After we have walked around the cathedral and carefully examined the sculpture on the facades, we will go inside and admire the stained glass windows of the cathedral.
The main nave of the cathedral is one of the widest - 16 meters 40 centimeters, height - 37 meters 25 centimeters.
The usual plan of the church was made in the form of a cross. Narthex, altar and nave - the three parts of the cathedral symbolized the Trinity, the triad of man (spirit, soul and body). The three roses of the cathedral, which can be seen simultaneously when standing on the cross, are also symbolic.

Here we must also remember about the Chartres school of philosophy, which was interested in ancient philosophy and the idea of ​​the symbolism of numbers. The number 3 denoted the heavenly, 4 - the square, the earth. The circle is an ideal divine figure, a symbol of heaven. Therefore, it is quite understandable that the rose of the cathedral, in which the sky is visible, is round, the windows are arched, and the front door is rectangular.
If we multiply 3 and 4, we get the unity of the earthly and the heavenly, which is the main idea of ​​the church, this is the place where the sacrament of the union of man and God takes place. Therefore, the cathedral rose is divided into 12 parts. It was created around 1200.
The composition of the images on the rose is reminiscent of the canon of painting in Byzantine and our Orthodox churches. In the center is Jesus Christ, on the sails are 4 evangelists, carrying teachings to the world and archangels like ships.
On the rose, the evangelists are indicated by their symbols: Taurus, eagle, angel, lion.
Blue color, divine, hot red, green, symbol of the hope that Christ brought to people.

The rose blends beautifully with the arched windows below.

Making stained glass was not cheap and was usually carried out with the money of donors (now they are more often called sponsors). The contents of the stained glass window were often set by the donor himself, which is logical, and he paid for it. Most often it was the life of some saint who patronized a noble person or guild. There are shop stained glass windows in the cathedral, and there are those that were ordered by rich people.
And, of course, there was a main canon, according to which the northern side of the temple was given over to scenes from the Old Testament, and the southern side - from the New Testament. The Western portal was dedicated to the theme of the Last Judgment. In the apse - the birth, passion, resurrection and ascension of Christ.

Since the temple was dedicated to the Virgin and was the custodian of relics associated with the Virgin Mary, there were stained glass windows dedicated to the Virgin Mary.
The oldest of the cathedral's stained glass windows depicts the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus. It was still in the old Romanesque cathedral and was subsequently moved and reinstalled. At the same time, Maria's head deviated slightly from the classic frontal position.
The figure of the Mother of God is surrounded by angels and doves, which symbolize the holy spirit.

Just like the cathedral sculpture, stained glass windows were a visual aid for studying the texts of the Bible. The artists who created stained glass windows showed creativity and skill in the compositional techniques of stained glass subjects. Despite the conventional depiction of people, the plots are quite readable and there are scenes in which many people are lined up, which, of course, is difficult in a small fragment.

This one, with hunters, dogs and horses, is very good.

Annunciation.

Unfortunately, the shop's stained glass windows are located high up and their designs are poorly visible to the eye. Stained glass scenes tell about life in the 13th century. The stained glass windows of the choir were donated by corporations of clothiers, winemakers, bakers, money changers and many others.

Among the stained glass windows, there are those created in different centuries, including those using the grisaille technique, with beautiful ornamental designs.
The blue color of stained glass, the secret of which has been lost, is called “Chartres blue.”

One of the favorite ideas of the Catholic Church is the idea of ​​the path. This implied, of course, the path to God. Chartres Cathedral was on the pilgrimage road to Santiago de Compostela. The ceremonial procession of the priests through the church was also part of this path. Even the very architecture of the Catholic church - basilica, elongated - suggested the possibility of such a procession. Another idea has taken root in the Orthodox Church - the standing of man before God.
The idea of ​​a path is expressed in the cathedral by a labyrinth, which appeared in 1205. Now it is filled with chairs, but once the free floor with a labyrinth was a place where anyone could crawl on their knees along the pilgrim's path, simulating the path in reality.

The cathedral has its secrets, the writer Louis Charpentier connects the cathedral with the Templars, in his book In his book “The Secrets of Chartres Cathedral,” Charpentier comes to the conclusion that the builders of Chartres, and especially the authors of the project, had in their hands a certain text of incredible scientific value, which is quite may have been Tablets of the Law brought from the Holy Land by the Knights Templar. According to legend, advanced knowledge in architecture was brought from the East by the first Knights Templar. Nine French knights, encouraged by Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Cistercian monastic order, renounced all worldly things and went in search of the “sacraments”, according to legend, kept in the sanctuary under the ruins of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. It was suspected that during their ten-year campaign the knights were engaged in occult sciences. When they returned in 1128, a rumor spread in France that they had found the Ark of the Covenant, which supposedly contained the secrets of the Divine Law, including those governing numbers, weights and measures, including the so-called “golden number” - 1.618.
Whether this is true or not, many researchers believe that the Cistercian monks were involved in the spread of Gothic.
There are many speculations associated with the cathedral, for example, that the map of the main French cathedrals follows the outlines of the constellation Virgo, in which the brightest star corresponds to the cathedral in Reims, where the French kings were crowned.

