"Shart" is how you say it

After a good night's rest, we awoke to a beautiful, clear, sunny day in Paris. We made the decision to go to Chartres and were hoping for good weather. Of course, it didn't take me (Maridee) long to get ready with my new Parisian hair-do!

We are getting pretty good at finding the train station we need to be at and getting there on the Metro. Think of Paris as a circle. Around the city center (Notre Dame), there are 20 arrondisements (districts). Paris is the major train hub with 6 major stations, all located in different areas of this great big circle. You use one station to go to the north of the country and other northern countries, one station for the southern part of the country and southern countries, etc. This goes on all around. So first you have to know which area of France you are traveling to, then you have to get to that station. Each of these stations is HUGE. They have many levels, many stores and you could easily spend a day just exploring the train stations (if you had nothing better to do!). What I find interesting though is they have areas where you can shower after an all night trip! You pay a certain amount of money and they lead you to a shower area. I don't think this is one of the experiences I need to have!

We headed out and are always surprised to find such clean trains after riding on the Metro. The seats are comfortable, spread out and it really is a nice way to travel. Upon arriving in Chartres there was no question which cathedral we wanted to visit. It literally dominates the town of Chartres.

A little condensed history of this cathedral (those of you who don't like history should scan forward a couple of paragraphs!): There have been 4 churches and/or cathedrals on this spot since 300 A.D. From 300 A.D. until 1194 A.D. it has burned down 4 times. The Cathedral we now see has been here since 1230 A.D. Now this is important information; in 876 A.D. the church acquired the torn veil (or birthing gown) supposedly worn by Mary when she gave birth to Jesus. In 911 A.D. the city was surrounded by Vikings who were intent on killing the townspeople. The bishop hoisted the veil up and waved it at the invaders. It scared the Vikings enough that they left and the town was saved. By the 11th century word had gotten around about the veil and Chartres was big time on the pilgrim circuit. When the fire of 1194 A.D.
destroyed most of the Cathedral, everyone feared that this sacred veil was lost. What they didn't know was that the bishop took the veil down deep into the crypts (which happen to be the largest in France) and a few days later the veil was "unveiled" to the people. Another miracle attributed to the veil. This precious veil has been on display since the new cathedral was built until just recently when they decided to only bring it out on religious holiday's.

Because the people were so excited that the veil survived after the fire, they rebuilt the cathedral in less than 60 years (1206 - 1260), allowing the same master craftsmen, architects, glass makers to follow the project through (Notre Dame took 200 years with many different architects, etc). Because of this continuity, Chartres is given the notoriety of being Europe's best example of pure Gothic architecture.

But more important that all of that, Chartres is a picture book of statues, stained glass and symbolic architecture telling the entire Christian story. Each area of the Cathedral tells a part of the story--the north side tells of the Creation to Christ's birth, the south side tells of Christ and his followers up to the present, the west side shows us the end when Christ returns as judge.

Just like the sculptures and architecture tell a story, all of the stained glass windows tell the stories too. When you know what to look for, you can see it in the stained glass. It is pretty incredible. This is the world's largest collection of medieval stained glass with over 150 early 13th century windows. Throughout the centuries, the townspeople have protected these windows from wars and revolutions. During both World Wars, citizens removed the windows and replaced them after the war was over.

All the way around the back of the church there are these stone panels that thell the story of Christ. These are all stone. The detail is simply incredible! Each frame is full of unique statues that tells a story. Above and below and all around there is a delicate lacework of stone. OK, I'll say it again--It's simple incredible!



Chartres is still a place where pilgrims come to worship. Even today, many were worshipping while we quietly walked around. It isn't hard to feel reverant while inside this most beautiful cathedral.
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