Step inside Chartres Cathedral to find its well-known labyrinth, beautiful stained glass, sacred relics, huge crypt, and the dramatic roles it performed through the coronation of Henri IV and the French Revolution.
I am going to always remember my first sight of Chartres Cathedral, waking up within the resort throughout the road to see its silhouette slowly emerge from the night time. I could not climb as much as it quick sufficient.
You do not have to be non secular, love cathedrals or admire Gothic structure to know this one is particular, a Thirteenth-century time capsule categorized as a UNESCO World Heritage Web site.
As a repository of holy relics, the Cathedral has attracted pilgrims and believers for over 1000 years.
There’s the labyrinth, after all, a winding path that invitations guests to comply with it right into a medieval type of meditation, however that is simply the tip of the iceberg, and there’s a lot extra to find.
The view of the cathedral from my resort window – the resort is a bit additional within the distance however getting a close-up like that is straightforward ©OffbeatFrance
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Whether or not you’re a lover of stained glass or just like to face in locations that radiate centuries of human expertise, chances are you’ll nicely fall in love with this constructing.
Listed below are 9 extraordinary issues that make the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres so particular.
1. The Chartres labyrinth
The trail resulting in the labyrinth’s central rosette ©OffbeatFranceMost guests come to Chartres Cathedral for its stained glass or hovering structure (and extra about these in a second) however deep within the nave lies one thing presumably extra fascinating: one of many world’s most well-known labyrinths.
It was carved into the stone flooring across the yr 1200, presumably as a symbolic substitute for pilgrims who could not journey to Jerusalem: unable to undertake a bodily journey, they might undertake a religious one, following the stone path on the ground, meditating or praying alongside the way in which.
The labyrinth stroll measures almost 13 meters throughout (simply over 40 toes) and follows a single, winding path by means of eleven concentric circles towards a central rosette.
It is typically known as the Chartres Cathedral maze nevertheless it is not a maze: everybody follows the identical path – there are not any forks or incorrect turns, simply steady inward spiral. Should you stroll all of it the way in which, you’ve got lined about 260 meters, or roughly 1 / 4 of a mile, multi function place.
Once I visited the Cathedral, I nearly missed it!
It is solely after I seen folks fastidiously threading their means among the many chairs that I spotted what was beneath, as a result of no, the labyrinth is not all the time seen. Throughout the week, it’s lined by chairs, nearly hidden from sight. These are (normally, however not all the time) eliminated on Friday evenings through the summer time, welcoming those that need to stroll alongside it, simply as pilgrims did within the Thirteenth century.
2. The stained glass: 176 home windows, nonetheless glowing
Much more well-known than the medieval labyrinth are the Cathedral’s 176 stained glass home windows, essentially the most full medieval stained glass assortment on the planet, to which my images do not start to do justice.
You will be bathed in coloured mild the second you step inside, and as you gaze up, you will attempt to decipher the that means of every of the panels, not a straightforward job.
Essentially the most well-known is the West Rose window, devoted to the Virgin Mary, however every window tells its personal story, typically involving saints and tradesmen going about their on a regular basis work.
Not solely are the home windows stunning in themselves however they’re additionally a surprise of survival, having made it by means of fires and revolutions and wars. Some 80% of the unique glass has survived the centuries.
If stained glass is what you got here right here for, simply behind the Cathedral you will discover the Centre Worldwide du Vitrail (Worldwide Stained Glass Middle,) the place you’ll be able to learn the way these home windows have been made and restored, typically utilizing medieval strategies, and look at replicas of the Cathedral’s home windows shut up. (Contained in the Cathedral, a few of the home windows are so excessive up it is tough to watch the element, so the replicas give us that probability.)
3. The cathedral has hardly modified in 800 years
What makes Chartres Cathedral actually outstanding is how little it has modified because it was accomplished within the early 1200s.
Not like many European cathedrals, which have been modified or rebuilt over time, Chartres retains almost all of its unique structure, sculptures, and sure, its stained glass.
But the Cathedral caught on fireplace at the very least 5 instances, and needed to be rebuilt, at the very least partially. An earlier Romanesque church that stood as a replacement was destroyed within the nice fireplace of 1194, however the Cathedral was then rebuilt into what it’s in the present day.
Whenever you step by means of the doorways, you’re coming into the identical area pilgrims walked into 800 years in the past. Go searching you and you will see the identical stained glass home windows and hovering ceilings a customer would have seen again then. In the present day, it’s nonetheless in common use as a parish church, a basilica and stays a serious pilgrimage website for Roman Catholics, though it has misplaced a little bit of its shine because the French Revolution tried to put off faith.
4. The brand new Gothic structure
Chartres isn’t simply well-known for its measurement or magnificence: it is a masterclass in Gothic engineering.
The strategies used when it was constructed have been revolutionary, typically designed to let in and propagate the sunshine. The complete construction was deliberate utilizing sacred geometry and astronomical alignments, primarily based on the golden ratio (I’ve linked to an evidence for these mathematically inclined amongst you).
This ratio creates concord and stability, and is identical approach used to construct the Acropolis in Athens and Sénanque Abbey (well-known for its lavender fields) in Provence.
What additionally units Chartres Cathedral aside is the velocity with which it was constructed, nearly , over just a few years, after the hearth of 1194. Normally, Gothic cathedrals evolve piecemeal, with additions and modifications over time.
The post-fire rebuilding was a part of a serious marketing campaign not simply by officers however by 1000’s of people that got here from throughout France to donate cash and labor to the reconstruction – a cathedral actually “constructed by the folks”.
