Cathedral

 

Sublime masterpiece of gothic art, the cathedral boasts 9 sculpted gates (4,000 statues), unique in France, and 2,600 m² of stained glass windows (5,000 figures) dating from the 12th and 13th centuries. Registered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The cathedral’s main façade (to the west) has conserved the original 12th century Royal Gateway and its large picture windows, as well as the south tower (on the right, 103 m) and the lower sections of the north tower.

The rose window dates from the 13th century, whereas the flamboyant spire of the new tower (on the left, 112 m) was built in the 16th century.
These two high towers – one of which can be visited from the interior – catch your eye from the plain below and still act as a guide for pilgrims.


 
 
 

The main dimension


  • Total length of the nave: 32,80 m
  • Total length: 130,20 m
  • Height of the South Tower (Old Bell): 103 m
  • Height of the North Tower (New Bell): 112 m
  • Transept length: 64 m
  • Nave’s length, taken axis by axis in pile: 16,40 m
  • Total length of the nave: 32,80 m
  • Width of the transept: 13,99 m
  • Height of the big western window: 10,94 m
  • Diameter of the western rose: 12,18 m 

 


THE GATEWAYS

The Cathedral’s three gateways – the Royal Gateway on the west side (1145 - 1170), the ‘Alliance’ gateway on the north (1220 - 1230) and the ‘Church’ gateway on the south (1220 - 1230) – enable the visitor to appreciate the precision and finesse of the work of the Chartres sculptors, raising the level of perfection and attention to the slightest detail to new heights.

The scenes represented transcribe the Christian thinking of the time. They show the "catechism in images".

At the Royal Gateway you will observe the delicacy of the Virgin with Infant (right-hand picture window) and the pure lines of the Christ in Majesty (central picture window). On the left-hand picture window the labours of the season illustrate daily life in the 12th century. 


 

THE LABYRINTH

Chartres Cathedral possesses a magnificent example of a church labyrinth. It is to be found on the floor of the nave and dates from the 12th century. At certain times during the year, you can still see it as it was in the 13th century; it has never been the object of restoration work.
The labyrinth is circular in form and made up of flagstones from the quarries in Berchères enclosed by bands of black marble. The 261.5 m long pilgrimage path was walked by Middle Age pilgrims in prayer, thereby representing a symbolic pilgrimage to Jerusalem.


THE INTERIOR

Once inside the Cathedral, you will be surprised by its size. It is one of France’s biggest and most impressive cathedrals: 130.20 m long with a nave that is 16.40 m wide and 37.50 m high. You will also be surprised by the size of the chancel and the transept (64 m wide).
When approaching the chancel, which has conserved its finely chiselled Renaissance enclosure, you will tread upon the black stones of the labyrinth, inlaid into the floor of the nave.
A piece of the famous relic referred to as the “Veil of the Virgin” is displayed in the Vendôme chapel. The crypt, beneath the cathedral and the biggest in France, is opened to the public (access from the outside).
Chartres is a place of pilgrimage and contemplation, a cathedral of light and a bible of stone, and a unique introduction to the art and expression of Christianity in the West during the 12th and 13th centuries.