Chartres Cathedral – beauty unaltered. Chartres Cathedral, Acropolis of France In fiction
Address: France, Chartres, rue Cloître Notre Dame, 16
Start of construction: 1194
Completion of construction: 1260
Coordinates: 48°26′50″N,1°29′16″E
Tower height: northern 113 m., southern 105
Main attractions: stained glass windows of the 12th-13th centuries
Just 1 hour by train from Paris, and the passenger arrives in the quiet, charming province of Chartres.
In the narrow streets of Chartres there are buildings preserved from the times of Roman rule and ancient half-timbered houses from the 12th century. There are arched bridges and picturesque views of the canal. But the main pride of Chartres is the handsome two-domed cathedral, decorated with amazing blue stained glass windows. Its huge sharp spire is visible from every corner of the city - behind houses, in the street gaps and from the windows of restaurants.
Western façade of the cathedral
Shroud of the Virgin Mary - relic of Chartres Cathedral
On the site of Chartres Cathedral, there has long been a sanctuary of Druids - Celtic priests. In the 8th century there already existed an altar built in honor of St. Mary of Chartres, and in 876, one of the most precious relics of Christianity appeared in Chartres - the shroud (cover) of the Virgin Mary.
Tradition says that it was in this robe that the Virgin Mary was dressed at the time of the birth of I. Christ. The relic ended up in Chartres thanks to the French king Charles II the Bald, who donated it to the city temple.
View of the southern facade of the building
In 1194, there was a fire in the city that almost completely destroyed the first Chartres Cathedral, built in 1020, but the casket where the shrine was kept miraculously survived, and this event was considered a sign from above.
Record short construction
Construction of the new cathedral began immediately after the fire. Donations poured in from all over France. On a wave of enthusiasm, city residents worked for free in the quarries. Compared to other Gothic churches that took centuries to build, Chartres Cathedral was created in record time.
View of the north and south towers of Chartres Cathedral
By 1220, the main part of the building was ready, and on October 24, 1260, the temple was consecrated in the presence of King Louis IX. Some sources claim that the grandiose construction was financed by the Knights of the Templar Order.
Proponents of this hypothesis believe that the mysterious labyrinth of 1205, tiled on the floor of the cathedral, is marked with Templar symbols, which are also present on some other interior details.
Sculptures and stained glass - the treasures of Chartres Cathedral
South porch of Charts Cathedral
The grandiose Gothic temple, called Notre-Dame de Chartres has survived to this day almost in the same form in which it was built 800 years ago. The two towers of Chartres Cathedral are strikingly different from each other. The 113-meter North Tower rises on an ancient Gothic base and has an openwork spire decorated with intricate stone lace. The south tower, 105 meters high, is topped by a simple Romanesque spire in the shape of a pyramid. The facade of the cathedral is “carved” with bas-reliefs, and the interior is decorated with sculptures carved from stone.
North porch of Charts Cathedral
In total, there are 10,000 sculptural compositions in Notre-Dame de Chartres. Inside the cathedral there are colored stained glass windows of the 12th-13th centuries. The ensemble of Chartres stained glass windows is absolutely unique: 146 windows depict 1,359 different scenes. They tell about biblical events and about the lives of people of all classes - kings, knights, artisans, peasants. Apart from the large stained glass windows on the main façade's window roses and transepts, the most famous is the stained glass window depicting Our Lady in her vestment in a unique shade, "Chartres blue".
The Gothic style originated in the 12th century in Northern France, from where it spread throughout Western Europe from Spain to the Czech Republic. In each country, under the influence of local traditions, the new style acquired its own characteristics. Chartres Cathedral, one of the greatest masterpieces of medieval architecture in Europe, is deservedly considered the purest embodiment of the classical principles of Gothic. The slender, elegant building is built on a hill and seems to float above the city, for which the cathedral is sometimes called the Acropolis of France. In 1979 it was included in the UNESCO World Historical Heritage List.
