Considered one of the finest examples of French Gothic cathedral architecture, Chartres Cathedral still has the majority of original stained glass windows intact, while the architecture has had only minor changes since the early 13th century. Come to venerate its most famous relic, the "Sancta Camisa," alleged to be the tunic worn by the Virgin Mary during Christ's birth.
The building's exterior is dominated by heavy flying buttresses with large the windows, while the west end is dominated by two contrasting spires: a 105 m (349 ft) plain pyramid completed in 1160 CE and a 113 m (377 ft) early 16th-century flamboyant spire on top of an older tower. Equally notable are the three façades, each adorned with hundreds of sculpted figures illustrating key theological themes. To visit Chartres Cathedral and get the most from your holiday in Chartres, create itinerary details personal to you using our Chartres online trip planner.
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Chartres Cathedral reviews
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Known for the stained glass windows, I was just as impressed by the series of sculptures of biblical scenes that surround the alter section of the cathedral. Most days there is a tour in English at...
Known for the stained glass windows, I was just as impressed by the series of sculptures of biblical scenes that surround the alter section of the cathedral. Most days there is a tour in English at... more »
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hopeless for a disabled person to drive to near cathedral and even then park - anyone with these conditions FORGET Chartres
hopeless for a disabled person to drive to near cathedral and even then park - anyone with these conditions FORGET Chartres more »
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Obviously the star in Chartres … generations have rebuilt this cathedral over and over again on this special spot … just allow yourself to be blasted away with the magnificent artwork you will see inside - small wonders of craftsmanship for centuries and centuries … if you come during the summer months you will be lucky to see some great light performance projected onto the cathedral - and on some other 10 sites in Chartres - starting when night falls and running until something like 1 am. Indeed to stroll around town (easily by foot no need for the tourist „train“) and suck in all these light shows and music performances that automatically start after sunset
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It's differently worth the visit with beautiful stained glass windows that are very hard to photograph. The story of Jesus in 40 Scripture scenes in great detailed the before through after his death on the cross. It was all pretty amazing and how they saved the stained glass windows during WW2 for the Cathedral. Now, you can view them for yourselves. Enjoy the Cathedral while you're in Chartres!
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