Chartres Cathedral -- Heaven On Earth

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An hour and a half train ride out of Paris one finds a skeletal stone and glass monument (900 years old) rising out of the rolling fields of Chartres.

I felt a visit to Chartres Cathedral was a mandatory must do while in Paris. One can study the French gothic in school and pretend to know what you’re talking about or you can experience this ecclesiastical architecture in the first person.

The chilling weather followed me to Chartres. The towers were closed due to snow and ice. The Englishman that Rick Steves speaks so highly of cancelled his tour. The stone masonry of the cathedral absorbed what little bit of heat there was leaving the air stingingly sharp to the face and exposed skin.

In one of the transepts I found a metal grill in the floor that every 15 minutes would blow warm air for 5 minutes. I took a chair and sat on the grill and took in the architecture and glass. It was such a grey and dark day the upper reaches of the ceiling went unlit and were in complete shadow. The room was not filled with the dancing colors of a sunlit stained glass window, but with the glow of low wattage incandescent light bulbs hung at random intervals from the ceiling.

For those that get a chance to visit I can highly recommend a walk down into the lower portion of town (non touristy).

So many more cathedrals to see. New Zealand is very different from Europe in regards history and architecture. In Europe 500 years is nothing, in New Zealand 500 years is pre history Jurassic period (sorry indigenous population, no offence meant but so very little of your history trips my trigger).

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Photos

"C" for Chartres
Cathedral Garden

West Front
Some would argue that this is the best example of the French Gothic, I can't pass judgement until I've seen all the cathedrals so a return trip is required.

Rose Window
During WWII all the glass in the cathedral was removed and secreted away to a safe location.

Great Glass
To bad it was a cloudy day. I missed out on the vivid color splashes on the masonry floor.

Comments

[Jim Lesniak]

Chartres Cathedral
Yours is a beautiful narative of your visit to such a beautiful structure. Warming yourself above the heating grate reminds me of Sunday School when we were kids. Winter classes were so cold and only warmed up by time to go home! I love the stained glass photos, which are remarkably good, considering the lack of "sun" light. Many Thanks! Jim