Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Catholic church in Chartres, France, about 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Paris, and is the seat of the Bishop of Chartres. Mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, it stands on the site of at least five cathedrals that have occupied the site since the Diocese of Chartres was formed as an episcopal see in the 4th century. It is one of the best-known and most influential examples of High Gothic[2] and Classic Gothic architecture,[3][4][5]
It stands on Romanesque basements, while its north spire is more recent (1507–1513) and is built in the more ornate Flamboyant style.[6]
Long renowned as "one of the most beautiful and historically significant cathedrals in all of Europe,"[7] it was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979, which called it "the high point of French Gothic art" and a "masterpiece".[8]
The cathedral is well-preserved and well-restored: the majority of the original stained glass windows survive intact, while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century. The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses which allowed the architects to increase the window size significantly, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires – a 105-metre (349 ft) plain pyramid completed around 1160 and a 113-metre (377 ft) early 16th-century Flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three great façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes and narratives.
Since at least the 12th century the cathedral has been an important destination for travellers. It attracts large numbers of Christian pilgrims, many of whom come to venerate its famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary at Christ's birth, as well as large numbers of secular tourists who come to admire the cathedral's architecture and art. A venerated Black Madonna enshrined within was crowned by Pope Pius IX on 31 May 1855.
^"Mérimée database". French government. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
^"The High Gothic years (c. 1250–1300), "Encyclopaedia Britannica" on-line edition, retrieved May 12,
^"L'art gothique à la conquête de l'Europe". www.lhistoire.fr.
^Wilfried Koch, Baustilkunde, 33rd edition 2016, p. 170:
Chartres, 2. H. 12. Jh. bis 1260, am Ende der Frühgotik. Sein 3-zoniger Wandaufbau (Arkade – Triforium – Obergaden) setzt sich ich der Hochgotik allgemein durch. Erhöhung der Arkade und (geringer:) der Fenster.
4-teiliges Rippengewölbe …
(Transalation:)
Chartres, 2nd half of C XII until 1260, in the end of Early Gothic. Its elevation of three levels (arcades – triforium – clerestory) became generally accepted/applied in High Gothic. Enhancement of the arcades and (less) of the windows.
ChartresCathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Catholic church in Chartres...
of Chartres (as defined by the INSEE), 38,534 of whom lived in the city (commune) of Chartres proper. Chartres is famous worldwide for its cathedral. Mostly...
The stained glass windows of ChartresCathedral are held to be one of the best-preserved and most complete set of medieval stained glass, notably celebrated...
phase, like ChartresCathedral, have to be subsumed to Early Gothic, others, like the Reims Cathedral and the western parts of Amiens Cathedral, have to...
The Cathedral of Chartres is an oil painting on canvas of ChartresCathedral by the French artist Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, created in 1830. After being...
a ring of small chapels. This model appeared at ChartresCathedral and was copied at Reims Cathedral and other later structures. Another characteristic...
are the great Gothic cathedrals of France, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, Reims Cathedral, ChartresCathedral, and Amiens Cathedral. Its main characteristics...
Hall Albi Cathedral Amiens Cathedral Blois-Vienne Church ChartresCathedral Fontevraud Abbey Notre-Dame de Paris Palais des papes Reims Cathedral Rouen Cathedral...
fires in old cathedrals were also a frequent reason for constructing a new building, as at ChartresCathedral, Rouen Cathedral, Bourges Cathedral, and numerous...
Several 13th-century French cathedrals have Trees in the arches of doorways: Notre-Dame of Laon, Amiens Cathedral, and Chartres (central arch, North portal...
Gothic cathedrals in the Rayonnant style included Reims Cathedral, Amiens Cathedral, Bourges Cathedral, ChartresCathedral, and Beauvais Cathedral. he Innovations...
They were particularly important in the High Gothic cathedrals, most famously in ChartresCathedral. Their function was to fill the interior with a mystical...
Fulbert of Chartres (French: Fulbert de Chartres; 952–970–10 April 1028) was the Bishop of Chartres from 1006 to 1028 and a teacher at the Cathedral school...
compared with 36 meters at ChartresCathedral and Reims Cathedral. They are exceeded in height only by Beauvais Cathedral, whose vaults partially collapsed...
the center of several medieval examples. The Chartres pattern (named for its appearance in ChartresCathedral) is the most common medieval design; it appears...
centres of the faces of the towers, as in the southwest tower of ChartresCathedral. Additional vertical ornament, in the form of slender pinnacles in...
Autun, and Lyon and Chartres had four each, all as subordinate officers. The normal constitution of the chapter of a secular cathedral church comprised four...
window from ChartresCathedral Charlemagne from a Romanesque window in Strasbourg Cathedral The Crucifixion window of Poitiers Cathedral Late Gothic Tree...
most notably at Chartres. The most notable example in England is the north transept window, known as the "Dean's Eye" in Lincoln Cathedral. These windows...
The visual image (from Bernard of Chartres) appears in the stained glass of the south transept of ChartresCathedral. The tall windows under the rose window...
Middle Ages, the ChartresCathedral established the cathedral School of Chartres, an important center of French scholarship located in Chartres. It developed...
Denis, Sens Cathedral, Notre-Dame of Laon, the West facade of ChartresCathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris, Lyon Cathedral and Toul Cathedral. The High Gothic...
architectural style and was constructed at about the same time as ChartresCathedral. The cathedral is particularly known for the great size and unity of its...
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