Chartres Cathedral 
Beautiful west front of Chartres Cathedral. Photo © Paradoxplace.com.
See over 100 more photos in our Chartres Cathedral Photo Gallery.
Floor plan of Chartres Cathedral.
Flying buttresses of the apse on a stormy morning.
The Royal Portal in the west front of Chartres Cathedral. Photo: Richard.
North transept, with crowds gathered for a July evening performance.
Sculptures of the north portal at sunset. Photo © Richard Beck.
The famed medieval labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral.
The beloved statue of Notre Dame de Pilar in the north aisle.
Ambulatory and chancel screen with 16th-century sculptures.
The Blue Virgin Window, survivor of the original Romanesque cathedral.
West rose window of the Last Judgment. Photo © Paradoxplace.com.
North and south rose windows. Photos: Jim Forest; Paradoxplace.com.
Detail of the north rose window.
South spire.
Chartres Cathedral (full name Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres) is located in the medieval town of Chartres, about 50 miles from Paris.
Not only is Chartres Cathedral one of the greatest achievements in the history of architecture, it is almost perfectly preserved in its original design and details. Chartres' extensive cycle of portal sculpture remains fully intact and its glowing stained-glass windows are all originals. Chartres is thus the only cathedral that conveys an almost perfect image of how it looked when it was built.
In addition to its architectural splendor, Chartres Cathedral has been a major pilgrimage destination since the early Middle Ages. Its venerable history, exquisitely preserved architecture, and centuries of fervent devotion make for an atmosphere of awe and holiness that impresses even the most nonreligious of visitors.
History
According to legend, since 876 the Cathedral has housed a tunic of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Sancta Camisia. The relic was said to have been given to the Cathedral by Charlemagne, who received it as a gift during a trip to Jerusalem. For hundreds of years, Chartres has been a very important Marian pilgrimage center and the faithful still come from the world over to honor the relic.
The existing cathedral at Chartres is one of several French Gothic masterpieces built because fire had destroyed its predecessors. After the first cathedral of any great substance burnt down in 1020 (other prior churches on the site had also disappeared in smoke), a glorious new Romanesque basilica, which included a massive crypt, was built under the direction of Bishop Fulbert and later under the direction of Geoffroy de Lèves.
However, having survived a fire in 1134 which destroyed much of the rest of the town, disaster struck yet again in the night of June 10, 1194, when lightning created a fire that left only the west towers, the façade between them and the crypt.
The people despaired when they believed that their sacred relic, the Sancta Casimia, had perished too. But three days later it was found unharmed in the treasury along with the priests who had locked it and themselves in there behind the iron trapdoors. The cardinal told the people that the survival of the relic was a sign from Mary herself and that another, even more magnificent, cathedral should be built in Chartres.
Rebuilding, with the help of donations from all over France, began almost immediately, using the plans laid out by the first architect in order to preserve the harmonious aspect of the cathedral. The people of the city voluntarily gathered to haul the stone needed from local quarries 5 miles (8km) away.
Work began first on the nave and by 1220 the main structure was complete, with the old crypt, along with the mid-12th-century Royal Portal which had also escaped the fire, incorporated into the new building. On October 24, 1260, the cathedral was finally dedicated in the presence of King Louis IX and his family.
Chartres Cathedral was never destroyed nor looted during the French Revolution and the numerous restorations never have altered its glorious beauty. It always stayed the same: the triumph of Gothic art. The cathedral was added to UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in 1979.
What to See
Exterior
From a distance Chartres Cathedral seems to hover in mid-air above waving fields of corn, and it is only when the visitor draws closer that the city comes into view, clustering around the hill on which the cathedral stands. The tall spires dominate the medieval city, popping into view around every corner.
The plan of the Gothic cathedral is cruciform, with a nave, and short transepts to the south and north. The east end is rounded with an ambulatory which has have five semi-circular chapels radiating from it.
Chartres Cathedral's two contrasting towers — a 349-foot (105m) plain pyramid dating from the 1140s, and the other a 377-foot (113m) tall early 16th-century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower — soar upwards over the pale green roof.