5. The sunshine present: Chartres en lumières
From April to October, as night time falls, the cathedral bursts into mild － on the skin.
Throughout the Chartres en Lumières competition, the Cathedral’s façade is lit up in order that the skin competes with the within, or at the very least, with the within because it as soon as was. In the present day, the partitions and ceilings are grey, their unique colours eroded, however again when it was constructed, the sculptures and partitions have been shiny with coloration.
The competition goes far past the Cathedral, with 20 or extra buildings throughout city becoming a member of in with music and energetic illuminations. However the actually dazzling present is on the Cathedral, as you’ll be able to see in my photographs under.
6. Henry IV was consecrated at Chartres
Chartres Cathedral historical past has deep roots.
Henri IV, considered one of France’s favourite kings, was topped at Chartres, not Reims.
So why the change?
Consecration of king Henri IV at Chartres Cathedral. Desmaretz, Public area, by way of Wikimedia CommonsIn 1594, France was deep into the Wars of Faith, a prolonged and brutal battle between Catholics and Protestants. Henri IV was born Protestant, however had seesawed between Protestantism and Catholicism all through his life.
The town of Reims was on the time held by the Catholic League, which refused to acknowledge Henri IV － and would not let him be topped there, the primary time a French king wouldn’t be consecrated at Reims because the eleventh century.
Enter Chartres, accessible and dependable, to not point out residence to the Sancta Camisia, the relic regarded as the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary on the start of Jesus.
At a time of battle, all this helped present non secular legitimacy and royal continuity. Nonetheless, the ceremony had a little bit of an improvised air, with out the standard pomp.
Regardless of: Henri would change into considered one of France’s most admired kings, ending the Wars of Faith, issuing an edict that protected Protestants from persecution, and slowly beginning to knit French society collectively once more.
7. The Sancta Camisia
Many guests come to see the Sancta Camisia.
The garment was initially preserved by the Byzantine emperors and later introduced as a present, both by Emperor Constantine VI or Empress Irene, to Charlemagne. His grandson, Charles the Bald, donated it to Chartres Cathedral, making Chartres one of the necessary Christian locations within the Center Ages.
The Sancta Camisia, housed in a contemporary glass case behind the excessive altar within the apse of Chartres CathedralThe Sancta Camisia sits in a tall glass case behind the excessive altar. You will not be capable to see the complete garment, because it seems folded, however that is actually a bit of it.
8. The Black Madonna
Throughout the French Revolution, church buildings have been desecrated and infrequently destroyed, their interiors looted and their partitions defaced. Many have been transformed into secular areas, typically into what have been known as Temples de la Raison, or temples of purpose.
Chartres was considered one of these. (I’ve documented the French Revolution’s failed makes an attempt to destroy Chartres in better element on Gallia Incognita, my Substack weblog.)
As a part of the Revolution, a much-venerated Twelfth-century statue of the so-called Black Madonna, the Vierge à l’Enfant de Notre-Dame-de-Sous-Terre, was dragged outdoors and burned on a bonfire. Thankfully, fast considering and fleetfootedness on the half of some cheap males saved lots of the Cathedral’s different statues and sculptures, which you’ll admire in the present day.
The truth is, the Cathedral itself was largely left intact, versus lots of the metropolis’s different church buildings.
Duplicate of “Black Virgin” in Chartres Cathedral ©OffbeatFranceThe statue of the Black Madonna was extremely commemorated and drew 1000’s of pilgrims every year for its purported miracles.
Since no picture of the statue exists, one needed to be manufactured: it’s believed to have been made from wooden, darkened by soot or incense, with Mary seated with the toddler Jesus on her lap.
9. The Chartres Cathedral crypt and treasures
Treasure of Chartres Cathedral ©DRAC CVdL François LauginieAfter greater than twenty years behind closed doorways, the treasure of Chartres Cathedral reopened to the general public in 2024, simply in time for the millennium celebration of the Cathedral’s crypt, however sadly, too late for me to see them.
The fabulous factor in regards to the treasury is that it shows almost 150 distinctive objects, some by no means earlier than proven in Chartres, all towards the backdrop of the freshly restored 14th-century Saint-Piat Chapel.
Highlights embody a uncommon Thirteenth-century tabernacle with scenes of the Crucifixion and Pentecost, a royal little one’s armor believed to belong to the longer term Charles VI, astonishing wampum necklaces provided by Huron and Abenaki converts from Seventeenth-century Canada, and 6 towering Twelfth-century statues faraway from the Royal Portal, all of which I plan to look at carefully on my subsequent go to.
Earlier than you go…
Chartres Cathedral is straightforward to achieve, solely an hour by prepare from Paris (Gare Montparnasse) and slightly longer by automobile by way of the A10 and A11.
And whereas the Chartres Cathedral labyrinth and its inside are superb, there’s loads extra to see on the town, from the cobbled streets and artisan retailers to the quirky Maison Picassiette, a home lined totally in mosaics.
For one of the best view of the Cathedral, keep at Le Boeuf Couronné, a couple of minutes’ stroll from the Cathedral (ask for a room with a cathedral view).
For a meal, I loved each Le Parvis and Esprit Gourmand, each simply steps from the Cathedral.
And when you’ve got a automobile and a bit extra time, contemplate visiting different websites within the Eure-et-Loir département, together with the historic Château de Maintenon or the romantic ruins of Château d’Anet, the place Diane de Poitiers, mistress of Henri II, as soon as lived.
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