The interior of the cathedral also has a beautiful carved fence separating the altar.

For those who would like to look at stained glass in detail and learn their history, I can recommend the good film “Stained Glass of Chartres Cathedral”.

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 perished 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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- (French Cathédrale Notre Dame de Chartres) the most famous monument of the city of Chartres, a prefecture of the Eure et Loire department, located 96 km southwest of Paris. The cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful Gothic buildings. Modern Gothic... ... Catholic Encyclopedia

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- (Latin Fulcherius Carnotensis, French Foucher de Chartres, circa 1059 - circa 1127) French priest, chronicler of the 1st Crusade. Author of the essay “Jerusalem History” (lat. Historia Hierosolymitana), one of the most ... ... Wikipedia

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IVO CHARTRES- [Yves, Yvon; lat. Ivo Carnotensis, Carnutensis; French Ives, Yves de Chartres] (c. 1040, near Beauvais or in Chartres 12/23/1115, Chartres), St. Catholic Church (memorial May 20), bishop. Chartres, medieval. canonist. Information about the origin, childhood and youth I... Orthodox Encyclopedia

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- (Chartres), a city in France, on the banks of the river. Ayr, 77 km to the southwest. from Paris. 40 thousand inhabitants (1999). City center retained Wed. century layout, famous for the Notre Dame Cathedral, built in the Romanesque style (11th century). The cathedral was destroyed by fire in 1194 and... ... Geographical encyclopedia

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Undoubtedly, one of the largest and perhaps most mysterious esoteric symbols of Chartres Cathedral is the Labyrinth. This circular figure, composed of black and white slabs, occupies about a third of the floor of the nave; unfortunately, most of it is usually closed by rows of benches. The guidebook says that walking through the Labyrinth barefoot or on your knees was a form of punishment and provided a kind of indulgence, which in the Middle Ages was the equivalent of a “respite for good behavior” from the prison of hell. The guidebook also says that the passage through the Labyrinth symbolized and replaced the act of pilgrimage. Reaching the center of the Labyrinth meant reaching the Holy City of Jerusalem. I do not consider any of these interpretations to be credible, since a number of Neolithic labyrinths with similar designs have been discovered elsewhere, and it would be foolish to claim that such labyrinths were intended to obtain indulgences from the Pope or serve as symbols of pilgrimage to the Holy City.

The first time I saw the entire Labyrinth was on a visit to the cathedral in the early 1990s with colleague Ray Peake. That same day, on the way to the port of Roscoff, we spent several hours at a folk festival in the small town of Breton.

At the height of the fun, the host of the festival announced that it was time to dance, and the musicians took the stage: one with a medieval drum, another with a fakir’s flute, the third had a strange bagpipe in his hands, the analogue of which I had never seen before, a guitarist brought up the rear of this group. Their music was easy to remember, it was both familiar and foreign. An Arabic melody sounded - slow, unobtrusive, rhythmic and enchanting. The mayor of the city and his wife led the dance. They held hands, pressed closely to each other, and moved sideways from side to side along a confusing trajectory, then the rest of the population of the town gradually joined the dance: children, adults and elderly people. And then I realized that with their movements the dancers were drawing a certain pattern, similar to the ornate design of the Chartres Labyrinth. The dance we observed most likely originated from a traditional Sufi dance that served to switch consciousness.

I later learned that the Labyrinth at Chartres was indeed intended as a path for a rhythmic ritual dance. Walking on sacred slabs had to be done barefoot, so that the feet were in direct contact with the stone, which in the Middle Ages served as an accumulator for the energy flows of the earth. On the days of the equinox celebration, when the energy of the earth pulsated most noticeably, the bishop himself led the people through the Labyrinth in a ritual dance. It is noteworthy that the very process of movement of a group of believers through the Labyrinth further enhances the influence of the energy forces of the earth.

The first time I saw the Labyrinth, I walked through it with three different groups - once in the afternoon with a group from the American Edgar Cayce Foundation and twice in the evening by candlelight. Both evening passages made a strong impression on me.

After all three passages, I dowsed over the Labyrinth and found out that after the group completed the passage, the energy forces in the center increased significantly. Therefore, it is likely that those who reached the center of the Labyrinth on the days of the equinox were internally changed. And every time I walked along this mystical path, I experienced a strong sense of spiritual openness, a feeling of divine harmony visited me. Symbolically speaking, there are two different approaches to the "spiritual path": one symbolizes a pilgrimage, the second - a passage through a labyrinth. In the first case, a person undertakes a journey in time and space, through sacred lands, in the second, a person moves ritually, physically and spiritually inside the labyrinth, towards a calm and motionless center. The labyrinth is truly the largest symbolic element of Chartres Cathedral. It had special meaning for its creators. This is not just a giant symbol - it is a tool designed to change consciousness. Here's what the researchers write: "The large rose stained glass window on the west facade not only matches the size of the Labyrinth, but if placed on top of the labyrinth, the stained glass window will completely cover it." Why? Who knows... Medieval masters keep their secrets to this day.