All around the outside are complex flying buttresses, which are necessary due to the revolutionary size of the interior clerestory windows. The upper walls of the nave and choir are made largely of glass, so they had to be buttressed with high arches extending over the roofs of the side aisles. Chartres was the first place that buttresses were used as a structural element that determined the overall external appearance of the building.
North and South Portals
The west front is not the only showcase of sculpture and architecture at Chartres — both transepts also feature a large rose windows, flanking towers, and three sculptured portals. This was directly modeled on the rose-windowed transepts at Laon Cathedral, but the three-portal layout is unique to Chartres. In total, Chartres Cathedral has nine portals, including three portals salvaged from the earlier cathedral.
The north portal, recently cleaned of industrial grime, portrays the Coronation of the Virgin with prophets and other figures in the central bay. Between the doors is a statue of St. Anne holding a (now headless) infant Mary. In 1204, Chartres received a relic of the head of St. Anne from Constantinople; this statue was probably added afterwards. Look also for the Holy Modesta, a female figure with a seductive smile, and a fat King Solomon in the right-hand portal.
The south portal, still waiting its turn to be cleaned, centers on a Last Judgment with sculptures of the apostles occupying the recesses. In this scene Christ appears human, mild and gentle, a depiction that became known as the Beau-Dieu, the "handsome God." In the left bay, look for two contrasting knightly figures: St. George as a grim older man and St. Theodore as a handsome young hero.
The Royal Portal
The west portal, known for centuries as the Royal Portal (Porte Royale), was carved in the 1140s. The sculptures and reliefs were modeled on those in the triple west portal at St. Denis, which were mostly destroyed at the Reformation.
Decorating the recesses of the Royal Portal are elegant and elongated statues of kings, queens and figures from the Old Testament that are full of expression, gazing down regally on the visitor.
In the center is the Last Judgment, with Christ in the tympanum surrounded by the animal symbols of the Four Evangelists. He sits enthroned in a mandorla (an almond-shaped halo), raises his right hand, and holds the Book of Life in his left. This figure of Christ is unique in cathedral sculpture and seems to equally embody the divine and human natures of Christ.
Friezes on the capitals left of the central door depict scenes from the life of Mary (from right to left). The capitals on the left of the central portal depict Anne and Joachim struggling with infertility before the birth of Mary, which some scholars think reflects the local cult of Mary as a healer of mothers and infants. Right of the central door are freizes of scenes from the life of Christ (from left to right).
The left-hand portal centers on the the Ascension of Christ. Christ stands on a cloud, supported by two angels. Below this is a relief with four singing angels and the bottom lintel shows ten seated men (possibly the apostles) holding books or scrolls and looking up at Christ. The archivolts are decorated with symbols of the zodiac and the labors of the months.
In the right-hand portal, the tympanum bears scenes from the descent of Christ into the world, complemented the Ascension on the other side. The bottom register shows scenes from the Life of the Virgin, including the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, and the Annunciation to the Shepherds. In the middle register is the Presentation at the Temple. In the upper level is the Virgin and Child enthroned between two censing angels. The inner archivolt contains angels while the outer archivolt depicts the Seven Liberal Arts and two signs of the Zodiac (Pisces and Gemini).
Interior
Even the elegance of the exterior does not prepare the visitor for the wonders that lie within. The spacious nave is the widest in France and stands 121 feet (36m) high. There is an unbroken view from the western end right along to the magnificent dome of the apse in the east, 427-foot (128m) away. Clustered columns rise dramatically from plain bases to the high pointed arches of the ceiling, directing the eye to the massive clerestory windows in the apse.
The stone floor still bears its ancient floor labyrinth (1205), used for walking contemplation by monks and still used for meditation by pilgrims. There is just one path through the labyrinth and it is 964 feet long. According to John James, the center of the labyrinth once had a metal plate with figures of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur, figures from the classical myth of the labyrinth on Minos.
The circumference of the labyrinth is 131 feet, almost exactly the same size as the West Rose window. Intriguingly, the labyrinth is the same distance from the west entrance as the West Rose is from the floor — so if the west wall fell inwards, the rose would land directly on the Labyrinth.