Temples of Chartres Hill
The hill dominating Chartres has always been the site of religious buildings. Before the Roman conquest, the city was the main settlement of the Gallic tribe of Carnutes, and on the hill there was a Druid sanctuary known throughout Gaul. In the 4th century, Christians expelled the Druids and built a chapel on the site of the sanctuary. One temple replaced another, and the current cathedral, according to archaeological excavations, is at least the fifth Christian religious building on this site.
The first Christian church of Chartres fell victim to civil strife - in 734 the troops of the Duke of Aquitaine plundered and burned the city. The temple also burned down. The church was restored, but in 858 it was again destroyed by the Vikings during another devastating raid.
After this, the then bishop of Chartres, Gilbert, decided to build a cathedral in the then dominant Romanesque style on the site of the old church. Construction lasted for decades and was interrupted several times. So, in 862, everything that they managed to build was lost in another fire.
In 859, Chartres was visited by King Charles the Bald, who presented the bishop with a shrine - the Veil of the Virgin Mary. Tradition said that this robe was worn by the Virgin Mary at the birth of Jesus. The cover was supposed to be placed in the cathedral reliquary upon completion of construction.
The shrine has repeatedly demonstrated its miraculous power. So, in 911, Chartres was again besieged by the Vikings. Hoping for the help of the Mother of God, the then bishop Gentelme brought the Intercession to the walls of the city, and the Normans unexpectedly left. Another miracle occurred in 1194, when a terrible three-day fire practically destroyed the entire city. The temple burned down almost completely, except for the chapel, where the casket with the relic was located. The priests guarding the casket also survived.
The architect Bernage, who headed the construction after 862, decided to build the western, main facade separately from the main building of the cathedral. This was a very unusual decision, but it was the one that saved the façade from the fire of 1194. Later, towers were added to it, made according to Gothic canons.
The townspeople perceived the miraculous salvation of the relic as a clear instruction from above, and they immediately began the construction of a new temple with enthusiasm. The news of the miracle spread across France with lightning speed, and volunteers arrived in droves from all over the country in Chartres, wanting to take part in the charitable work. Donations poured in from everywhere. The construction was headed by the best architects of the time, sent from the Parisian Abbey of Saint-Denis.
All this explains the record time for completion of the work for the Middle Ages. The sandstone from which the walls of the cathedral are made was delivered from the Bercher quarries in the vicinity of Chartres. They decided to integrate the surviving Romanesque façade into the new building. By 1220, the cathedral was covered with vaults, and in 1225, work on the internal arrangement of the temple was completed, chapels, choirs and a transept appeared.
The consecration ceremony of the temple took place in 1260. Louis IX was present at the consecration and made a wonderful gift to the cathedral. At the king's own expense, a magnificent rose window with stained glass depicting the Last Judgment and episodes from the life of the Virgin Mary was created. The stained glass also depicted the coats of arms of France and Castile (the king's mother, Blanca, was the daughter of King Alfonso of Castile).
Chartres Cathedral, now officially called the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (Notre Dame de Chartres), escaped the fate of its famous brothers in Reims and Rouen and was never subjected to significant destruction or reconstruction. The northern tower can be considered an exception to some extent. Initially, it was crowned with a wooden tent, which burned down in the 16th century. In 1513, under the leadership of Jean Texier, a stone tent was built, covered with a bizarre pattern characteristic of “flaming” Gothic.
Acropolis of France
The feeling when looking at Notre Dame de Chartres soaring into the air is indeed somewhat akin to the feeling that arises when meeting the Acropolis. The poet Charles Péguy once put it very figuratively when he called the cathedral “the strongest of the ears of grain that rose to heaven.”
The cathedral is a three-nave basilica with a short transverse transept. The length of the building is 130 m, the width of the central nave is 16 m, the two side naves are 8 m each. The height of the vault of the main nave is 37 m, the side nave is 14 m.
