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Were it not for a scrap of fabric, the cathedral and town of Chartres might still be a sleepy hamlet. But the cloth that the Virgin Mary supposedly wore when she gave birth to Jesus made Chartres a major medieval pilgrimage center. The spectacular cathedral that towers over the city isn’t the only reason to visit: the vieille ville (old city) is also a masterpiece of medieval architecture, which almost lets you forget the zooming highways that have encroached upon it.
Founded as the Roman city Autricum, Chartres is an ancient hilltop village at heart. Its oldest streets, still named for the trades once practiced there, cluster around the cathedral and gaze over the tranquil Eure River. These winding paths offer some of the best views of the cathedral and are navigable using the well-marked tourist office circuit (map available at tourist office). Chartres’s medieval tangle of streets can be confusing, but getting lost here is enjoyable.
Timing is important if you want to fully enjoy your visit to Chartres, as everything closes during lunch time, casual visits to the cathedral are not permitted during mass, and English tours are only given twice a day. For an ideal daytrip, arrive around 10 or 10:30am, pick up the invaluable walking-tour map of the vieille ville from the tourist office, and head straight for the Musée des Beaux-Arts to catch it before it closes at noon (those particularly interested in stained glass can walk through the smaller Centre International du Vitrail afterward; it closes at 12:30pm). You can start your walking tour in the northward direction after visiting the museum and stop en route for lunch at the beautiful Moulin de Ponceau on the bank of the river. A stop at the Maison Picassiette makes for an enjoyable detour. Finish with a trip to some of the still-spectacular smaller churches, and make it back to the cathedral in time for Malcolm Miller’s English tour . Visitors can rest at one of the cafes surrounding the cathedral and finish the day with brief visits to any of the small museums.
☎02 37 21 75 02; www.cathedrale-chartres.com. Call the tourist office for info on concerts in the cathedral, the annual student pilgrimage in late May, Chartres in Lights in mid-summer, and other events throughout the year. English-language audio guides available at the gift shop (€3.50, €4.50, €6.50, depending on tour) require a piece of identification as a deposit. English tours of the cathedral by Malcolm Miller (see below) begin outside the gift shop in the cathedral. 1hr. Easter to early Nov. M-Sa noon and 2:45pm; call ☎02 37 28 15 58 for tour availability during winter months. €10, students and children €5.
The Cathédrale de Chartres is the best-preserved medieval church in Europe, having miraculously escaped major damage during the French Revolution and WWII. A patchwork masterpiece of Romanesque and Gothic design, the cathedral was constructed by generations of masons, architects, and artisans. Its sheer size dominates the town—with spires visible from most locations—and its place in French history is equally as prominent. It was here, for example, that Henri IV was crowned in 1594 (see Life and Times). Approaching from the pl. de la Cathédrale, you can see the discrepancy between the two towers: the one on the left, finished in 1513, is Late Gothic (or Flamboyant); the one on the right, built just before the 1194 fire, is Romanesque and octagonal (the tallest of its kind still standing). The statues of the Portale Royale present an assembly of Old Testament figures. The 13th-century Porche du Nord depicts the life of Mary, while the Porche du Sud depicts the life of Christ.
The only English-language tours of the cathedral are given by Malcolm Miller, an authority on Gothic architecture who has been leading visitors through the church for over 40 years. His presentations on the cathedral’s history and symbolism are intelligent, witty, and enjoyable for visitors of all ages. If you can, take both his morning and afternoon tour—no two are alike.
Sancta Camisia. The year after he became emperor in AD 875, Charlemagne’s grandson—unfortunately named Charles the Bald—donated to Chartres the Sancta Camisia, the cloth believed to have been worn by the Virgin Mary when she gave birth to Christ. Although a church dedicated to Mary had existed on the site as early as the mid-700s, the emperor’s bequest required a new cathedral to accommodate the growing number of pilgrims. Thousands journeyed to the church to kneel before the sacred relic in hope that it would heal them and answer their prayers. The sick were nursed in the crypt below the sanctuary. The powers of the relic were confirmed in AD 911 when the cloth supposedly saved the city from invading Goths and Vikings; the Viking leader Rollon converted to Christianity and became the first Duke of Normandy. Today, the relic is on display in the back of the church on the left-hand side.
