Chartres

Ever since Antiquity Chartres [1] has been of worlwide importance and the offering of Emperor Charles le Chauve in 876 (Virgin Mary's tunic) brought there thousands of pilgrims from all over the world... There are no tombs in Chartres : the gothic cathedral is the temple of the Blessed Virgin. Three symbols of the Virgin Mary among over 170 are worshipped : Notre-Dame de Sous-Terre, Notre-Dame du Pilier and Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verriere. Apart from the crypt, the towers, part of the Western facade and the Royal Portal (belonging to the roman style cathedral, 11th and 12th centuries), Chartres was rebuilt after the gigantic 1194 fire within less than 25 years ; the Northern and Southern porches were raised twenty years later. This short period of reconstruction explains why this masterpiece has such a unity of style. Wars have not damaged (a miracle ?) the Cathedral.

In the centre of Beauce, an important cereal growing region, the heart of Chartres has spread along the arms of the Eure in a hilly site. Watermills and numerous wash houses [2] are witnesses of former activities : millers, dyers, leather and cloth manufacturers, etc... Many little bridges cross the river [3] [4] and the whole place has been renovated, overlooked by the cathedral. From the banks of the Eure [5], the way [6] up to the cathedral [7] through narrow paved streets leads first to Saint-Andre church which arches [8] once crossed the river. Nowadays, this roman church [9] is deconsecrated. The walk is very charming and peaceful is the typical garden with orderly beds of box and aromatic plants [10].

Main facade of Chartres cathedral : the Royal Portal [11] [12] [13], a masterpiece of roman art (12th century) is one of the numerous pages of this book of stone and glass that shelters more than 4000 sculptures and 5000 figures in the stained glass. The lower part of the Clocher Neuf dates back to 1134, its rich flamboyant gothic spire (115 metres high) to the 16th century. The sober Clocher Vieux (106 metres high), built between 1145 and 1165, is another masterpiece of roman art. The gothic nave is 37 metres high ; the crypt is the largest in France and the stained-glass and glass roofs spread over more than 3000 m2. The whole stained-glass works - the most famous "bleu de Chartres" [14] - of the 12th and 13th centuries are the most important in France. The Old Testament can be read on the north facade, the New Testament on the south [15] [16] and on the west side the last glows of daylight are the symbol of the last hours of life. Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verriere, featuring the Madonna and Child, is among the most ancient stained-glasses of the cathedral as is the sparkling mosaic dedicated to the Zodiac [17]. How to read a stained-glass in this extraordinary encyclopedia ? From left to right and from bottom to top.

Chartres has always been a church dedicated to pilgrimage ; pilgrims would spend some nights there and the sick were allowed to rest in one of the galleries of the crypt. The gentle slope of the church helped when washing the pavement. Chartres Pilgrimage still takes place every year. See the ambulatory [18] and the extraordinary Renaissance style enclosure of the Choir [19] : sculpted from the 16th to the 18th centuries, its 41 scenes explain the life of Christ, of Virgin Mary, biblical history or local life. North facade (on the left) : close to the New Belltower, the "Pavillon de l'Horloge" [20] built by Jehan de Beauce in 1520. A whole lifetime is not enough to study the multitude of statues, gargoyles, stained-glass and riches of Chartres cathedral : the maze, the Virgin of the Pillar, the Treasure... Many artists and stained-glass painters make of Chartres and its region a unique place for the techniques of stained-glass making.

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