The most ancient part of the cathedral is the western facade. Initially it was continuous, and three magnificent portals were built later, during the construction of the new building. Particularly impressive is the central portal, called the Royal, above which is placed the wonderful sculptural group “Christ in Glory”. The figure of Jesus blessing him is surrounded by statues of saints, biblical characters and fantastic animals.
All nine portals of the cathedral are generously decorated with sculptural and relief images. The relief of the main portal of the southern facade is especially interesting. Created at the dawn of the 13th century, it depicts an extremely dramatic picture of the Last Judgment. Because of its intensity and expressiveness, this relief is considered the most striking example of Gothic fine art in the world.
The sculptures of the central portal of the northern façade stand somewhat apart. They are clearly of more ancient origin than other statues, since they are made in the Romanesque tradition. In addition, the striking individual features of many of the statues suggest that the unknown sculptor depicted specific people, which is unusual for Romanesque church art, bound by strict canons.
The number of sculptures placed inside and outside Chartres Cathedral exceeds 10 thousand. No other temple in Europe can boast of such abundance.
The most noticeable part of the cathedral when viewed from afar is its towers, which are stylistically different from each other. The northern one, 113 m high, was built on a Romanesque foundation in 1134-1150. It is 11 meters higher than its neighbor, thanks to the late Gothic tent built in the 16th century. Access to the north tower is open, and every visitor to the cathedral considers it his duty to enjoy the magnificent view of Chartres and the surrounding area from its top.
The south tower, nicknamed the "Old Bell Tower", is 15 years younger. It is stylistically unified with the entire cathedral and looks much more restrained than the northern one. For its impeccable proportions and grace, the “Old Bell Tower” is considered one of the most beautiful towers in the world.
Entering Chartres Cathedral
The interiors of the cathedral are not inferior to its appearance in terms of the strength of the impression it makes on the viewer. The unusually spacious choirs required a significant expansion of the transept, while the altar had to be moved deeper into the apse. This innovation made the interior space of the temple more spacious and as if filled with air and light.
The vaults and arches have a typical Gothic pointed shape. The vaults are supported by columns, each of them additionally strengthened by four thin semi-columns.
The huge altar carved from wood is striking in its size. Its construction, begun in 1514, lasted about two hundred years. On the altar there are more than forty scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, executed with great skill.
Stained glass windows create a special atmosphere of the temple. From the outside they seem almost colorless, but inside the sun's rays penetrating through the windows create an indescribable riot of colors. Chartres Cathedral has the largest surviving medieval stained glass ensemble - the total area of its stained glass windows is about 2000 square meters. m. At the same time, almost all stained glass windows have reached us in their original form, without undergoing restoration or alteration.
The palette of Chartres stained glass windows is dominated by red, blue and lilac colors. At the same time, thanks to the tricks of the craftsmen, in sunny weather red and yellow flashes appear from time to time on the columns and floor of the cathedral, and in cloudy weather the cathedral is filled with an even bluish flicker. Another “highlight” of the local stained glass windows is the blue color of a unique shade, known as “Chartres blue” or “Chartres azure”.
A very expressive element of the cathedral's architecture are the rose windows. Among them is the famous rose of Saint Louis, whose diameter is 13 meters. In total, the cathedral has 176 stained glass windows, containing 1,359 scenes. Chartres stained glass is often called an illustrated book, due to the huge variety of subjects. In addition to biblical scenes, there are monarchs, representatives of the nobility and clergy, merchants and commoners.
Attractions Notre Dame de Chartres
Since its creation, Chartres Cathedral has attracted pilgrims from all over Europe. First of all, they went to look, of course, at the sacred Veil. Initially, it had a length of 5.5 meters, but during the years of the French Revolution, when churches were repeatedly subjected to pogroms, the fabric was cut into several fragments and hidden in different places to protect it from the raging sans-culottes. In 1819, the largest fragment was returned to the cathedral. Now the Veil appears before the viewer in the form of a strip of beige silk, its length is 2 m, width 46 cm.
