Page 62 - DK Eyewitness Travel Guides - The World's Must-See Places

Chartres Cathedral
60 EUROPE

One of the greatest examples of French Gothic
architect ure (Gothic Style, see p.54}, Chartres
Cathedral was built around the remains of an earlier
CHARTRES
CATHEDRAL R oma nesq ue church which had been partly destroyed
FRANCE by fire. The result is a blend of styles, with the original
BAY OF north and south towers, south steeple, west portal,
BISCAY • Bordeaux ITALY
and crypt enhanced by lofty Gothic additions.
Peasant and lord alike helped to rebuild the church
MEDmRIW<£1W
SAAIII SEA in just 25 years. Few alterations were made after
1250, and fortunately Chartres was unscathed by
THE ROYAL PORTAL the Wars of Religion and the French R evolution.
Part of the Vendome
Follovving the devastating fire of 1194, a Chapel window
decision was taken to retain the magnificent,
still-standing west entrance (Royal Portal),
-< Royal Portal
which was a survivor of the earlier Romanesque The central tympanum
church (Romanesque Style, see p.122) Although of the Royal Portal
this created a variation in architectural st~es, (1145-55) shows
Christ in Majesty.
it was an astute decision that resulted 1n
the survival of some of the finest sculpture Steeple
of the early M1ddle Ages. The Royal Portal, The north tONer's steeple
dates from the start of the
carved between 1145 and 1155, is the most
16th century. Flarrboyant
ornamental of the cathedal's tt-ree entrances Gothic in style, it contrasts
The features of the statues in the portal are sharply with the solemnity of
lengthened in Romanesque style and depict its Romanesque counterpart
on the south tower.
figures from the Old Testament The portal
represents the glory of Christ.

THE STAINED GLASS OF CHARTRES
Donated by aristocracy, the merchant brother-
hoods and royalty between 121 0 and 12 40,
the cathedral's glorious array of stained-glass
windows is -world-reno'M\ed. More than 150
wmdows illustrate biblical stooes and da1ly hfe 1n
the 13th century. Each wndow is dvided into
panels, which are usually read from left to
right and bottom to top (Earth to heaven). The
bottom panel of the 81 ue Virgin Window depicts
Christ's conversion of water into wine. During
both world wars, the windows were dismantled
~Royal
piece by piece and removed for safety. There is
Portal
an ongoing program, begun in the 1970s, to
restore the Windows.
GOTHIC STAtuARY
There are around 4,000 statues at Chartres
Cathedral. Fortunately, having remained VIrtually
untouched since being sculpted in the 13th
century, they are in a remarkable state of
preservation. Incredible examples, tracing the
evolution of Gothic sculpture, are clustered
around the north and south portals. The north
porch is devoted to representations of such
Old Testament figures as Joseph, Solomon, the
Queen of Sheba, Isaiah, and Jeremiah Scenes -<Crypt
from Christ's childhood and the Creat1on of the
World are also illustrated. The South Porch
portrays the Last Judgment, and episodes in
the lives of the saints. The hundreds of figures
decorating both portals were originally painted
in bright colors.