Chartres Cathedral
The market town of Chartres
lies about 96 km (61 miles) south-west of Paris and it has been famous
throughout the Christian world for centuries, thanks to its magnificent
cathedral.
In 875, Charles II presented the 'Sancta Camisia' to Chartres. This was
the garment supposedly worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to
Christ, and its presence led to an immediate influx of pilgrims.
In 1194
the existing church burnt down, but the relic, seemingly miraculously,
was untouched. Funds flooded in to enable a new church to be built, and
by 1260, the new, glorious Chartres Cathedral (Cathedrale Notre-Dame de
Chartres) had risen from the ashes. It was recognized as a UNESCO World
Heritage Site in 1979.
Some of the original, Romanesque building can still be seen - in the
smaller, octagonal tower, the Royal Portal and the rounded arches – but
most of the rest of the building, including the superlative stained
glass, dates from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. The floor of the
nave is inlaid with a black and white 'labyrinth'. This device served as
a substitute for the pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the faithful were
expected to follow its path on their hands and knees.
There are wonderful carvings and statues to be seen, but it is the
stained glass that really makes the cathedral special. During both world
wars, the thousands of panes from the 172 windows were carefully taken
apart and hidden in the Dordogne for safekeeping.
The stained glass
windows tell stories from the Bible that can be 'read' from the bottom
(Earth) to the top (Heaven), and from left to right. The glass is
gradually being restored and cleaned and glows with rich reds, greens
and, in particular, the renowned Chartres blue. The cathedral could be
reached by train from Paris.