In the age of the triumph of science, inevitably there were those who wanted to verify the authenticity of the Intercession. An examination carried out in 1927 showed that it was much older than expected. As it turned out, the fabric was made in the 1st century AD. e. The experts' decision was a compromise - it was proposed to consider that there is no evidence that Mary was wearing a veil during the birth of Jesus, but there is also no evidence to the contrary.
Another relic of the cathedral was the so-called “Black Mary,” a wooden figurine depicting the Mother of God as she carried Jesus under her heart. The figurine burned during a pogrom in the revolutionary year 1789, but several drawings survived. Historians believe that the figurine, clearly archaic in silhouette, was created in the first centuries of Christianity. Some researchers even believe that the figurine was carved during the pagan period and does not depict Mary at all.
Another object of attraction for pilgrims was the labyrinth called “The Path to Jerusalem.” It is made of colored stone tiles in the center of the temple and looks like a circle with a diameter of 13 meters and a path length of 261 meters. This is exactly how much, according to church tradition, Jesus Christ had to go through when ascending to Golgotha. Pilgrims who did not have the opportunity to venerate the Holy Sepulcher, but who wanted to repent and receive remission of sins, could come to Chartres and walk on their knees all the way through the labyrinth, reading prayers.
And today pilgrims, as well as historians, art critics, lovers of antiquity, connoisseurs of beauty, and simply tourists go to Chartres Cathedral. The meeting with Notre Dame de Chartres leaves none of them disappointed or indifferent.
Christian Cathedral
Chartres CathedralCathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres
: 48°26?50 s. w. 1°29?16 in. d. / 48.44722° n. w. 1.48778° E. d. / 48.44722; 1.48778 (G) (O) (I)
Chartres Cathedral (French: Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Chartres) is a Catholic cathedral located in the city of Chartres, prefecture of the Eure-et-Loire department. It is located 90 km southwest of Paris and is one of the masterpieces of Gothic architecture. In 1979, the cathedral was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History of construction
Churches have long stood on the site of the modern Chartres Cathedral. Since 876, the Holy Shroud of the Virgin Mary has been kept in Chartres. Instead of the first cathedral, which burned down in 1020, a Romanesque cathedral with a huge crypt was erected. It survived the fire of 1134, which destroyed almost the entire city, but was badly damaged during the fire of June 10, 1194. From this fire, started by a lightning strike, only the towers with the western facade and the crypt survived. The miraculous salvation from the fire of the sacred shroud was considered a sign from above and served as the reason for the construction of a new, even more grandiose building.
The construction of the new cathedral began in the same 1194 with donations flocking to Chartres from all over France. City residents voluntarily delivered stone from surrounding quarries. The design of the previous building was taken as a basis, into which the surviving parts of the old building were inscribed. The main work, which included the construction of the main nave, was completed in 1220, the consecration of the cathedral took place on October 24, 1260 in the presence of King Louis IX and members of the royal family.
Chartres Cathedral has survived from the end of the 13th century to the present day practically untouched. It escaped destruction and robbery, and was not restored or rebuilt.
Architecture
Outdoor device
Plan of Chartres Cathedral
The three-nave building has a Latin cross plan with a short three-nave transept and an ambulatory. The eastern part of the temple has several semicircular radial chapels. Three of them protrude noticeably beyond the boundaries of the semicircle of the ambulatory, the remaining four have less depth. At the time of construction, the vaults of Chartres Cathedral were the highest in France, which was achieved through the use of flying buttresses resting on buttresses. Additional flying buttresses supporting the apse appeared in the 14th century. Chartres Cathedral was the first in the design of which this architectural element was used, which gave it completely unprecedented external contours and made it possible to increase the size of the window openings and the height of the nave (36 meters).
A distinctive feature of the cathedral's appearance are its two very different towers. The 105-meter spire of the south tower, built in 1140, is made in the shape of a simple Romanesque pyramid. The north tower, 113 meters high, has a base left over from a Romanesque cathedral, and the tower's spire dates back to the early 16th century and is made in the Flamboyant Gothic style.
