of thorns, a holy relic that Louis acquired from the Latin Emperor of Constantinople. The crown was later housed at Notre Dame and was rescued from that church's fire. I took this picture last summer, when Beth and I visited Paris! (It's fun to think of traveling, which it's possible again.)
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