Stained Glass. At a time when books were rare and the vast majority of people illiterate, the cathedral served as a multimedia teaching tool. Most of the 172 stained-glass windows date from the 13th century and were preserved through both World Wars by heroic town authorities, who dismantled over 2000 sq. m of glass and stored the windows pane by pane in Dordogne. The famous Blue Virgin, Tree of Jesse, and Passion and Resurrection of Christ windows are among the surviving originals. The medieval merchants who paid for the windows are represented in the lower panels, which provide a record of daily life in the 13th century. The windows are characterized by a stunning color known as “Chartres blue,” which has not been reproduced in modern times. The center window depicts the story of Christ from the Annunciation to the ride into Jerusalem. Stories read from bottom to top, left to right.
Labyrinth. The windows of Chartres often distract visitors from the treasure below their feet: a winding labyrinth pattern that is carved into the floor in the rear of the nave. Designed in the 13th century, the labyrinth was laid out for pilgrims as a substitute for a journey to the Holy Land. By following this symbolic journey on their hands and knees, the devout would enact a symbolic voyage to Jerusalem. Now the labyrinth is uncovered on Fridays.
Tour Jehan-De-Beauce. The adventurous, the athletic, and the non-claustrophobic can climb the narrow staircase to the cathedral’s north tower, Tour Jehan-de-Beauce (named after its architect), for a stellar view of the cathedral roof, the flying buttresses, and the city below. If you don’t make it all the way to the top, the first viewing platform offers a slightly obstructed but nonetheless impressive sight. (☎02 37 21 75 02. Open May-Aug. M-Sa 9:30am-12pm and 2-5:30pm, Su 2-6pm; Sept.-Apr. M-Sa 9:30am-12:30pm and 2-5pm, Su 2-5pm; last entrance 30min. before closing. Access to roof structure May-Aug. starting at 4pm, Sept.-Apr., Sa-Su and school holidays starting at 3pm. Tours of the upper stained-glass windows available upon request. Closed Jan. 1 and 5 and Dec. 25. €6.50, ages 18-25 €4.50, under 18 free.)
Crypt. Visitors may enter the 110m long subterranean crypt only as part of a guided tour. Parts of the crypt, including a well down which Vikings tossed the bodies of their victims during raids, date back to the 9th century. Information sheets in English are available at the La Crypte store. ☎02 37 21 56 33. Tours (in French) leave from La Crypte store, opposite the cathedral’s south entrance at 18, Cloître Notre Dame. English leaflets available. (☎02 37 21 56 33. French-language tours 30min. Apr.-Oct. M-Sa 11am (except bank holidays), 2:15pm, 3:30pm, 4:30pm; Nov.-Mar. M-Sa 11am and 4:15pm (except bank holidays); additional 5:15pm tour June 22-Sept. 21. €2.70, students €2.10, under 7 free. Groups should call ahead ☎02 37 21 75 02.)
Elsewhere In The Cathedral. Inside the church, the intricate Renaissance choir screen, begun by Jehan de Beauce in 1514, depicts the life of the Virgin Mary. The lovely, candlelit shrine to “Notre Dame de Pilier” is near the Sancta Camista. Both are worth a visit.