From all that has been said, we can conclude that Chartres Cathedral is not just a prayer carved in stone and a monument to medieval Christian beliefs, but also a hymn to a secret spiritual teaching, a manual for initiates, carved in stone, encoded in traditional Christian symbols. Regardless of your beliefs, Christian or heretical, the iconography of Chartres performs the miracle of transformation in exactly the way that best suits your strengths, weaknesses and spiritual needs.

My colleague Gordon Strahan, in his book on Chartres Cathedral, poses two questions. First: does the cathedral have its own aura that resonates with the human? And second: is this the reason why the cathedral has an impact on us? I would answer yes in both cases. Over the past decades, many researchers have been wrestling with the issue of the unusual orientation of Chartres Cathedral to the cardinal points. The vast majority of Christian churches and cathedrals are traditionally oriented to the east. But not Chartres. It is tilted 47 degrees north. It should be noted that this location was not chosen by Fulbert, the philosophers of the Chartres mystical school or the Templars - this location was chosen from the moment the first Christian temple appeared in this place. There are several plans of various churches and cathedrals that were built on the sacred hill of Chartres at different times, and they all fit like nesting dolls into one another, from the ancient temples to the modern one. Possibly a legacy of an ancient Neolithic structure, this arrangement differs only three degrees from the orientation of Stonehenge and less than five degrees from the summer solstice orientation. There is a free-standing stone in the west wing of the south transept. For what? One can only assume that this is somehow connected with the mysterious position of the cathedral.

Chartres Cathedral (France) - description, history, location. Exact address and website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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Its own shade of blue, a mysterious giant labyrinth on the floor and one of the most revered Christian relics - the shroud of the Virgin Mary - few cathedrals in the world can boast such a collection of unique features. But the soul and symbol of the city of Chartres - Chartres Cathedral - succeeded. The incredible Gothic masterpiece was included in the UNESCO List in 1979 and annually attracts thousands of tourists under its flying arches.

A little history

Since the 9th century, on the site of the current cathedral there have been churches in which the Shroud of the Mother of God was kept. The first cathedral was built at the beginning of the 11th century, but very soon it burned down, giving way to a Romanesque-style temple, which, however, suffered the same fate twice. The construction of the modern cathedral began at the end of the 12th century, and almost all of France voluntarily took part in the work. The opening of the temple took place in 1260 under King Louis IX. It is noteworthy that since then the appearance of Chartres Cathedral has not undergone virtually any changes, apart from minor restorations in modern times.

What to see

Acquaintance with Chartres Cathedral traditionally begins from the outside - its majestic soaring towers literally take your breath away. By the way, a certain asymmetry is not an optical illusion at all: the tower to the right of the entrance rises 105 meters, and the left - by as much as 113. In addition, the style of the towers differs: the right one was built in an elegant and strict Romanesque style, and the left one - in the “spiky” flaming gothic style.

While on the square in front of the cathedral, it is also impossible not to pay attention to the magnificent Gothic rosette, the space between the stone carvings of which is filled with stained glass windows. In addition to the rosette, the astronomical clock on the southern façade, placed there in the 16th century, also deserves attention. Nowadays they show only the time, but until the end of the 18th century, when the mechanism, alas, broke down, they also provided information about the day of the week, month, time of sunrise and sunset, phases of the moon and the current zodiac sign.

Superstructures of antiquity: Chartres Cathedral

Having examined the facades of Chartres Cathedral, it’s time to rush inside - it’s no less interesting here. To begin with, you should pay attention to the impressive expanses of the central aisle - this is the widest nave among all cathedrals in France and admire the play of sunlight passing through the stained glass windows on the columns and floor of the temple.

The shade of blue on the stained glass windows of the cathedral received its own name - “Chartres blue”, and the secret of obtaining it has not yet been solved.

In general, stained glass windows are considered the most unique attribute of Chartres Cathedral - their total area exceeds 2000 square meters. m, and the number is more than 170. Moreover, the oldest of them date back to the time of construction of the cathedral - the 12th century. By the way, you can trace the entire biblical history through the stained glass windows - to do this, you need to look at them from bottom to top, from left to right from the main entrance.

While in the Chartres Cathedral, you must in no case forget to look at your feet: a huge labyrinth is laid out on the floor, symbolizing the path of a believer to God, from which you can “get out” only in one way, the length of which is 294 meters. By the way, pilgrims still use walking through the labyrinth as an element of meditation.

You can explore the surrounding area by climbing one of the cathedral towers.