Chartres Cathedral 
Floor plan of Chartres Cathedral.
The beautiful west front of Chartres Cathedral. Photo
Steve Cadman.See over 100 more photos in our Chartres Cathedral Photo Gallery.
Flying buttresses of the apse on a stormy morning.
The Royal Portal on the west front. Photo
Steve Cadman.
North transept and triple portal (c.1230).
Side view of north portal and chapel.
Sculptures of the north portal.
The great Gothic nave, looking west.
The famed medieval labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral.
The beloved statue of Notre Dame de Pilar in her chapel in the north aisle.
Ambulatory and chancel screen with 16th-century sculptures.
The Blue Virgin Window, survivor of the original Romanesque cathedral.
Detail of the north rose window.
Aries from the Zodiac Window in the south ambulatory.
Detail of west rose window depicting the Last Judgment.
Bottom panel of the Jesse Window (c.1150).
South spire, built in the 1140s.
View from the north across wheat fields.
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 in 1194, 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 came together 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, the west towers and the west facade 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
General Exterior
From a distance Chartres Cathedral seems to hover in mid-air above waving fields of wheat, 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 a Latin cross with three aisles, a short transept and an ambulatory. The rounded east end has five semi-circular radiating chapels.
The high nave is supported by double flying buttresses, anchored by colonnettes and great abutments. The latter were lightened in appearance with niches filled with sculptures. An extra row of single flying buttresses supported the apse from the beginning and a third row was added in the 14th century.
Chartres was the first building on which buttresses were used as a structural element that determined the overall external appearance of the building. They were necessitated by the unprecedented size of the clerestory windows and the height of the nave.
The only aspect detracting from Chartres Cathedral's elegant symmetry are the mismatched west spires. The south spire is a 349-foot (105m) plain Romanesque pyramid dating from the 1140s, while the north is a 377-foot (113m) early 16th-century Flamboyant Gothic spire on top of an older tower.
In additon to the famed west front, both transepts have large rose windows, flanking towers and three sculptured portals each. This design was 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 salvaged from the earlier cathedral on the west portal.
North Portal (c.1230): Old Testament
The north portal, recently cleaned of industrial grime, illustrates the Old Testament and the Virgin Mary as precursors and preparations for Christ. Between the doors in the central portal is a statue of St. Anne holding an infant Mary. Below her feet, Joachim once tended his flocks but has mostly disappeared. In 1204, Chartres received a relic of the head of St. Anne from Constantinople; the central statue was probably added in honor of it.
The statues on the right side of the central bay, from left to right, are:
- Isaiah, who prophesied that " there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots" (Isaiah 11:1). He once held the flowering stem; a small figure of Jesse is below him.
- Jeremiah, who prophesied the Passion, holds a Greek cross and has an attentive listener beneath his feet.
- Simeon, the priest to whom Christ was presented at the temple, holds the Child in his arms.
- John the Baptist, thin from fasting, wears his camel hair tunic and points to a medallion of the Lamb of God; a dragon is beneath his feet.
- On the far right is St. Peter dressed as a pope. He once held a chalice as well as his keys and pastoral staff.
- In the shadows on the right is Elijah standing on the wheels of his chariot, with Elisha catching his mantle below.
Of special note among the other figures is the Holy Modesta, an elegant female figure with a happy, seductive smile, and a fat King Solomon in the right-hand portal. Among the Old Testament narrative scenes is a fascinating depiction of the creation of mankind, showing Adam emerging from behind the head of God as the divine idea becomes reality, then God kneading Adam's head into shape like a sculptor modeling clay.
South Portal (1224-50): New Testament
The south portal, still waiting its turn to be cleaned, was carved between 1224 and 1250 on the theme of the New Testament, centered on the Last Judgment. In the central scene Christ appears human, mild and gentle, an image that became known as the Beau-Dieu, the "handsome God." The left bay has sculptures of martyrs; the right bay figures of confessors (saints who were not martyred). Among the former are two interestingly contrasting knightly figures: St. George as a grim older man and St. Theodore as a handsome young hero.
Royal Portal (c.1150): Christ and Mary
The west portal, known virtually since its completion as the Royal Portal (Porte Royale), was carved by 1150. 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 on the visitor with elegant condescension. These are a visible transition from Romanesque to Gothic: the whimsical elongation of the figures reflects the former while the realistic and emotive faces anticipate the latter.
The central west portal depicts the Last Judgment, with Christ in the tympanum surrounded by the symbols of the Four Evangelists. Enthroned within a mandorla (an almond-shaped halo), Christ raises his right hand in blessing and holds the Book of Life in his left. This image of Christ is unique in cathedral sculpture and seems to equally embody his divine and human natures.
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 magnificentapse 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.
At the east end, an ambulatory wraps around the choir and sanctuary, dramatically vaulted and divided from the latter by a magnificently carved choir screen. It was erected in the 16th century and its sculptures were gradually added over a long period between the 16th and 18th centuries. The sculptures depict scenes from the lives of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
The chancel screen includes, on the south side, an impressive astrological clock dating from the 16th century. It told not only the time but the day of the week, the month of the year, the time of sunrise and sunset, the phase of the moon and the current sign of the zodiac. Its inner works were partially destroyed in 1793.
The Chartres Labyrinth
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.
The Stained Glass Windows of Chartres
For more detailed information and photos, see our Guide to the 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. Depending on how you count, there are between 150 and 170 medieval stained glass windows in Chartres Cathedral.
The West Rose dates from early 13th century and its three lancet windows are from c.1150. The rose window depicts the Last Judgment: Christ in judgment is surrounded by Four Evangelists and angels, then scenes of angels blowing trumpets, resurrection, judgment, heaven and hell. The left lancet is the Passion and Resurrection Window; the middle lancet is the Incarnation Window; and the right lancet is the Jesse Window.
The North Rose and its five lancet windows were a gift from Queen Blanche of Castille in 1230. The rose window depicts the Glorification of the Virgin: Virgin and Child surrounded by doves and angels, then Old Testament kings and Old Testament prophets. Lancets, from left to right: Melchizadek and King Saul; King David and King Jeroboam; St Anne and the infant Mary with the arms of the Royal House of France; King Solomon and King Nebuchadezzar; Aaron and Pharaoh.
The South Rose and its five lancet windows date from the 1230s. The rose window depicts the 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. Lancets, from left to right: Evangelist Luke over Prophet Jeremiah; Evangelist Matthew over Prophet Isaiah; Virgin and Child; Evangelist John over Prophet Ezekiel; Evangelist Mark over Prophet Daniel.
Another very notable window is the Blue Virgin Window (Notre Dame de la Belle Verrière), created around 1150 and now part of a window in the south ambulatory aisle next to the transept.
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 even with flash and tripod, except during services |
Plan Your Trip
- Chartres Tourist Office - official website of Chartres tourism
- Chartres Hotel Reviews - unbiased opinions from fellow travelers
- Chartres Travel Forum - get tips, answers and advice on Chartres
- Paris Hostels - stay cheap in Paris and take a train to Chartres
- Rail Map of France - map your journey by train
- Car Rentals in France - travel flexible with a rental car
Article Sources
- Personal visits (July 19-22, 2008).
- Chartres: Guide of the Cathedral (Editions Houvet-La Crypte, Chartres). A fantastic illustrated booklet available in the cathedral gift shop.
- Cathedrale de Chartres - official website
- Bernhard Schütz, Great Cathedrals, 80-95.
- Romanesque and Gothic France: Art and Architecture, 230-39.
- Chartres Cathedral - Images of Medieval Art and Architecture
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
Google Links
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.