Musée Des Beaux-Arts. The Musée des Beaux-Arts is housed in the former Bishop’s Palace, which is itself an impressive sight. Built in the 17th and 18th centuries (on a site occupied by bishops since the 11th century), the palace houses an eclectic collection of painting, sculpture, and furniture, including works by Vlaminck, Navarre, and Soutine. A harpsichord collection dating back to the 17th century and a collection of Oceanic art are also on display. The multi-terraced park is perfect for a picnic. It includes a miniature labyrinth and plenty of shady spots overlooking the town. (29, Cloître Notre-Dame. Behind the cathedral. ☎02 37 36 41 39. Open May-Oct. M and W-Sa 10am-noon and 2-6pm, Su 2-6pm; Nov.-Apr. M and W-Sa 10am-noon and 2-5pm, Su 2-5pm, last entry 30min. before closing. Closed Jan. 1, May 1 and 8, Nov. 1 and 11, and Dec. 25. €2.50, students and seniors €1.50, under 12 free.)
Other Museums. Chartres has a number of small museums that cater to specific interests. The small Centre International du Vitrail, 5 rue du Cardinal Pie, housed in a small 13th-century barn once used by the clergy, hosts two temporary exhibitions on stained glass each year. (☎02 37 21 65 72; www.centre-vitrail.org. Open M-F 9:30am-12:30pm and 1:30-6pm, Sa 10am-12:30pm and 2:30-6pm, Su 2:30-6pm. €4, students €3, under 14 free. English-language tours available upon reservation (€6.50-17.50). The Maison Picassiette, 22 rue du Repos, is an extraordinary house covered entirely in mosaic tiles, inside and out. (☎02 37 34 10 78. Open Apr.-Oct. M and W-Sa 10am-noon and 2-6pm, Su 2-6pm. €4.50, students €2.50; combination ticket with the Musée des Beaux-Arts €6, students €3.) There is also a substantial natural history museum, the Muséum des Sciences Naturelles et de Préhistoire, 5bis bd. de la Courtille. (☎02 37 88 43 86. Open July to mid-Sept. and school holidays M-Sa 2-6pm; mid-Sept. to June W and Su 2-5pm. Free.) The Maison de l’Archéologie, 1 rue de l’Étroit Degré, has a fascinating collection of archaeological finds relating to the history of the town. (☎02 37 30 99 38. Open Oct.-June W and Su 2-5pm and by appointment; July-Sept. M and W-Su 2-6pm. Closed Dec. 19-Jan. 8 and May 1, July 14 and Aug. 15. €1.50; under 18, students, disabled persons free.) The Conservatoire de l’Agriculture COMPA, Pont de Mainvilliers, the largest agricultural museum in France, displays a huge array of tractors and other farm machinery, as well as one temporary exhibit at a time, on subjects like horses and farm life. (☎02 37 84 15 00; www.lecompa.com. Open Tu-F 9am-12:30pm and 1:30-6pm, Sa-Su and holidays 10am-12:30pm and 1:30-7pm. €4, students €3, ages 6-18 €1.50, under 6 free. French-language guided tours holidays, Sa and Su 11am, 3pm, 5pm.)
Churches. All three churches are on the tourist office’s walking tour. All hours listed are tentative. Rebuilt in the 16th century, the feudal É glise St-Aignan, on rue des Greniers, hosts summer concerts and has magnificent ceiling frescoes, a true rarity. (Open M-F 10-noon and 2-5:30pm, Sa 2-5pm. Mass Su 10:30am, Tu-F 7am, M and Sa 9am.) The 12th-century Romanesque Église St-André sits on rue St-André on the banks of the Eure River. (Open daily 10am-noon and 2-6pm.) Once part of a Benedictine monastery, the Église St-Pierre on pl. St-Pierre, is a 12th-century Gothic masterpiece. (Open daily 10am-noon and 2-6pm, mass at 10:30am.)
Monument To Jean Moulin. This monument to WWII hero Jean Moulin consists of a giant stone hand gripping the hilt of a broken sword. Moulin, who was Prefect of Chartres before the war, attempted suicide to avoid signing a Nazi document accusing French troops of atrocities. Tortured and killed by the Gestapo in 1943, he was eventually buried in the Panthéon. The monument is included on tourist office’s walking tour. (On rue Jean Moulin off bd. de la Résistance.)
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