Today’s visits to Saint Chappell and the Conciergerie were the extremes on the continuum of what men and women face before their time on earth is over. I was struck by the hundreds of biblical stories in stained glass that Louis IX commissioned, all to inspire the worshippers to a closer relationship with their God.  By the same token, the prisoners at the Conciergerie must have been contemplating their own fates. Some may have been atheists having embraced tenents of the Enlightenment but others may have been believers. Marie Antoinette ‘s mementos give indications that she retained her faith in God until the end of her life. Those personal artifacts were very powerful to see.  It put a face to the person of the Queen of France, even more so than visiting Versailles did.  I have come away intrigued by both her personality and by Robespierre.  I would like to spend more time in the Conciergerie reading all of the panels and signboards.