Chartres Cathedral has nine portals, three of which remain from the old Romanesque cathedral. The north portal dates from 1230 and contains sculptures of Old Testament characters. The southern portal, created between 1224 and 1250, uses scenes from the New Testament with a central composition dedicated to the Last Judgment. The West Portal of Christ and the Virgin Mary, better known as the Royal Portal, dates from 1150 and is famous for its depiction of Christ in Glory, created in the 12th century.
The entrances to the north and south transepts are decorated with sculptures from the 13th century. In total, the cathedral's decoration includes about 10,000 sculptures made of stone and glass.
On the south side of the cathedral there is an astronomical clock from the 16th century. Before the clock mechanism broke down in 1793, they showed not only the time, but also the day of the week, the month, the time of sunrise and sunset, the phases of the moon and the current sign of the Zodiac.
Interior
Fragment of the stained glass window “Virgin from beautiful glass”
The interior of the cathedral is no less remarkable. The spacious nave, unparalleled in all of France, opens to a magnificent apse located at the eastern end of the cathedral. Between the arcades and the upper rows of windows of the central nave there is a triforium; the massive columns of the cathedral are surrounded by four powerful pilasters. The vaulted gallery of the ambulatory goes around the choir and the altar, which are separated from the rest of the space by a carved wall. The wall appeared at the beginning of the 16th century and over the next two centuries it was gradually decorated with carved figures depicting scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
The cathedral is famous for its stained glass windows, the total area of which is about 2000 m2. The Chartres collection of medieval stained glass is absolutely unique: more than 150 windows, the oldest of which were created in the 12th century. Apart from the large stained glass roses on the west façade and the south and north transepts, the most famous are the 1150 stained glass window "Our Lady of Beautiful Glass" and the composition "The Tree of Jesus".
A distinctive feature of the stained glass windows of Chartres Cathedral is the extreme saturation and purity of colors, the secret of which has been lost. The images are characterized by an extraordinary breadth of themes: scenes from the Old and New Testaments, scenes from the lives of prophets, kings, knights, artisans and even peasants.
The floor of the cathedral is decorated with an ancient labyrinth from 1205. It symbolizes the believer's path to God and is still used by pilgrims for meditation. There is only one way through this cathedral labyrinth. The size of the labyrinth practically coincides with the size of the window rose of the western facade, and the distance from the western entrance to the labyrinth is exactly equal to the height of the window.
Images
Stained Glass == Facts == According to the mockumentary Far Blue, drawings on the floor of Chartres Cathedral helped mathematicians discover "gravity tunnels."
Chartres Cathedral has well-preserved medieval stained glass windows, including the rose window. The total glazing area in the cathedral is 2044 square meters. m. Stained glass from this period is dominated by deep blue and red colors, and light shades are rare.
In fiction
- The main character of the story, Andre Maurois, wanted to buy the painting “Chartres Cathedral”. True, in the story the painting is attributed to the pen of Edouard Manet, and not to Camille Corot.
Less than a hundred kilometers from Paris is an ancient city Chartres, which is known throughout the world as an architectural monument of special historical value. It's about Chartres Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), which has remained almost unchanged since the 13th century and represents a unique example of early and pure Gothic architecture, almost untainted by the influence of later trends in architecture.
Almost any tourist route through the wonderful places of France passes through the ancient city Chartres, which is located on the picturesque banks of the Er River. And not only because it is located less than a hundred kilometers from the capital of France - the mysterious and beautiful Paris.
Chartres is most famous for its magnificent cathedral, listed in 1979 by the UNESCO Commission as an architectural monument of particular historical value. Situated on a high hill, Chartres Cathedral perfectly visible from all sides, floating majestically in the haze above the city, and being its unique calling card and symbol.
