Masterpiece of French Gothic architecture - Chartres Cathedral 81
What and Why
When I studied French during my high-school, I was often given the impression that a must-do day-out from Paris would be the Chartres Cathedral (French: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres). Hence this has been imprinted in my head for the past 30 years that I have to visit Chartres and its cathedral one day.
The cathedral was constructed from early 13th century CE, and while it is considered a masterpiece of French Gothic art, it actually features strong Romanesque architectural styles. The cathedral is very well preserved while the architecture has seen only minor changes since the early 13th century CE. The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires – a 105-m pyramid completed around 1160 CE and a 113-m early 16th-century CE flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally impressive are the three great façades adorned with many sculpted figures illustrating key theological narratives.
The cathedral was the destination of a pilgrimage for Virgin Mary (Aramaic: מרים, Maryam) during Middle Ages.
Toponymy
Chartres means charters in French, inherited from Latin carcer, meaning prison.
See
Portal
The cathedral has three main portals, opening into the nave from the west and into the transepts from north and south.
The portals are impressively ornated with biblical stories with the motives to create a pictorial to enhance access to biblical learning for those who cannot read. Each of the three portals on the main west facade (made during the mid-12th century CE) focusses on a different aspect of Christ's role in the world; on the right, his incarnation, on the left, his ascension, and, in the centre, his second coming, initiating the End Time. The status of the Chartres portals is considered amongst the finest existing Gothic sculpture ever.
The appearance of the façade results in part from the relative proportions of the central and lateral portals, whose widths are in the ratio 10:7 – one of the common mediaeval approximations of the √2, during that time it suggested harmony.
Towers, spires and clocks
The two towers were built at different times and hence have fairly different decoration and height. Both towers show elements of the earlier Romanesque cathedral. The south tower was completed in the mid-12th century CE and features an octagonal spire placed atop a square tower, and reaches a height of 105 m. It is the tallest stone spire in existence and was built without an interior wooden structure.
Nave
The church floor plan is shaped exactly like a cross as in typical Gothic churches, with the front façade faces the west to signify the apocalypse. The north represents the time past, while the south is the present, while the east represents the second coming.
One of the most distinctive features of Chartres Cathedral is the stained glasses, both for its quantity and quality. The right window depicts the genealogy of Christ. The middle window depicts the life of Christ, and the left window depicts the Passion of Christ, from the Transfiguration and Last Supper to the Resurrection. The one below is the most famous, known as the Blue Virgin (Notre-Dame de la Belle-Verrière).
A highly impressive ambulatory by all standards, especially the extremely ornated statue at the altar.
The church contains a famous relic, the Sancta Camisa, said to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary during Christ's birth.
Labyrinth
The labyrinth is another famous feature of the cathedral, located on the floor in the centre of the nave. Labyrinths were found in almost all Gothic Cathedrals during that period, though many were later removed as they distracted the religious services in the nave. They symbolise the long winding path towards salvation and as a result there is only a single path that could be followed.
Getting There and Around
The cathedral is walking distance from the train station and the place is worth a good afternoon walk.
UNESCO Inscription
Partly built starting in 1145, and then reconstructed over a 26-year period after the fire of 1194, Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. The vast nave, in pure ogival style, the porches adorned with fine sculptures from the middle of the 12th century, and the magnificent 12th- and 13th-century stained-glass windows, all in remarkable condition, combine to make it a masterpiece.
References
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