Stained Glass Windows of Chartres Cathedral
Everywhere vivid colour splashes on to the floor from the superb stained glass windows that glow like jewels. Dating from the early 13th century, the glass largely escaped harm during the religious wars of the 16th century; it is said to constitute one of the most complete collections of medieval stained glass in the world. Of the original 186 stained-glass windows, 152 have survived.
Some details on the three main sets of beautiful rose windows in Chartres:
- West Rose and three lancet windows
- 1100s
- rose window - Last Judgment; Christ in judgment is surrounded by Four Evangelists and angels, then scenes of angels blowing trumpets, resurrection, judgment, heaven and hell
- left lancet - Passion and Resurrection Window
- middle lancet - the Incarnation Window
- right lancet - the Jesse Window
- North Rose and five lancet windows
- gift from Queen Blanche of Castille in 1230;
- rose window - Glorification of the Virgin; Virgin and Child surrounded by doves and angels, then OT kings and OT prophets
- left lancet - Melchisadech (OT priest) over King Saul
- second lancet - King David over King Jeroboam
- center lancet - St Anne and the infant Mary above the arms of the Royal House of France
- fourth lancet - King Solomon over King Nebuchadezzar
- right lancet - Aaron (OT priest) over Pharaoh
- South Rose and five lancet windows
- 1230s
- rose window - Glorification of Christ; Christ blessing surrounded by Four Evangelists and angels, then the elders of the Apocalypse, then the arms of donors to the cathedral
- left lancet - Evangelist Luke over Prophet Jeremiah
- second lancet - Evangelist Matthew over Prophet Isaiah
- central lancet - the Virgin and Child
- fourth lancet - Evangelist John over Prophet Ezekiel
- right lancet - Evangelist Mark over Prophet Daniel
Another very notable window is the Blue Virgin Window (Notre Dame de la Belle Verrière), created in the early 1200s.
Quick Facts
| Names: | Chartres Cathedral; Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres; Cathedral of Our Lady in Chartres |
| Highlights: | Superb High Gothic architecture; complete original medieval stained glass; sculptured portals; labyrinth; relics |
| Type of site: | Catholic cathedral; Catholic shrine |
| Dedication: | Virgin Mary and John the Baptist |
| Architecture: | High Gothic |
| Status: | Active |
| Dates: | Completed 1260 |
| Size: | Nave: 427 ft (128 m) long; Towers: 349 ft (105m) and 377 ft (113m) |
| Address: | 16 cloitre Notre-Dame, Chartres, France |
| Website: | www.diocese-chartres.com/cathedrale_site/ |
| Phone: | 02-37-21-59-08 |
| Hours: | Daily 8:30am-7:30pm. Labyrinth cleared for walking only on Fridays. Crypt visits by guided tour only; not available on Sundays or holidays. Last entrance for tower climb 5:30pm. |
| Cost: | Free |
| Photography: | Permitted except during services |
Travel Resources
- Chartres Hotel Reviews - unbiased opinions from fellow travelers
- Chartres Travel Forum - get tips, answers and advice on Chartres
- Rail Map of France - map your journey by train
- Car Rentals in France - travel flexible with a rental car
Location Map
Below is a location map and aerial view of Chartres Cathedral. Using the buttons on the left, zoom in for a closer look or zoom out to get your bearings. Click and drag the map to move around. For a larger view, see our France Map or get our free Google Earth download.
Sources
- Personal visits (July 19-22, 2008).
- Chartres: Guide of the Cathedral (Editions Houvet-La Crypte, Chartres). Available in the cathedral bookshop.
- Cathedrale de Chartres - Official Site
- Bernhard Schütz, Great Cathedrals, 80-95.
- Chartres Cathedral - MEDART
More Information
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres - Frommer's
- Cathédrale Notre-Dame - Fodor's
- Chartres Cathedral - UNESCO World Heritage
- Chartres, Cathedral Notre-Dame - Beloit University History of Art and Architecture
- Notre Dame Cathedral, Chartres, France - Discover France