What makes the ancient temple especially valuable is the fact that, built at the beginning of the 13th century, Chartres Cathedral has survived to this day almost unchanged, having happily survived the violent upheavals that have occurred in these places over many centuries. It seems that the cathedral was carefully guarded by providence or high heavenly patrons. In any case, today's Notre-Dame de Chartres is a fine example of early and pure Gothic architecture, almost untainted by the influence of later movements in architecture. This fact, as well as the amazing beauty and grandeur of the temple itself, attract hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world to Chartres every year.
History of the temple
We can safely say that the prehistory of the construction of such a famous temple in Chartres began long before the official date of laying the first stone at its foundation. Back in the middle of the first millennium, on the site of the current cathedral there was a large Christian basilica, built on the ruins of a former pagan temple. The choice of such places for the construction of Christian churches had a deep sacred meaning and marked the victory of faith in the true God over the errors of the pagans.
And the Gallic Druids themselves, who had previously chosen the mountain to build their ritual dolmen complex, were guided by the extraordinary energy for which the mountain in Chartres was famous, as well as the healing waters of the spring that welled up from underground nearby. Thus, over time, Chartres became a real center of pilgrimage for Druids from all over Europe, as well as a place where they passed on the secrets of their magic to the younger generation.
However, the first Catholic church built on Mount Chartres did not have such a happy fate as its famous successor. During its existence, it was almost completely destroyed several times. In 734, after the sack of the city by the troops of one of the Dukes of Aquitaine, the temple was also burned. Less than a hundred years later, in 858, it was again almost completely destroyed by the warlike tribes of the Normans.
Just after the atrocities committed by the Vikings, the local bishop Gilbert decided to restore the church, significantly rebuilding and expanding it. The construction of the new cathedral, built in the Romanesque architectural style, lasted several decades, and it was at this time that the famous relic that glorified Chartres for centuries appeared in it - Veil of the Virgin Mary. According to legend, it was donated to the Charts Cathedral by the King of France, Charles II the Bald, and the shirt itself was part of the clothing that was worn by the Virgin Mary at the time of her birth of the Savior.
According to historians, at the time of the transfer of the Intercession to Bishop Gilbert, the piece of fabric was more than five meters long. However, during the turbulent times of the Great French Revolution, the rector of the cathedral ordered the shirt to be divided into several parts, which were then hidden in different places, hoping to save at least part of the Christian shrine from desecration by the raging mob.
Today, the Veil displayed in the temple is a piece of beige fabric, about 2 meters long and 46 centimeters wide. By the way, the Veil of the Virgin Mary first showed its miraculous properties already in 911, when hordes of restless Normans again appeared near Chartres. Then the city bishop Gentelme, after fervent prayer, brought the robe of the Virgin Mary to the city walls, as a result of which, as legend says, the undaunted Vikings took flight in panic.
After some time, their leader Rolf Walker believed and was baptized, receiving the new Christian name Rollon. After marrying the daughter of King Charles the Simple of France, Rollon took possession of Normandy and became one of the vassals of the head of the Frankish state. A series of devastating fires became no less of a headache for the temple builders.
The first, which occurred in 962, left virtually no stone unturned from the religious building. The restoration of the temple was then entrusted to the architect Bernage, a famous architect at that time. Bernage himself made the unusual decision to build the towers of the new temple, as well as the western façade that united them, separately from the main body of the cathedral. This idea subsequently played a happy role in the fate of the temple, keeping the towers intact during the terrible fire of 1194, which destroyed not only the cathedral, but almost all of Chartres.
Another miracle, revealed by the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, is associated with this fire. Miraculously, the fire, which raged for three long days, did not damage the casket in which the Christian relic was kept, nor did it damage the clergy who guarded it.
The surviving priests perceived their miraculous salvation as a frank sign from the Heavenly Intercessor, who commanded them to immediately take up the construction of a new cathedral. It is this fact that can explain the unprecedented time for that time required for the construction of the new majestic Chartres Cathedral.
And so, just 31 years later, a majestic cathedral dedicated to the Virgin Mary appeared in Chartres, which glorified this small French town throughout the world. Such an unprecedented pace of construction of the temple can also be explained by the large number of people wishing to take part in this godly work, who arrived in Chartres from all over France. From the old Romanesque church, which survived the fire, all that remains is the western façade, the underground chapel and the famous “Royal Portal”, decorated with sculptural groups.
The most famous architects from Saint-Denis were invited to build the new cathedral, who successfully integrated the Romanesque elements of the old temple into the new Gothic appearance of the cathedral. The building blocks for the cathedral were cut from high-strength sandstone, which was mined in a quarry located near the city. By joint efforts, already in 1220 the new cathedral was covered with semicircular vaults, and five years later it had a choir with a gallery, a transverse transept and chapels.
Consecration of the cathedral, which received the name Notre-Dame de Chartres(Notre-Dame de Chartres), occurred in 1260 in the personal presence of King Louis IX of France, who bore the nickname “saint”. It was on his orders and at his personal expense that the famous stained glass rose window was made, decorated with the coats of arms of France and Castile, where the wife of Louis IX was from.
Architectural features of Notre-Dame de Chartres
Appearance
The Chartres Cathedral itself is shaped like a Latin cross, the base of which is just over 130 meters long. The vault of the main nave rises 37 meters above the floor and is more than 16 meters wide. Each of the two side naves is 8 meters wide and the height of the vaults is 14 meters. The cross shape of the cathedral is given by a transverse transept, the length of which is 65 meters, with a nave width of 46 meters. Moreover, each of its facades is equipped with three portals, which are richly decorated with sculptural groups belonging to the early Gothic style.
As has already been noted, the western facade of the temple is decorated with two majestic towers, differing from each other both in height and in architectural design. The northern tower, 113 meters high, is older and was built in the first half of the 12th century. At its base it has a Romanesque part, which only in the 16th century was crowned with a magnificent openwork stone tent, made in the bizarre style of the so-called “flaming Gothic”.
By the way, today it is open to access, so anyone can admire the magnificent views of Chartres from the height of the cathedral tower.
The South Tower, which was completed fifteen years after the North Tower, is 11 meters lower than its neighbor, and looks more restrained and strict. The “Old Bell Tower,” as the South Tower is sometimes called, is designed in the same architectural style as the entire Chartres Cathedral, and is considered one of the most beautiful towers in the whole world.
The western façade of the cathedral, connecting both towers, is made in a heavy Romanesque style and contains three beautiful portals, which were cut into it a little later. The central tympanum, located above the main, so-called “royal portal”, is decorated with the famous sculptural composition “Christ in Glory”. At the same time, the Savior himself does not possess the traits of a strict judge, punishing humanity for its sins. On the contrary, he looks like a merciful teacher who wants to lead everyone to salvation.
Christ himself, blessing everyone with his raised hands, is surrounded by a host of saints, as well as winged fantastic animals. The arrangement of the sculptural groups is carefully thought out and has a deep symbolic meaning. So, let’s say, below, under the tympanums, there are sculptures of Old Testament characters and the ancestors of Christ, and on the very central and side tympanums are characters from the New Testament.
In this case, the spiritual connection between generations and the role of the ancient prophets, who through their asceticism prepared the coming of Christ the Savior into the world, are clearly visible. No less interesting is the relief located in the central portal of the southern facade of the temple. Dating from the very beginning of the 12th century, it is dedicated to an extremely tense picture of the Last Judgment that awaits the world at the end of earthly history. This relief is deservedly considered the most striking example of medieval Gothic in the whole world.
An interesting feature of the sculptural figures standing on the central portal of the northern facade of the temple is the fact that, although they still have proportions typical of the Romanesque style (strict frontal appeal and some elongation of the figure), each of them already differs from the other in its individual features . The side portals of the same facade already contain entire sculptural compositions, united by a single biblical plot.
Internal splendor of the cathedral
The inside of Chartres Cathedral looks no less stunning than the outside. Its unusually huge choir, which had to accommodate a large number of singers, led to the need to move the altar part deeper into the apse (the semicircular architectural element of the temple building). The same choirs required the expansion of the transept into three naves. However, such an innovation only enhanced the internal splendor of the temple, making it more spacious and airy.
The supports of the vaults look original and unusual, having the form of cylindrical pillars reinforced on four sides with semicircular columns. The vaults and arches of the temple themselves have a pointed shape typical of Gothic architecture.
It should be said that Notre-Dame de Chartres has a huge number of carvings. Together with outdoor sculptures, it has more than 10 thousand sculptures made of different materials. Only in the strikingly large central altar, which was created over two centuries, one can count more than forty scenes from the life of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, made by talented wood carvers.
The famous labyrinth, located in the central part of the temple, and representing an original pattern laid out of multi-colored stone. The labyrinth is a circle with a diameter of almost 13 meters and a path length of 261 meters. Moreover, the length of the labyrinth, which in the temple books is called nothing less than “The Path to Jerusalem,” personifies the long path of the sinful soul to salvation, and is equal to the way of the cross of Christ himself to Golgotha.
Therefore, previously, pilgrims who did not have the opportunity to visit the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem could symbolically walk on their knees through the entire labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral, while reading prayers of repentance.
Notre-Dame de Chartres was brought no less fame by its unusual "rose windows" made in the original stained glass style.
Placed at an extreme height above the central nave of the temple, and having a diameter of about 5 meters, these multi-colored glass roses appear to be huge light circles, throwing multi-colored lightning bolts inside the temple. Moreover, the stained glass glazing, which in this temple has been preserved almost unchanged since the end of the 12th century, is the largest ensemble that has survived to our time. Its total area is a fantastic 2000 square meters. m.! Let us recall that the art of stained glass, that is, the creation of stacked windows from multi-colored pieces of glass, appeared during the triumph of the Romanesque architectural style. However, it reached its true peak during the Gothic period.
The stained glass windows of Chartres are distinguished by their particular purity of colors and the wide range of themes depicted on them. Along with traditional biblical compositions, you can see about a hundred scenes describing the life of knights, dignitaries and even ordinary artisans of that time. In general, all segments of the population who donated their money for the construction of the temple. In total, the cathedral has 146 stained glass openings, describing 1359 different storylines.
Shrines of Notre-Dame de Chartres
In all centuries, Chartres Cathedral has attracted numerous pilgrims under its arches not only from France, but also from all over Europe.
Besides the famous Protection of the Virgin Mary In it, until the middle of the 18th century, one could see an image of the holy righteous Anna - the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as a wooden figurine depicting the Virgin Mary during the period of bearing the Savior. By the way, this carved statue is considered one of the most ancient images of the Virgin Mary, which most likely dates back to the very first centuries of the triumph of Christianity on French soil.
Moreover, some historians even suggest that this figurine dates back to the pre-Christian period, and was carved by pagan priests under the impression of the visions they received while performing their rituals. The sculpture itself died in the fire of the Great French Revolution.
The cover of the Virgin Mary, stored in the cathedral, was subsequently subjected to numerous examinations, which clearly determined the time of manufacture of the fabric - the 1st century AD. Of course, this does not serve as irrefutable proof that it belongs to the Mother of God, but, at the same time, it fully allows for such a possibility. Be that as it may, numerous miracles associated with this relic attract hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from all over the world to Chartres Cathedral.
Another of the most mysterious secrets of Notre-Dame de Chartres is the use by its builders of the famous "golden ratio", that is, a proportion of 1:1.618, which is considered the most harmonious and has amazing abilities to influence human perception. Whether it happened by chance by the builders, or whether it was the fruit of a brilliant idea at that time, one thing can be said for sure - from ancient times to our time, Notre-Dame de Chartres has been one of the most amazing masterpieces of architectural art of the Middle Ages.
Even in our time, it makes everyone who examines its features, regardless of the level of education and development of spiritual qualities, freeze in silent awe of the greatness of the talent and skill of the ancient architects.
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